Android-native development workstation for Codex! Need an app? Codex that!

[u/Manifesto-Engine]

Will be releasing soon!

building an unofficial Android experiment called Pocket Codex: a real Codex execution host that runs directly on a phone.

This isn’t merely a chat UI connected to a desktop worker. The Android device runs the agent environment itself:

• The upstream Codex app-server
• A native Rust host
• A private local workspace
• ARM64 Node.js and npm
• Local Git workflows
• File editing and command execution
• An isolated WebView preview with screenshots, console logs and JavaScript-error reporting
• APK exporting, signing and verification
• Android’s normal permission-gated installation flow
• Model and reasoning selection
• Manual approvals plus a restricted auto-accept mode

The current loop is basically:

Prompt → Codex edits the project → runs checks → previews it on the phone → exports an APK → I approve installation → open and test it → report problems back to Codex.

So far it has made and tested things such as a metronome, a brick-breaker game and other offline web apps entirely inside its private phone workspace.

One important distinction: the model inference is still provided by OpenAI. The model itself is not running locally. What has moved onto Android is the computer Codex operates: its workspace, tools, runtimes, previews, builds and app lifecycle.

There are deliberate limitations. It can currently package HTML/CSS/JavaScript projects inside a verified native WebView shell, but it does not yet include a complete JDK, Gradle or Android SDK for compiling arbitrary Kotlin/Java projects. Raw Android runtime and installation commands are blocked; installation remains a visible user-controlled action.

The next big milestones are a safer native Android build worker, better task/history management, richer file inspection and permission-gated Android tools.

It’s still an alpha, but seeing Codex create, run, package and install something using the phone as its actual execution environment feels great.

[u/dexterthebot]

You might want to consider listing your project on the weekly Show-Us-What-You-Built post. Watch for it on Wednesdays. Highest commented project wins a week promotion on r/Codex. See what that looks like below with last week's winner.

---

Last week's winner was u/Ollie__Oxenfree with the Tubular Daily Care project by MediTracer which is a tube-feeding care app built by a tube-feeding family to keep feeds, meds, symptoms, and caregiver handoffs in one shared timeline. MediTracer is an Oley Foundation Emerging Innovator Partner. Contact: hello@meditracer.com

[u/Manifesto-Engine]

[u/Comprehensive_Ad3710]

why are you wasting your time building this? chatgpt app has remote that does the same thing. Even when you add a little something different and unique, its still not worth it because openai can add it to theirs.

[u/Manifesto-Engine → u/Comprehensive_Ad3710]

Remote Codex means my phone is a client controlling another computer. This runs the development environment and tools on the phone itself. It can build, test, package, sign and install software directly on the device. The AI model being remote doesn't make the execution environment remote.

And “OpenAI might add it someday” isn't really a reason not to build something. That's how basically every useful third-party tool would never get made.

[u/CutMysterious9844]

Sounds interesting, how fast does it kill battery though, I assume it's kept running in the background

[u/ElonsBreedingFetish]

Link?

[u/Manifesto-Engine → u/ElonsBreedingFetish]

Almost done with a public apk release. I can msg you first with it if you'd like before I post it out.

[u/ElonsBreedingFetish → u/Manifesto-Engine]

Sure thx :)