Codex CLI 0.97.0: Session Approvals & Live Skill Updates

TL;DR

• Session-scoped tool approvals eliminate repeated prompts for the same MCP/App tool during a session
• Live skill file detection picks up changes without restart
• Memory plumbing added for upcoming thread memory summaries
• TUI stability fixes for picker jitter and status indicators

New

• Session-scoped "Allow and remember" approvals — Auto-approve repeated calls to the same MCP/App tool within a session, cutting friction for multi-turn workflows.
• Live skill update detection — Skill file changes are now picked up without restarting the CLI.
• Mixed text and image in dynamic tool outputs — App-server integrations can now return both text and image content in a single tool response.
• /debug-config slash command — New TUI command to inspect your effective configuration at runtime.
• Memory API plumbing — Initial client and local persistence layer for upcoming thread memory summaries.
• Configurable log_dir — Redirect logs via config or CLI overrides for easier log management.

Fixed

• TUI apps/connectors picker jitter — Stabilized description-column rendering to eliminate visual flicker.
• Working status indicator — Restored and stabilized the shimmer during preamble and early execution flows.
• Cloud requirements reliability — Higher timeouts, retries, and corrected precedence over MDM settings.
• Pending-input user events — More consistent persistence for mid-turn injected input handling.

Under the Hood

• Linux sandbox isolation — Added gated Bubblewrap (bwrap) support for improved filesystem isolation.
• Model client lifecycle — Refactored to be session-scoped, reducing implicit state.
• MCP action caching — Reduced load latency for users with many installed apps.
• Personality option — Added none personality option in protocol/config surfaces.

Update via: npm install -g @openai/codex-cli@0.97.0 or check the full release on GitHub.

Source: Codex