Codex Gets Its AskUserQuestion

For a long time, while using Codex, I missed the AskUserQuestion tool from Claude Code.

Codex 0.88.0, released on January 21, 2026, added its rough equivalent, request_user_input. Initially, it worked in Plan and Pair Programming modes, but not in the regular coding modes. After Codex simplified its public modes to Default and Plan, the tool became Plan-only.

Codex 0.106.0, released on February 26, 2026, made the tool available in Default mode too. But you need to enable an under-development feature flag first.

In ~/.codex/config.toml, you should have:

[features]
default_mode_request_user_input = true

To encourage Codex to use the tool when available, I added this to the Codex-specific file I progressively disclose from AGENTS.md:

## User Input

When available, use `request_user_input` for material decisions unresolved by
repository context. Ask 1–3 concise questions with explicit options. Proceed
autonomously on low-risk choices.

As of August 2026, feature-wise, request_user_input is behind AskUserQuestion. Codex supports 1–3 questions with mutually exclusive options, while Claude supports 1–4 questions and multi-select. My guess is that the flag remains because the feature is still under development. But it is a welcome relief from answering questions with prose, especially in long grilling sessions.