Can the Codex desktop app read its progress aloud? Only in part. OpenAI’s docs now describe the Codex desktop app as Codex inside the ChatGPT desktop app. There, ChatGPT Voice brings progress, blockers and results from a Codex task into a voice chat, on Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise plans, and voice in existing Codex tasks is still rolling out. ChatGPT Voice is the better fit if you want to ask about a task at any moment, start tasks or change direction out loud, with nothing extra to install. Users also report Read Aloud for single replies in the desktop app, with open playback bugs on Windows, where you click a button for each reply (#39683), and on macOS (#55604). On macOS 14 or later, Heard (heard.dev), the voice context layer for agents, runs through the Codex hooks and speaks questions, approvals, results and failures as they land, not tool-by-tool progress, without opening a voice chat.
Works with OpenAI Codex
Available · Native adapter
Codex CLI and the Codex desktop app both run the Heard hooks, so questions, failures and results are spoken as they happen. For the Codex app, Heard also lists your threads, jumps you to the right one, and can type your reply into its composer. Narration stays asynchronous, so it does not block the agent.
Heard labels this integration as “Native adapter.” That label describes how Heard receives the work rather than treating every tool as if it had the same native connection.
- Current status
- Available
- Integration path
- Native adapter
- Desktop platform
- macOS 14 or later
- Talk back
- Heard PowerSupport depends on the underlying session path.
- Open source option
- Apache 2.0 for the open source engine
Setup
Set up Heard for Codex
-
Install Heard
Download and open Heard on macOS 14 or later.
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Connect Codex
Enable Codex in Heard. In Codex CLI, open the hooks screen and trust the Heard hooks when prompted.
Open source engine, Codex CLI and desktop appheard install codex -
Finish setup
For the Codex desktop app, keep Heard running: the same Codex hooks report its work, and your threads appear in Heard, ready to jump to or reply into.
What you will hear
Narration is a filter, not a transcript
Heard speaks questions, approvals, blockers, failures and results. Routine tool steps stay quiet, so you hear what needs you. On Power, Catch me up gives a spoken recap of what your agents did.
Codex CLI questions, failures, test results and final responses
Codex desktop questions, failures and results, plus threads you can jump to and reply into
Parallel Codex sessions with priority based narration
Voice replies routed to the selected session on Heard Power
Mute updates when you want quiet; Parrot still answers when you ask.
Limits
Know the boundary before you leave the screen
A reliable eyes off workflow starts with an accurate support boundary. Run a short test task, confirm that questions and final results reach Heard, and keep the original tool available for interactions the integration cannot route.
- Heard runs on macOS today.
- Trust the Heard hooks once in Codex before your first session.
- Spoken replies and texting or calling Parrot from your iPhone require Heard Power.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can the Codex desktop app read its progress aloud?
Only in part. OpenAI’s docs now describe the Codex desktop app as Codex inside the ChatGPT desktop app. There, ChatGPT Voice brings progress, blockers and results from a Codex task into a voice chat, on Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise plans, and voice in existing Codex tasks is still rolling out. ChatGPT Voice is the better fit if you want to ask about a task at any moment, start tasks or change direction out loud, with nothing extra to install. Users also report Read Aloud for single replies in the desktop app, with open playback bugs on Windows, where you click a button for each reply (#39683), and on macOS (#55604). On macOS 14 or later, Heard (heard.dev), the voice context layer for agents, runs through the Codex hooks and speaks questions, approvals, results and failures as they land, not tool-by-tool progress, without opening a voice chat.
Does Heard work with OpenAI Codex?
Codex CLI and the Codex desktop app both run the Heard hooks, so questions, failures and results are spoken as they happen. For the Codex app, Heard also lists your threads, jumps you to the right one, and can type your reply into its composer. Narration stays asynchronous, so it does not block the agent.
What kind of OpenAI Codex support does Heard provide?
The current support level is native adapter. The page above names the exact setup path and limitations so “works with” does not hide the difference between a native adapter, a wrapper, and a terminal host.
Does Heard block OpenAI Codex while it speaks?
No. Heard processes narration asynchronously. The coding agent can continue working while speech is generated and played.
Can I use Heard with several agents at once?
Yes. Heard keeps session context separate, gives attention to blockers and decisions, and can roll lower priority activity into a shorter spoken brief.
Can I talk back to the agent?
Talking back is part of Heard Power: press right ⌘ and tell Parrot what to send, and it goes to the session you name. Availability can depend on the integration path and whether the underlying tool accepts the response through the active session.
What leaves my Mac?
The open source engine can use local Kokoro speech and your own keys. Managed narration can send a compact narration snippet to configured service providers. Heard does not retain source code, terminal output, narration text, or generated audio after a hosted request completes.
Ready when your agents are
Hear the work without watching every screen.
Start with 14 days of free Heard: the full Power experience. No card required. The open source engine remains free.
Download Heard for Mac macOS 14 or later · Claude Code and Codex supported
