What feature would you like to see?
Add an original, block-built Codex 8-bit character as an optional built-in pet in the existing Codex CLI /pets catalog.
This is deliberately an asset/catalog proposal—not a request for a new companion framework. Codex already provides the picker, ambient animation scheduler, semantic task states, custom-pet loader, and terminal image protocols.
Why it fits Codex CLI
A compact pixel character feels native to a terminal and stays recognizable at the CLI pet’s small ambient size. The proposed design uses a simple two-arm/two-foot silhouette, square eyes, and a small cyan cursor-button motif that reacts to work.
The completed 8 × 9 lossless WebP atlas covers all existing semantic tracks:
- idle
- running-right / running-left
- waving
- jumping
- failed
- waiting / needs input
- running
- review / ready
Proposed implementation scope
The built-in contribution can remain very small:
- Publish the supplied spritesheet through the existing Codex pet asset path.
- Add one
BuiltinPet catalog record.
- Update the existing picker-order assertion and
/pets snapshot.
No new configuration key, dependency, prompt content, model-visible context, authentication behavior, tool behavior, approval path, telemetry event, or protocol type is required.
I have a working custom-pet prototype, deterministic asset generator, dark- and light-terminal variants, validation scripts, an exact catalog patch, design notes, and a reviewer-oriented handoff ready to share.
Originality and requested credit
The character and pixel frames are original. The implementation artwork does not use Anthropic names or marks, crab anatomy, claws, an OpenAI logo, or copied third-party frames.
I am not seeking payment, royalties, or ownership over Codex. If OpenAI adopts the character concept or original artwork, my only request is a simple creator credit, for example:
Original Codex 8-bit companion concept and pixel-art prototype by Landon Hahn.
The prototype assets are currently offered under CC BY 4.0 with that attribution, and I’m happy to follow OpenAI’s appropriate contribution paperwork or licensing process as long as the creator credit is preserved.
Separate renderer observation
During live Windows testing, the pet worked through the native CLI pet system, but animated Kitty-graphics frames visibly blinked in WezTerm. I investigated command ordering and prepared experimental renderer notes, but I do not consider that visually resolved or part of the core artwork proposal.
That appears related to the general terminal-pet rendering area reported in #34489 and should be evaluated separately from whether this character belongs in the catalog. Reduced-motion/static rendering provides a dependable local preview.
Non-goals
- Replacing or renaming the Codex agent
- Creating a second pet engine
- Adding executable behavior to pet packages
- Changing prompts, tools, permissions, networking, or agent behavior
- Submitting an unsolicited pull request before the team agrees with the direction
If the team is interested, I can provide the animated preview and complete handoff, adjust the character art based on brand/product feedback, and package an invited contribution in the preferred form.
What feature would you like to see?
Add an original, block-built Codex 8-bit character as an optional built-in pet in the existing Codex CLI
/petscatalog.This is deliberately an asset/catalog proposal—not a request for a new companion framework. Codex already provides the picker, ambient animation scheduler, semantic task states, custom-pet loader, and terminal image protocols.
Why it fits Codex CLI
A compact pixel character feels native to a terminal and stays recognizable at the CLI pet’s small ambient size. The proposed design uses a simple two-arm/two-foot silhouette, square eyes, and a small cyan cursor-button motif that reacts to work.
The completed 8 × 9 lossless WebP atlas covers all existing semantic tracks:
Proposed implementation scope
The built-in contribution can remain very small:
BuiltinPetcatalog record./petssnapshot.No new configuration key, dependency, prompt content, model-visible context, authentication behavior, tool behavior, approval path, telemetry event, or protocol type is required.
I have a working custom-pet prototype, deterministic asset generator, dark- and light-terminal variants, validation scripts, an exact catalog patch, design notes, and a reviewer-oriented handoff ready to share.
Originality and requested credit
The character and pixel frames are original. The implementation artwork does not use Anthropic names or marks, crab anatomy, claws, an OpenAI logo, or copied third-party frames.
I am not seeking payment, royalties, or ownership over Codex. If OpenAI adopts the character concept or original artwork, my only request is a simple creator credit, for example:
The prototype assets are currently offered under CC BY 4.0 with that attribution, and I’m happy to follow OpenAI’s appropriate contribution paperwork or licensing process as long as the creator credit is preserved.
Separate renderer observation
During live Windows testing, the pet worked through the native CLI pet system, but animated Kitty-graphics frames visibly blinked in WezTerm. I investigated command ordering and prepared experimental renderer notes, but I do not consider that visually resolved or part of the core artwork proposal.
That appears related to the general terminal-pet rendering area reported in #34489 and should be evaluated separately from whether this character belongs in the catalog. Reduced-motion/static rendering provides a dependable local preview.
Non-goals
If the team is interested, I can provide the animated preview and complete handoff, adjust the character art based on brand/product feedback, and package an invited contribution in the preferred form.