Codex Router FAQ — Install, Auth, Safety, Uninstall

What is Codex Router?

Codex Router is a free, open-source, local model router for the Codex App and CLI. It adds external models — DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Grok, Claude, opencode Go, Command Code, Meta and more — to the native Codex model picker, with per-provider credential isolation. Everything runs locally on 127.0.0.1.

Is Codex Router official?

No. It is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI, Anthropic, Moonshot AI, DeepSeek, xAI, OpenRouter, opencode, or the referenced opencodex project. It does not include a “GPT” or “ChatGPT” provider — native GPT models continue to use Codex directly.

Is Codex Router free?

Yes. The router is MIT-licensed and free to use. You only pay for the external provider accounts you connect (for example a DeepSeek API key or a Z.ai Coding Plan). The installer never makes a paid test request unless you explicitly opt in with the smoke test.

Do I need a ChatGPT or OpenAI login to use external models?

No. External models authenticate through their own OAuth session or API key. The tray’s “Use without OpenAI login” switch selects the managed custom provider for new Codex sessions, so signed-out Codex can use connected external providers. Native GPT models, ChatGPT usage and cloud tasks still require OpenAI authentication.

What is the difference between OAuth and an API key?

OAuth reuses the official CLI’s signed-in session — Kimi Code OAuth reads ~/.kimi-code, and Grok OAuth reads ~/.grok/auth.json. An API key is a separately billed developer key (DeepSeek, Kimi Platform, xAI, Anthropic, Ollama Cloud, Z.ai, Qwen plan) entered once through a hidden prompt. OAuth and API access are separate billing systems even for the same vendor, and their entries intentionally coexist.

Will Codex Router break my GPT models or ChatGPT login?

No. The integration preserves the built-in OpenAI provider, native GPT models, ChatGPT sign-in, profiles, MCP settings, project trust and reasoning defaults. disable removes only the marked config block and current service, and turning off login-free mode restores your previous model and model_provider exactly.

Is it safe to enter my API key?

Yes. Keys are entered through hidden terminal prompts with echo disabled, stored in per-user protected files (mode 600 on POSIX, a current-user ACL on Windows), and sent only to the configured endpoint for that provider. Diagnostics report presence and source, never the value. The router never asks you to paste a key into chat.

Do providers allow routing through Codex Router?

Not necessarily. Model providers may restrict or block proxy traffic. Routing external models through a third-party tool is at your own risk (UAYOR), and content on this site does not promise that any provider permits it. Check each provider’s terms.

How do I update or uninstall Codex Router?

./bin/model-router codex update
./bin/model-router codex rollback
./bin/model-router codex uninstall

Updates require a clean main checkout and keep the previous revision as a rollback ref. Uninstall removes the active integration and background service but intentionally retains the checkout, logs, backups and provider credentials — inspect the state directory manually before deleting anything.

Where can I get help?

Run ./bin/model-router codex doctor, follow the troubleshooting guide, create a support bundle with ./bin/support-bundle, and open an issue on the Codex Router repository. Never paste a credential or a complete managed base URL into an issue.

Related: installation, models overview, troubleshooting, about.