FeatureAI coding tools

Codex Pets

Codex Pets are optional animated companions in the Codex app that help users monitor active Codex work through a lightweight floating overlay.

Why it matters

Codex Pets help users understand a visible layer of the Codex app experience: how agent activity can be represented, customized, and compared with similar companion features.

Source-backed summary

OpenAI Developers documents Codex pets inside Codex app Appearance settings, including built-in pets, custom pet refresh from the local Codex home, the /pet command, Wake Pet and Tuck Away Pet commands, overlay status, and the hatch-pet skill.

Primary use cases

Keep Codex status visible while working in another app.
Learn the /pet command and settings workflow.
Create custom companions through the hatch-pet workflow.
Compare coding companion features with Claude Buddy.

What the official Codex docs confirm

OpenAI describes Codex pets as optional animated companions for the Codex app, not as a separate model or coding agent. The settings page says users can choose built-in pets, refresh custom pets from the local Codex home, and toggle the floating overlay from the composer, settings, or command menu.

Entry points: Settings > Appearance > Pets, the /pet command, Wake Pet, and Tuck Away Pet.
Overlay state: active thread, whether Codex is running, waiting for input, or ready for review.
Customization path: install the hatch-pet skill, reload skills, then ask hatch-pet to create a pet.

Questions users need answered

Users need practical answers before adopting Codex Pets: how to enable the overlay, what status it shows, how custom pets are loaded, and whether a community pet is official or user-created. The topic also connects naturally to the broader AI coding companion pattern and the Codex Pet vs Claude Buddy comparison.

Related concepts

AI Coding Companion

The broader pattern of companion features around coding agents.

Agent Harness

The runtime layer that lets coding agents expose status and tool activity.

Related entities

Claude Buddy

The closest companion-style comparison point in Claude Code.

Comparisons

Codex Pet vs Claude Buddy

Compare floating Codex companions with terminal-based Claude Code buddies.

Child pages

How to Use Codex Pets

Use /pet, settings, and the overlay status workflow.

Create a Custom Codex Pet

Plan the hatch-pet workflow, package files, and sharing checks.

Sources

Source confidence

official-docs

Codex app settings: Codex pets

OpenAI Developers

Codex Pets FAQ

Common questions about Codex Pets.

What can Codex Pets show while I am using Codex?+

Codex Pets can show the active Codex thread, whether Codex is running, waiting for input, or ready for review, and a short progress prompt. This makes ongoing Codex work visible while you use other apps without reopening the full thread. The official setup path is Settings > Appearance > Pets or the /pet and command-menu controls.

Can I customize a Codex Pet?+

Yes. OpenAI documents a custom pet path through the hatch-pet skill: install hatch-pet, force reload skills from the command menu, then ask the skill to create a pet. Treat custom pets as local or community-created unless they are shipped by OpenAI in the Codex app.