Choosing an execution host
Codex cloud vs local: where should your work run?
Compare a local Codex workspace with a cloud task, including laptop sleep, project files, dependencies and continuing from another device.
Based on public documentation and selected source code. These workflows have not been tested here on multiple devices. Availability and compatibility can change.
Start with the execution host
The useful question is: which machine will run the next command? Your screen is the client. The execution host holds the working directory, installed tools and running processes. Changing screens can be simple when both screens connect to that same host. Moving execution needs more preparation.
OpenAI’s Codex Cloud overview describes remote coding tasks with a reusable environment and a separate workspace for each task. The CLI overview describes terminal-based work with a repository. Neither description means that every local file automatically appears in a cloud task.
Compare what changes
| Question | Local execution | Codex Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Where are commands run? | The selected computer and working directory. | A cloud task’s environment. |
| What if my laptop sleeps? | Work on that laptop cannot keep executing normally while it sleeps. | The cloud task does not depend on your laptop staying awake. |
| Can it use my project setup? | Tools and files must be available on the local host. | Repositories, dependencies and access must be prepared in the environment. |
| What happens on another device? | Connect to the host, or validate an explicit handoff. | Reopen the existing cloud task to continue its saved work. |
| What needs checking? | Host power, connection, local files and permissions. | Prepared setup, task state, service access and applicable limits. |
A new task is a new workspace
OpenAI’s environment documentation distinguishes a new task, which starts from the published setup, from an existing task, which retains its own saved files. It also says saved state does not replace source control. Reopen the original task when you want to continue it.
Before switching, identify the exact repository, branch and latest change. An untracked fixture, a local database or an environment variable can matter just as much as a committed source file. Check those dependencies deliberately instead of assuming that matching conversation text proves the project is ready.
If your task only needs a repository and repeatable dependencies, a prepared cloud environment may fit. If it needs a USB device, desktop application or local-only service, first verify access to that dependency. A cloud label cannot make an unavailable resource appear.
Choose the smallest move that solves the problem
- You only need another screen: investigate phone or remote access to the existing host. Check that the host can remain available.
- You want work to continue with your laptop off: choose an execution environment independent of that laptop and validate the project there.
- You want to move unfinished local work: use the session-sync guide to check conversation state, changed files and execution ownership.
For each option, try a small disposable project first. Make one tracked edit and one untracked file, switch devices, inspect both, and run the same check. That experiment measures continuity more directly than whether the chat title is visible.
What this means for CodexAnywhere
Official cloud access already addresses some device-switching needs. The problem we are researching is the less tidy case: carrying an existing conversation and unfinished project work between environments. We have not validated that handoff. For the separate question of leaving work unattended, read what running Codex 24/7 actually requires.
More Codex guides
Common questions
Does Codex Cloud keep running when my laptop is closed?
OpenAI documents that cloud tasks can work while your computer sleeps. This does not make a local task cloud-hosted, or promise that every task will run indefinitely.
Will creating a cloud task copy my local uncommitted changes?
Do not assume it does. Verify how your chosen handoff or transfer carries working files. A new cloud task and a local checkout are distinct workspaces.
Is remote access the same as migrating a task?
No. Remote access lets another device control the original execution host. Migration changes the host and requires the conversation, project files and runtime to be usable there.