Codex hijacks terminal mid typing when asking for approval

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.152.1

What subscription do you have?

business

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.5

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 25.5.0 arm64 arm

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

vscode/bash

Codex doctor report

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "generatedAt": "1789145923s since unix epoch",
  "overallStatus": "ok",
  "codexVersion": "0.152.1",
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      "category": "app-server",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "background server is not running",
      "details": {
        "control socket": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock",
        "daemon state dir": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/app-server-daemon",
        "mode": "ephemeral",
        "pid file": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server.pid (missing)",
        "settings": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/app-server-daemon/settings.json (missing)",
        "status": "not running",
        "update-loop pid file": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server-updater.pid (missing)"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
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      "id": "auth.credentials",
      "category": "auth",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "auth is configured",
      "details": {
        "auth env vars present": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "auth file": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/auth.json",
        "auth storage mode": "File",
        "stored API key": "false",
        "stored ChatGPT tokens": "true",
        "stored agent identity": "false",
        "stored auth mode": "chatgpt"
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 6
    },
    "config.load": {
      "id": "config.load",
      "category": "config",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "config loaded",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex",
        "config.toml": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/config.toml",
        "config.toml parse": "ok",
        "cwd": "/Users/petersaunders/Documents/web-frontend-a/packages/qa-e2e-frontend",
        "enabled feature flags": "shell_tool, view_image, sleep_tool, unified_exec, unified_exec_zsh_fork, shell_snapshot, content_item_kinds, code_mode_host, terminal_resize_reflow, sqlite, hooks, enable_request_compression, unbounded_connection_retries, multi_agent, apps, tool_search_always_defer_mcp_tools, tool_suggest, plugins, in_app_browser, in_app_chat, in_app_dictation, in_app_local_automation, in_app_updates, browser_use, browser_use_full_cdp_access, browser_use_external, computer_use, remote_plugin, plugin_sharing, image_generation, resize_all_images, item_ids, skill_mcp_dependency_install, skill_search, mentions_v2, steer, guardian_approval, goals, collaboration_modes, tool_call_mcp_elicitation, auth_elicitation, personality, fast_mode, tui_app_server, remote_compaction_v2, compaction_image_budget, workspace_dependencies",
        "feature flag overrides": "none",
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        "log dir": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/log",
        "mcp servers": "1",
        "model": "gpt-5.5",
        "model provider": "openai",
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 2
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      "category": "git",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)",
      "details": {
        ".git entry": "directory",
        "PATH git #1": "/usr/bin/git",
        "PATH git entries": "1",
        "git branch": "qa/peter/fe-2306",
        "git build options": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155); cpu: arm64; no commit associated with this build; sizeof-long: 8; sizeof-size_t: 8; shell-path: /bin/sh; feature: fsmonitor--daemon; libcurl: 8.7.1; zlib: 1.2.12; SHA-1: SHA1_DC; SHA-256: SHA256_BLK",
        "git exec path": "/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/libexec/git-core",
        "git version": "git version 2.50.1 (Apple Git-155)",
        "repo detected": "true",
        "repo root": "/Users/petersaunders/Documents/web-frontend-a",
        "selected git": "/usr/bin/git"
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    "installation": {
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      "summary": "installation looks consistent",
      "details": {
        "PATH codex #1": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "PATH codex #2": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "PATH codex entries": "2",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "install context": "brew (package /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1, bin /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/bin, resources /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/codex-resources, path /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/codex-path)",
        "managed by bun": "false",
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        "managed package root": "not set"
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    "mcp.config": {
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "MCP configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
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        "disabled servers": "0",
        "stdio servers": "1"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "network.env": {
      "id": "network.env",
      "category": "network",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "network-related environment looks readable",
      "details": {
        "managed proxy": "not configured",
        "proxy env vars": "none",
        "respect system proxy": "disabled",
        "system proxy": "direct"
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 1
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    "network.provider_reachability": {
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      "category": "reachability",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP",
      "details": {
        "ChatGPT inference URL": "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/<redacted> reachable (HTTP 405)",
        "reachability mode": "ChatGPT auth"
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    "network.websocket_reachability": {
      "id": "network.websocket_reachability",
      "category": "websocket",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "Responses WebSocket handshake succeeded",
      "details": {
        "DNS": "2 IPv4, 0 IPv6, first IPv4",
        "auth mode": "chatgpt",
        "connect timeout": "15000 ms",
        "endpoint": "wss://chatgpt.com/backend-api/<redacted>",
        "handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "provider name": "OpenAI",
        "proxy env vars": "none",
        "reasoning header": "false",
        "server model present": "false",
        "supports websockets": "true",
        "wire API": "responses"
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      "durationMs": 1125
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    "runtime.provenance": {
      "id": "runtime.provenance",
      "category": "runtime",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "running brew on macos-aarch64",
      "details": {
        "commit": "unknown",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "install method": "brew (package /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1, bin /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/bin, resources /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/codex-resources, path /opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/codex-path)",
        "platform": "macos-aarch64",
        "version": "0.152.1"
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
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    "runtime.search": {
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      "category": "search",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "search is OK (bundled)",
      "details": {
        "search command": "/opt/homebrew/Caskroom/codex/0.152.1/codex-path/rg",
        "search command readiness": "file exists",
        "search provider": "bundled"
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
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    "sandbox.helpers": {
      "id": "sandbox.helpers",
      "category": "sandbox",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "sandbox configuration is readable",
      "details": {
        "approval policy": "UnlessTrusted",
        "codex-linux-sandbox helper": "none",
        "execve wrapper helper": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/tmp/arg0/codex-arg0zJjFbo/codex-execve-wrapper",
        "filesystem sandbox": "restricted",
        "network sandbox": "restricted"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
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    "security.endpoint": {
      "id": "security.endpoint",
      "category": "security",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "no supported endpoint protection detected",
      "details": {
        "endpoint products": "none detected"
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 442
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    "state.paths": {
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      "category": "state",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "state paths and databases are inspectable",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex (dir)",
        "active rollout files": "600 files, 515183725 total bytes, 858639 average bytes",
        "archived rollout files": "0 files, 0 total bytes, 0 average bytes",
        "goals DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/goals_1.sqlite (file)",
        "goals DB integrity": "ok",
        "log DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/logs_2.sqlite (file)",
        "log DB integrity": "ok",
        "log dir": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/log (dir)",
        "memories DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/memories_1.sqlite (file)",
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        "queue DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/queue_1.sqlite (file)",
        "queue DB integrity": "ok",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex (dir)",
        "state DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/state_5.sqlite (file)",
        "state DB integrity": "ok",
        "thread history DB": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/thread_history_1.sqlite (file)",
        "thread history DB integrity": "ok"
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      "details": {
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        "rollout DB missing active rows": "0",
        "rollout DB missing archived rows": "0",
        "rollout DB model providers": "openai=600",
        "rollout DB rows": "600",
        "rollout DB scan cap reached": "false",
        "rollout DB scan errors": "0",
        "rollout DB sources": "cli=458, vscode=98, subagent:thread_spawn=29, exec=15",
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      "details": {
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        "failure threshold": "1.0 GiB",
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    "system.environment": {
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "OS language en-CA",
      "details": {
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        "LANG": "C.UTF-8",
        "VISUAL": "not set",
        "os": "Mac OS 26.5.1 [64-bit]",
        "os language": "en-CA",
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      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 17
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    "terminal.env": {
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      "category": "terminal",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "terminal metadata was detected",
      "details": {
        "COLORTERM": "truecolor",
        "TERM_PROGRAM": "vscode",
        "VSCODE_INJECTION": "present",
        "color output": "enabled",
        "effective locale": "C.UTF-8",
        "stderr is terminal": "true",
        "stdin is terminal": "true",
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        "terminal": "VS Code",
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      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "terminal title default",
      "details": {
        "terminal title activity": "true",
        "terminal title items": "activity, project-name",
        "terminal title project source": "git repo root",
        "terminal title project value": "web-frontend-a",
        "terminal title source": "default"
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    },
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      "summary": "update configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
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        "check for update on startup": "true",
        "dismissed version": "0.116.0",
        "last checked at": "2026-09-11T15:53:24.219309Z",
        "latest version": "0.154.0",
        "latest version status": "newer version is available",
        "update action": "brew upgrade --cask codex",
        "version cache": "/Users/petersaunders/.codex/version.json"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 405
    }
  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

When codex asks for approval to do something it immediately hijacks the terminal regardless of I'm mid typing. Codex should wait until I've sent the message/request OR codex should accept a more complex approval than a single keypress.

This is an issue because it causes me to accept/deny requests when my finger is mid stroke. This is also an issue because codex is a tool not a needy child demanding my attention, codex should be polite and learn some manners.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Uploaded thread: 01a0912c-7144-7093-902f-5703b31d4953

What is the expected behavior?

1. codex does not hijack
2. codex waits for me to finish typing and to click enter/send
3. OR codex says I need approval
4. approval is more complex than a single key press

Additional information

Codex should be polite when asking for permission to do something, codex not a needy child and I'm not a computer with interrupt handlers.

Start by reproducing the approval flow in Codex CLI 0.152.1 on macOS with vscode/bash while typing in the terminal. Trace the terminal input and approval interaction described in the issue; done means requesting approval no longer hijacks or disrupts text being typed.