Enterprise control to enforce SSH-only remote execution in the Codex desktop app

What variant of Codex are you using?

Codex desktop app

What feature would you like to see?

Add an administrator-enforced Enterprise policy that allows the Codex desktop app to connect to remote development environments over SSH while disabling agent execution on the user’s local computer.

Organizations with strict security requirements may require all software development and coding-agent execution to take place on company-managed virtual machines accessed through SSH. In these environments, local agent execution is prohibited.

Codex CLI can be used directly on the remote VM. The desktop app could provide a graphical interface to the same environment, but its ability to execute agent tasks locally can prevent organizations from approving its use.

The proposed policy should enforce the following behavior:

• Remote execution only: Agent tasks, shell commands, and agent file operations run exclusively on remote hosts connected through SSH.
• Local execution disabled: Users cannot start or resume local agent tasks, move remote tasks to local execution, or run tools and automations against the local computer.
• No local fallback: If the SSH connection is unavailable or interrupted, the app cannot fall back to local execution.
• Administrator enforcement: Users cannot override the restriction through app settings, project configuration, or per-task approvals.
• Clear status: The interface indicates that the organization enforces remote-only execution and identifies the active remote host.

The desktop interface and the components required to establish the SSH connection would still run locally. The restriction would apply to agent execution and agent access to local resources.

Additional information

A user-selectable preference is insufficient for organizations that require an enforceable restriction on local agent execution. This control would enable adoption of the Codex desktop app in environments where development must remain on remote infrastructure.

The issue does not name specific files, tests, or entry points. Start by locating the Codex desktop app’s agent execution, SSH connection, local-execution fallback, and enterprise-policy handling. Done means administrators can enforce remote-only execution, prevent local overrides and fallback, and show the active remote host in the interface.