Set up a Codex Cloud environment and start cloud tasks from Pairbar

Before you start

• The Codex CLI installed and signed in: codex cloud list in a terminal should work (see installing the command-line tools).
• A ChatGPT plan with Codex Cloud, and your repository connected to Codex (for example through GitHub).
• The repo checked out on your Mac, with the branch you want the task to start from.

Steps

1. Open the composer on the repo
   Press ✎ in Pairbar's header (or + on the repo's group header), choose Codex in the header, and pick the repo with the Folder chip. Type what the task should do.
2. Switch Local to Cloud
   Click the Local / Cloud chip and choose Cloud. This is chosen per chat and not remembered, so each cloud task is a deliberate choice.
3. Send it once without an environment id
   If no environment id is saved for this repo yet, pressing ↑ (Enter) opens Codex's own new chat in the repo with your text typed in, and Pairbar shows a guide card with what's left: switch Local to Cloud in Codex and, the first time, let Codex set up an environment.
4. Create the environment on OpenAI's side
   Let Codex create it from that chat, or create one yourself in Codex's environment settings at chatgpt.com/codex/settings/environments for the repository. That's where its dependencies, tools, environment variables and secrets are configured; see OpenAI's docs for the current options.
5. Save the environment id in Pairbar
   Copy the environment's id from Codex. Back in Pairbar's composer with Codex and the repo selected, click the Local chip and pick Cloud, click Set environment, paste the id and choose Use "…". It's saved for that repo.
6. Start cloud tasks from Pairbar
   From now on, Codex + Cloud on that repo sends the task straight to Codex Cloud with codex cloud exec, from the repo on its current branch, and opens the task's page. If Codex Cloud refuses the task, Pairbar falls back to opening Codex's own new chat with your text and the guide card.
7. Follow the task in the sidebar
   The task appears in the chat list with a ☁︎ on the Codex icon, grouped with the repo's local chats. Click it to open its page on chatgpt.com.

How cloud tasks are tracked

There's no transcript of a cloud task on your Mac, so Pairbar can't search inside it, show its current action or subagents, hand it off, fork it, send it a follow-up, check in on it, or alert you when it needs you. Applying the result happens on chatgpt.com or in Codex.

And Claude Code cloud sessions?

Claude can't be started in the cloud from outside the Claude app. With Claude + Cloud, Pairbar opens Claude's new chat with your text and folder filled in, and the guide card says to pick a cloud environment there and send. The session then appears in Pairbar with a ☁︎ once the Claude app has loaded its Code sessions list; see cloud chats.

Troubleshooting

The task opens Codex's new chat instead of going to the cloud

No environment id is saved for this repo, or Codex Cloud refused the task. Check the environment chip (with Cloud on) for the repo and that the id matches an environment for this repository.

Cloud tasks never show up in the list

Run codex cloud list in a terminal. If it fails, sign in to codex again. If it works, keep the sidebar showing for up to 5 minutes.

The task started on the wrong branch

codex cloud exec starts from the repo on its current branch. Check out the branch you want in the repo before sending.