01What Codex AI Agent Updates Are

Codex AI agent updates are the latest features from OpenAI's Codex that let you control your Mac from your phone, even when the Mac is locked and the screen is off. In this episode, we break down three big updates: Locked Use, App Shots, and Goal Mode.

These updates were announced on May 21st and quickly went viral, with a post showing Locked Use getting over 1.8 million views in a day. The main idea is to let AI agents work even when you're away from your computer, so you don't have to keep your Mac awake and unlocked all the time.

02The Three Big Updates Explained

Here are the three updates that shipped together on what OpenAI calls Codex Thursday:

  • Locked Use: Codex can now wake up apps on your Mac from your phone, even if the Mac is locked and the screen is off. You can be out running errands, and the work continues.
  • App Shots: Press both Command keys at once to send the entire window—including text you can't see because it's scrolled off—straight to Codex. No copying, pasting, or typing explanations.
  • Goal Mode: This feature is now official and stable. Instead of giving a single instruction, you give Codex a whole goal, and it plans the steps, does the work, checks itself, and keeps going until the goal is done—sometimes for hours or overnight.

03How to Set Up Locked Use

Setting up Locked Use is simple. Here's how you do it:

  1. Open Codex on your Mac and go to Settings.
  2. Find the plugin called Computer Use and turn it on.
  3. Grant the two permissions it asks for: one to see your screen, and one to control your apps.
  4. Once you say yes, you're ready to send tasks from your phone.

After that, Codex can click buttons, type, move through menus, copy and paste, and run through apps step by step, just like a person.

04How to Use Codex with Your Phone and App Shots

Once set up, using Codex from your phone is straightforward. You can send a task from your phone, and Codex will wake up apps on your locked Mac and get to work.

For example, you could ask it to draft welcome messages for new members while you're out grabbing lunch. The work gets done while you're away.

For App Shots, just press both Command keys at once. This sends the whole window to Codex, including text that's scrolled off. It's great for long email threads or lists—Codex sees exactly what you see, no extra typing.

05Results and Comparisons Shown

The episode shows how these updates compare to before. A year ago, an AI agent would run for maybe half an hour before losing track. Now, with Goal Mode, it can run for hours or even days without stopping.

The viral post about Locked Use got over 1.8 million views in a day, showing strong interest. The example of creating help docs overnight would normally eat up a whole week, but now it happens while you sleep.

06Safety Guardrails and Limits

Safety is built into Locked Use. Here are the key guardrails:

  • When Codex unlocks your Mac, it only unlocks it for a short window—just enough to do the job.
  • While working, it blocks anyone nearby from using the computer, and the screen stays protected.
  • If the Mac senses someone touching the keyboard or moving the mouse, it locks itself right back up and waits for you to unlock it.

One limit: the locked Mac feature works when the screen is off, but the computer is still running. If you close the MacBook lid completely, it enters a deeper sleep and won't run. So leave the lid open, with the screen off.

07Tips for Getting the Best Results

To get the most out of these updates, be clear with your goals. If you give a fuzzy or lazy goal, Codex will run for an hour and do the wrong stuff, wasting time.

Spell out what 'done' looks like, what you want at the end, and what the rules are. The clearer you are, the better the work comes back.

Start with one small task to get comfortable. Once you see your computer finish a job while you're out living your life, you won't want to go back.

08Who Should Use This and Why It Matters

These updates are for anyone who wants AI to work around their schedule, not the other way around. Business owners, creators, and anyone who juggles tasks can benefit from handing off a goal and walking away.

People who learn to use these tools early will be miles ahead because they started early, not because they're smarter. You don't need to be a coder—you just need someone to show you the steps.

The shift is clear: computers used to need you sitting in front of them, awake and clicking. Now the AI does the clicking, and you just point it in the right direction.