OpenCodex

OpenCodex is a Codex-style desktop workbench: pick a project folder → the main area is a real in-app terminal where you run Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Aider, opencode, and other CLIs → split it left/right or top/bottom to run several at once → slide out a file tree or browser from the top bar when you need it. Everything stays alive — switching sessions never kills your terminal processes.

Fully local, open-source, bring-your-own-model. It ships no API keys and points at no relay or server of its own. You fill in your own Base URL + API Key — any OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible endpoint works (Anthropic, DeepSeek, Zhipu, Kimi, local ollama, whatever you run).

• 🗂️ Folder-based multi-terminal factory — one folder per project; sessions grouped by project on the left; the main area is the terminal.
• 🪟 Split & run many — split left/right or top/bottom inside one folder and run several AI CLIs for parallel, multi-process coding. Splitting only repositions panes; a running session is never destroyed.
• ⚡ Real in-app terminal (PTY) — a Rust-owned pseudo-terminal (portable_pty) rendered by xterm.js with WebGL, smooth under high-frequency TUI repaints. PATH auto-injects portable Node/Python and the global npm dir, so claude / codex just work. Closing a terminal kills the whole child-process tree — no orphans.
• 🫳 Drag to drop paths — drag a file / image / folder into the terminal and its real path is typed into the command line (handy for showing images to Claude Code or feeding file paths).
• 💾 Layout memory + adjustable font — split layout restores on relaunch; font size via Ctrl ± or the toolbar, persisted.
• 📑 Slide-out panels — from the top bar, slide out a file tree or browser; resizable and dismissable.
• 🔑 AI Setup Center — see which local AI CLIs are detected and keep each one on its own existing configuration. Optionally set a compatible endpoint for OpenCodex's structured Claude Code chat only; it never touches terminal sessions, CLI global config, login state, or system environment variables.
• 🪶 Portable ZIP — ~5.68 MB exe plus an empty portable-data/ folder, size-first release profile (opt-level=z + LTO + strip), reusing the system WebView (no bundled Chromium). Separate extracted folders keep their data isolated.

Most desktop AI-coding tools are heavy (Electron, ~200 MB) and built around human-facing workflows. There still isn't a lightweight, AI-first tool for multi-terminal coding collaboration the way Codex approaches it — open a folder, split into several terminals, and run multiple Claude Code / Codex sessions in parallel.

OpenCodex does exactly that in a ~5.68 MB exe (Tauri, reusing the system WebView). It takes the most underrated capability — the folder-based, AI-facing multi-terminal factory — and makes it open-source, portable, and bring-your-own-model.

It's an early Demo, and it's what I use daily.

pnpm install            # install frontend deps
pnpm tauri dev          # dev mode (window + HMR)
pnpm tauri build        # produce exe + installer

Headless self-test (no GUI; verifies PTY + PATH injection):

cargo run -- --term-test "node --version"

1. Launch OpenCodex.
2. Top-right AI Setup Center shows detected CLIs and leaves each CLI on its own configuration. Optionally enable a temporary compatible endpoint for OpenCodex's structured Claude Code chat (presets available); terminal sessions stay untouched.
3. Run any CLI in the terminal — claude, codex, gemini, aider, opencode… If one isn't installed, install it right there in a terminal pane (e.g. npm i -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code).
4. New project → pick a folder → start working. Split for more terminals; slide out files / browser when needed.

Two layers, no sidecar: React (WebView) ⟷ Tauri 2 (Rust).

• Portable release: portable-data/tasks.json, portable-data/kv.json, and optional portable-data/config.json beside the exe. Do not share a portable-data folder after you have used it.
• Fallback without portable-data/: ~/.opencodex/tasks.json and optional ~/.opencodex/config.json.
• Optional portable runtime: portable-data/runtime/{node,python} (unzip here to be auto-discovered and added to PATH)

MIT. No bundled keys, billing, activation, or telemetry — a pure local tool.

"Claude" / "Claude Code" are trademarks of Anthropic; "Codex" is a trademark of OpenAI. Other CLIs (Gemini CLI, Aider, opencode) belong to their respective owners. OpenCodex is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them, and only runs the AI CLIs and model endpoints you configure.