Files
codex/sdk/python/docs/faq.md
Steve Coffey 0127cef5db Stage publishable Python runtime wheels (#18865)
This is PR 2 of the Python SDK PyPI publishing split. [PR
1](https://github.com/openai/codex/pull/18862) refreshed the generated
SDK bindings; this PR makes the runtime package itself publishable, and
PR 3 will wire the SDK package/version pinning to this runtime package.

## Summary
- Rename the runtime distribution to `openai-codex-cli-bin` while
keeping the import package as `codex_cli_bin`.
- Make the runtime package wheel-only and build `py3-none-<platform>`
wheels instead of interpreter-specific wheels.
- Add `stage-runtime --codex-version` and `--platform-tag` so release
staging can produce the platform wheel matrix from Codex release tags.
- Add focused artifact workflow tests for version normalization,
platform tag injection, and runtime wheel metadata.

## Why Rename
There is already an unofficial PyPI package,
[`codex-bin`](https://pypi.org/project/codex-bin/), distributing OpenAI
Codex binaries. Publishing the official SDK runtime dependency as
`openai-codex-cli-bin` makes the ownership clear, avoids confusing the
SDK-pinned runtime wheel with that unowned wrapper, and keeps the import
package unchanged as `codex_cli_bin`.

## Tests
- `uv run --extra dev pytest
tests/test_artifact_workflow_and_binaries.py` -> 21 passed
- `uv run --extra dev python scripts/update_sdk_artifacts.py
stage-runtime /tmp/codex-python-pr2-rebased/runtime-stage
/tmp/codex-python-pr2-rebased/codex --codex-version
rust-v0.116.0-alpha.1 --platform-tag macosx_11_0_arm64`
- `uv run --with build --extra dev python -m build --wheel
/tmp/codex-python-pr2-rebased/runtime-stage`
- `uv run --with twine --extra dev twine check
/tmp/codex-python-pr2-rebased/runtime-stage/dist/openai_codex_cli_bin-0.116.0a1-py3-none-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl`

## Note
- Full `uv run --extra dev pytest` currently fails because regenerating
from schemas already on `main` adds new DeviceKey Python types. I left
that generated catch-up out of this runtime-only PR.
2026-04-22 08:14:48 -07:00

3.4 KiB

FAQ

Thread vs turn

  • A Thread is conversation state.
  • A Turn is one model execution inside that thread.
  • Multi-turn chat means multiple turns on the same Thread.

run() vs stream()

  • TurnHandle.run() / AsyncTurnHandle.run() is the easiest path. It consumes events until completion and returns the canonical generated app-server Turn model.
  • TurnHandle.stream() / AsyncTurnHandle.stream() yields raw notifications (Notification) so you can react event-by-event.

Choose run() for most apps. Choose stream() for progress UIs, custom timeout logic, or custom parsing.

Sync vs async clients

  • Codex is the sync public API.
  • AsyncCodex is an async replica of the same public API shape.
  • Prefer async with AsyncCodex() for async code. It is the standard path for explicit startup/shutdown, and AsyncCodex initializes lazily on context entry or first awaited API use.

If your app is not already async, stay with Codex.

Public kwargs are snake_case

Public API keyword names are snake_case. The SDK still maps them to wire camelCase under the hood.

If you are migrating older code, update these names:

  • approvalPolicy -> approval_policy
  • baseInstructions -> base_instructions
  • developerInstructions -> developer_instructions
  • modelProvider -> model_provider
  • modelProviders -> model_providers
  • sortKey -> sort_key
  • sourceKinds -> source_kinds
  • outputSchema -> output_schema
  • sandboxPolicy -> sandbox_policy

Why only thread_start(...) and thread_resume(...)?

The public API keeps only explicit lifecycle calls:

  • thread_start(...) to create new threads
  • thread_resume(thread_id, ...) to continue existing threads

This avoids duplicate ways to do the same operation and keeps behavior explicit.

Why does constructor fail?

Codex() is eager: it starts transport and calls initialize in __init__.

Common causes:

  • published runtime package (openai-codex-cli-bin) is not installed
  • local codex_bin override points to a missing file
  • local auth/session is missing
  • incompatible/old app-server

Maintainers stage releases by building the SDK once and the runtime once per platform with the same pinned runtime version. Publish openai-codex-cli-bin as platform wheels only; do not publish an sdist:

cd sdk/python
python scripts/update_sdk_artifacts.py generate-types
python scripts/update_sdk_artifacts.py \
  stage-sdk \
  /tmp/codex-python-release/codex-app-server-sdk \
  --runtime-version 1.2.3
python scripts/update_sdk_artifacts.py \
  stage-runtime \
  /tmp/codex-python-release/openai-codex-cli-bin \
  /path/to/codex \
  --runtime-version 1.2.3

Why does a turn "hang"?

A turn is complete only when turn/completed arrives for that turn ID.

  • run() waits for this automatically.
  • With stream(), keep consuming notifications until completion.

How do I retry safely?

Use retry_on_overload(...) for transient overload failures (ServerBusyError).

Do not blindly retry all errors. For InvalidParamsError or MethodNotFoundError, fix inputs/version compatibility instead.

Common pitfalls

  • Starting a new thread for every prompt when you wanted continuity.
  • Forgetting to close() (or not using context managers).
  • Assuming run() returns extra SDK-only fields instead of the generated Turn model.
  • Mixing SDK input classes with raw dicts incorrectly.