So, um, I was messing around with Codex Remote last night, which just hit,
you know, general availability.
And, uh, thanks to Jellypod to help make this daily show a reality.
But, Ethan, I- I- I literally paired my iPhone to my MacBook Pro using just a
single, quick QR code scan, and suddenly I'm running terminal commands from my
couch.
It- it's kind of wild.
Wait, so you're telling me you are actually executing local code on your laptop from
the ChatGPT mobile app?
Like, how does that even work without opening up, like, massive security holes on
your home network?
Right?
That was my first thought too.
You think, oh great, I'm exposing my entire dev environment to the public internet.
But- but they're using this secure relay layer.
So, the mobile app is basically acting as a controller, right?
It sends instructions through the relay, which then talks to the active host agent
on your Mac or PC.
It means your local files, your MCP servers, your credentials-they all stay local.
It doesn't need an open incoming port.
Huh.
So it's more like a- a secure remote control than a full-blown exposure of your port
8080 or whatever.
But, okay, what are people actually using this for?
Is it just a- a party trick, or are there real workflows here?
Well, think about those long-running tasks.
Say you're running a massive test suite or a Docker build that takes,
what, fifteen, twenty minutes?
Instead of sitting at your desk staring at a progress bar, you go make coffee,
go for a walk.
And then boom, you get a mobile push notification on your phone saying,
hey, this task is finished, or, uh, it's asking for permission to run a database
migration.
You can review the diff right there on your phone, tap approve,
and it keeps rolling.
Okay, reviewing diffs on a five-inch screen sounds a little tight,
but I get the appeal for long async tasks.
It's- it's like a pager for your local AI agent.
Exactly!
It's exactly like that.
A pager that actually lets you fix the issue without running back upstairs.
But okay, let's talk about the catch.
Because there is always a catch with these kinds of remote tools,
especially when we're talking about cross-platform stuff.
I was reading the release notes for Codex CLI 0.142.2, which came out alongside
this, and, uh, the host sleep mode rules are incredibly strict.
Oh, yeah.
If your Mac goes to sleep, the party's over.
The connection drops.
And- and on Windows, it gets even weirder, doesn't it?
Yes!
If you're running Windows with foreground Computer Use, the machine has to stay
completely unlocked.
You can't just lock your screen and walk away.
Plus, Windows cannot act as the controller device-only iOS and Android can do that.
And, oh, there's this really annoying bug right now where if you revoke a
connection, it stays cached on the mobile side.
The only way to clear it is a- a complete logout of the ChatGPT app.
Oh, wow.
A full logout just to clear a stale connection?
That- that is definitely a first-generation kind of bug.
But, I suppose for GA, we have to expect some of these operational quirks.
Totally.
But they did pack some decent QOL updates into the actual CLI release,
0.142.2.
They finally enabled MCP tool search by default.
Oh, thank goodness.
Seriously.
Before this, if you had a bunch of Model Context Protocol servers connected,
the CLI would dump every single tool definition into the context window.
It was just a- a massive waste of tokens.
Now it actually searches and pulls them dynamically.
Yes, saving those tokens is huge for latency and, frankly, your API bill.
And they also added system proxy resolution.
There's a new flag, respect_system_proxy, which is a lifesaver if you're behind one
of those corporate VPNs or corporate PAC configurations that usually block this kind
of relay traffic.
Ah, that's a big deal for enterprise devs who want to try this out but are locked
down by corporate IT.
Well, it's a solid step forward for making local agents actually usable on the move.
Definitely check out CLI 0.142.2 if you want to give it a spin.
Alright, that's our quick take.
Catch you next time.
See ya.