# CLI: make daemon_auto_start opt-in for Codex

> Codex CLI should require user permission to auto-start background daemon.
- Title: CLI: make daemon_auto_start opt-in for Codex · GitHub
- Summary: Codex CLI should require user permission to auto-start background daemon. Codex CLI should default to not auto-starting a persistent background daemon to…
- Keywords: codex, cli, daemon_auto_start, app-server, background daemon, self-updating, npm, package manager, technology, startups, make, daemon
- Source: GitHub — https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/48195
- Author: Yihua-Liu-1997
- Published: 2026-09-25T20:04:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: codex, cli, daemon_auto_start, app-server, background daemon, self-updating, npm, package manager, technology, startups
## Codex CLI issue
User reports Codex CLI 0.157.0 auto-starts a persistent background daemon without permission.

> CLI: make daemon_auto_start opt-in, a persistent, self-updating background daemon shouldn't be the default
## Background daemon behavior
Daemon runs in its own session with no TTY, keeps running after window closes, copies platform packages, and updates itself hourly.

> Starts a persistent background daemon (codex app-server, managed-daemon). It runs in its own session with no TTY and keeps running after every Codex window is closed (reparented to PID 1) until codex app-server daemon stop or a reboot.
## User impact
Users experience unintended system processes, proxy issues, and broken terminal hooks when daemon runs without permission.

> Pins the environment of whichever session happened to start it. I launch Codex through a wrapper that sets HTTPS_PROXY per invocation; the daemon keeps the first session's proxy variables and its outbound connections go through that proxy, whatever later sessions are launched with.
## Current default
Codex CLI 0.157.0 starts persistent background daemon by default without user confirmation.

> Since 0.157.0, just opening an interactive codex session: Starts a persistent background daemon (codex app-server, managed-daemon).
## User workaround
Users disable daemon_auto_start via config.toml to prevent unintended background processes.

> Setting daemon_auto_start = false in config.toml resolves the issue
## Security concerns
Background daemon creates security risks by running with elevated privileges and copying entire platform packages.

> Copies the whole platform package (~374 MB: codex, codex-code-mode-host, bundled bwrap / zsh / rg ) into ~/.codex/packages/app-server-daemon/releases/<version>/
## Update mechanism
Daemon runs hourly update loop that can kill active turns and restarts backend without user input.

> Starts a detached updater (codex app-server daemon pid-update-loop) that checks for updates 5 minutes after start and then hourly, downloads new releases and restarts the backend
## User complaints
Multiple users report CLI unusable due to background daemon causing input issues.

> This is terrible. I can't input anything on the CLI at all. You should fix this problem as soon as possible and give us 100 banked reset!
## Proposed fix
Make daemon_auto_start opt-in (default false) to require user permission before starting background daemon.

> Please make daemon_auto_start opt-in (default false ) for the CLI, or at least ask once before turning it on
## Related issues
Multiple related issues reported including proxy conflicts and daemon update problems.

> Related: #40969, #41188, #46468, #48050, #42457, #37537
## Fix implemented
Codex CLI 0.160.1 released with sandbox patch for nix-user-chroot to address daemon issues.

> Update codex to 0.160.1 with a sandbox patch for nix-user-chroot
## Key takeaway

Codex CLI should default to not auto-starting a persistent background daemon to prevent unintended system processes.