Codex Pets

Codex Pets is a coding tool. An optional animated companion overlay inside the ChatGPT desktop app's Codex environment, configured from Settings > Pets. You can pick a built-in or custom pet, show or hide it with /pet, or switch to Mini to keep chat controls without a creature.

Codex Pets is an optional cosmetic layer built into the ChatGPT desktop app's Codex environment. Rather than a standalone product, it is a personalization feature found under Settings > Pets, where you pick a built-in or custom animated companion that floats in an overlay on top of your coding workspace. The pet can be shown, hidden, or swapped at any time, and a Mini option keeps chat controls visible without any creature on screen. The documentation frames pets as decorative first and functional second: they sit alongside real workflows like starting chats, using voice, and following activity inside the app. In daily use, the feature is entirely opt-in. Developers who like ambient personality in their tools can select a pet and toggle the overlay with the /pet command or the Show pet and Hide pet controls. The pet lives in the same window where you review diffs, run builds, and read agent responses, so it is meant to coexist with serious work rather than replace any part of it. Custom pets are supported alongside the built-in roster, which gives users a way to make the companion their own. Who is this for? Primarily individual developers already working inside the Codex desktop experience who want a light personal touch. Because pets do not add analytical capability, they are not a reason to choose the app on their own. Teams evaluating coding assistants should treat this as a minor appearance setting, comparable to theme and font customization. If animated overlays are distracting, the Mini and Hide options remove them completely with no impact on the rest of the workflow.