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Claude CodeCodexAI Coding

Codex and Claude Code Are Twins Now

Jonathan||4 min read
TL;DR

Codex vs Claude Code — three cuts

Same story, three angles. Each cut has sources you can check.

  1. Claude Code copied Codex's /goal — Codex put out /goal first on April 30, still in test mode. Claude Code put out the same command twelve days later, already turned on. A Github page named 'claude-goal' copied it over before Anthropic put out their own.

  2. Anthropic put three features out first — Phone control: 78 days before Codex. Helper agents: about 6 months before. Computer control: 23 days before. TechCrunch says OpenAI is adding powers that look like Anthropic's.

  3. OpenAI ships Anthropic's road map 2–12 weeks late — Phone control 78 days late. Computer control 23 days late. Hooks still being copied (Github page named 'Full Claude Code Hook Parity 29+'). Watch Claude today to see Codex next month.

Pick whichever app you already pay for. Both ship the same features.

What this is

The two biggest names in AI coding — Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex — keep putting out the same features. Sometimes Anthropic goes first. Sometimes Codex does. Either way, the gap closes in days or weeks.

If you're picking between them, the choice is what you like now, not power.

This breakdown gives you three cuts of the same story with sources you can check.

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Cut 1 — Claude Code copied Codex's /goal

Codex put out the slash goal command on April 30, 2026. You set a goal. Codex keeps working until the goal is done.

The catch: you had to turn it on yourself by flipping a setting. Almost no one did.

Twelve days later, on May 12, 2026, Claude Code put out the same command. Same way to use it. Same job. Already turned on. No setting to flip.

The proof Claude Code copied Codex is on Github. A developer named jthack made a Github page called "claude-goal" before Anthropic put out their official version. The page title says, in plain English, "A Codex-style /goal command for Claude Code."

Codex got there first. Anthropic put out the version everyone uses.

**Sources:**

- Simon Willison on the Codex /goal launch — https://simonwillison.net/2026/Apr/30/codex-goals/ - Anthropic's /goal docs — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/goal - The community port — https://github.com/jthack/claude-goal

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Cut 2 — Three features Anthropic put out first

Anthropic put out three big features before Codex copied them.

  1. Phone control. — Anthropic put out Remote Control on February 25, 2026. Codex put out the same kind of feature inside the ChatGPT mobile app on May 14, 2026. That's 78 days later.
  1. Helper agents. — Claude Code put out helper agents in the middle of 2025. Codex put out helper agents on March 16, 2026. About six months later.
  1. Computer control. — Anthropic put out desktop control in Claude Code on March 24, 2026. Codex put out computer control on April 16, 2026. Twenty-three days later.

TechCrunch wrote, "Some of the powers OpenAI is now adding to Codex seem to resemble those previously released by Anthropic for Claude Code."

**Sources:**

- Anthropic Remote Control docs — https://code.claude.com/docs/en/remote-control - TechCrunch on Codex on mobile — https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/14/openai-says-codex-is-coming-to-your-phone/ - TechCrunch on Codex computer control — https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/16/openai-takes-aim-at-anthropic-with-beefed-up-codex-that-gives-it-more-power-over-your-desktop/ - Codex helper agents — https://developers.openai.com/codex/subagents

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Cut 3 — The road map

OpenAI watches what Anthropic puts out in Claude Code and ships the same thing two to twelve weeks later.

Three examples:

  1. Phone control. — Codex put it out 78 days after Anthropic.
  1. Computer control. — Codex put it out 23 days after Anthropic.
  1. Hooks. — Still in progress. There's a public Github page on OpenAI's Codex code titled "Full Claude Code Hook Parity 29+." They're not hiding it. Hooks let you run your own code before and after the tool does anything.

So if you want to know what's coming to Codex next month, watch what Anthropic puts out in Claude Code today.

That's a free road map.

**Sources:**

- Hook parity page on Github — https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/21753 - Anthony Maio: "Codex Got Better because Claude Code Got Weird" — https://anthonymaio.substack.com/p/codex-got-better-because-claude-code

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What to do with this

Pick whichever app you already pay for.

If you're new and trying to choose: pick the one with the bigger free version this month. Both put out the same features anyway.

The fight is what you like now, not power.