OpenAI Codex pet tracks live threads

This is a cosmetic feature with real workflow value: once Codex is juggling multiple background tasks, a persistent companion is an efficient way to keep humans oriented without digging through thread lists.

• –Surfaces in-progress work in one place, which matters more as users run several Codex threads at once
• –Inline replies from the pet UI lower the friction for mid-task course corrections
• –Fits OpenAI’s broader push to make Codex a desktop/workflow companion, not just a code generator
• –The mascot layer is also a retention move: it makes a utilitarian agent feel more visible and easier to return to
• –If this works well, expect more agent products to borrow “playful shell over serious automation” UI patterns