Does ChatGPT have a CLI like Claude Code? Yes. It is called Codex CLI. You install it, run codex inside a project folder, sign in with your ChatGPT account, and it reads your code, edits files and runs commands in your terminal. That is the same loop Claude Code gives you.
I use Claude Code every day. I have not used Codex CLI for real work, so this is not a verdict on which one writes better code. It covers what Codex CLI is, which ChatGPT plan includes it, and what carries over if you come from Claude Code. Every fact comes from OpenAI's docs and its GitHub repo, read on 13 November 2026.
ChatGPT's version of Claude Code is Codex CLI
OpenAI ships Codex in four places: the CLI in your terminal, an IDE extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, a desktop app, and Codex Cloud on chatgpt.com. When people ask for "the ChatGPT version of Claude Code", the CLI is the closest match. Both run in your terminal, against your local repository, with the tools you already have installed.
Install it the same way you would install Claude Code:
# macOS and Linux
curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh
# or with npm or Homebrew
npm install -g @openai/codex
brew install --cask codex
Then run codex in a project folder and pick Sign in with ChatGPT. For comparison, Claude Code installs with curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash and you run claude.
Codex CLI is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. The openai/codex repo had 135,148 stars on 13 November, and OpenAI cut release 0.169.0 that morning, so expect it to move fast.
Which ChatGPT plan includes Codex CLI
The CLI itself is free to install. Using it needs a ChatGPT plan or an OpenAI API key.
| Codex CLI (ChatGPT) | Claude Code (Claude) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan with the CLI | Plus, $20 a month | Pro, $20 a month ($17 billed yearly) |
| Bigger plans | Pro at $100, $200 or $500 a month | Max at $100, Ultra at $200 a month |
| Free and cheap plans | Free and Go ($8) list Codex in the desktop app only | Free has no Claude Code |
| Pay per token instead | OpenAI API key | Anthropic Console account |
| Project instruction file | AGENTS.md |
CLAUDE.md |
Prices are from learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing and claude.com/pricing on 13 November 2026.
Read the Free and Go rows carefully. OpenAI's pricing page says Codex is included in every ChatGPT plan, but the Free and Go cards only list GPT-6 Luna "in the desktop app, subject to rollout". The Plus card is the first to list "Codex on the web, in the CLI, in the IDE extension, and on iOS". If you want the terminal tool, Plus is the entry point.
The usage limits work like Claude's. OpenAI counts local messages per five-hour window on Plus, and its own estimate for GPT-6.1 Sol is 15 to 160 messages per window, depending on the task. Pro plans had no five-hour limit when I read the page. Weekly limits may also apply.
The API key route skips the subscription. You pay per token at API prices, you get the CLI, the SDK and the IDE extension, and you lose the cloud features such as GitHub code review and the Slack integration. OpenAI pitches it for CI.
What carries over from Claude Code
If you have used Claude Code, most of Codex CLI will feel familiar. OpenAI's welcome screen lists the commands:
/initwrites anAGENTS.mdfile with instructions for Codex, where Claude Code's/initwritesCLAUDE.md. OpenAI's docs describeAGENTS.mdand never mentionCLAUDE.md, so copy the instructions you rely on./modelpicks the model and reasoning effort. The default in OpenAI's own screenshot is gpt-6.1-sol on medium./permissionschooses what Codex may do without asking./reviewreviews uncommitted changes, a commit or a branch against its base, and reports findings without touching your working tree.codex execruns a task from a script or a CI pipeline, the same jobclaude -pdoes for Claude Code.codex resumebrings back a saved session.
Codex also has skills and plugins, and OpenAI's docs recommend Git checkpoints before and after each task so you can revert. That is good advice for any agent that edits your files.
If you already pay for ChatGPT, try it first
I wrote Codex vs Claude Code at $50 a month about the choice between the two agents. One point from it decides most cases: if you already pay for ChatGPT Plus, Codex CLI costs you nothing extra, and a second $20 subscription for Claude Code has to earn its place. Try Codex CLI on a real task before you buy anything.
If you are paying for one plan from scratch, the entry prices match at $20, so the choice comes down to the agent itself. My own reasons for living in Claude Code are in ChatGPT vs Claude Code after a year, and the Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex page lines up the two listings.
FAQ
Does ChatGPT have something like Claude Code?
Yes. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, and Codex CLI is the version that runs in your terminal like Claude Code. It also comes as an IDE extension, a desktop app and a cloud agent at chatgpt.com/codex.
Is Codex CLI free?
The CLI is free and open source, but it needs a paid ChatGPT plan (Plus at $20 a month or higher) or an OpenAI API key billed per token. OpenAI's pricing page lists Codex on the Free and Go plans for the desktop app only.
Does Codex CLI read CLAUDE.md?
OpenAI's docs only describe AGENTS.md as Codex's instruction file. Run /init in Codex to create one, or copy the instructions from your CLAUDE.md.
