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xuhuanstudio/codex-styler

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

14TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

An unofficial theme and companion customizer for OpenAI's Codex Desktop app, with reversible visual themes and animated 2D characters.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Codex Styler))
    What it does
      Custom Codex themes
      Animated companions
      Guided settings control
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      React
      Electron
    Use cases
      Theme customization
      Companion creation
      Safer settings changes
    Audience
      Codex Desktop users
      Developers
    Notes
      Unofficial project
      Reversible and local
      Beta status

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Apply a full custom visual theme to the Codex Desktop app.

USE CASE 2

Add an animated draggable companion character to your Codex workspace.

USE CASE 3

Change model, reasoning effort, and response speed through a guided interaction instead of native menus.

USE CASE 4

Turn your own image or short video into a custom companion using Companion Studio.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptReactElectron

How does it compare?

xuhuanstudio/codex-styler0xbebis/hyperpayalfredxw/nova
Stars141414
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultyeasyhardmoderate
Complexity2/55/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperwriter

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Currently a Creator Beta, macOS build is not notarized and the Windows build is not code signed.

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

In plain English

Codex Styler is an unofficial appearance customizer for OpenAI's Codex Desktop app. It lets you apply full visual themes, add small animated 2D companion characters that react to your mouse, and change the surface colors, icons, borders, and motion of the app as one coordinated design rather than just swapping a background image. It is explicitly not made by OpenAI, and the README is upfront that it is a Creator Beta, with the macOS build not notarized and the Windows build not code signed yet. One notable feature is called Composer Interactions, which replaces Codex's own settings controls with short guided interactions for choosing three real settings at once, the model, the reasoning effort, and the response speed. It shows you every value before anything is applied, labels unchanged settings clearly, and reads the settings back afterward to confirm they were actually set correctly, rather than just showing a decorative animation. The app also includes a set of small draggable companion characters, such as a chameleon, a parrot, and a cat, that are independent of the visual themes so any companion can be paired with any theme or used alone. There is a Companion Studio for turning your own images or short video into a custom companion with pointer aware animation, without needing to hand edit sprite sheet coordinates or JSON files by hand. The project describes itself as reversible and local first: it launches Codex through a temporary local debugging connection rather than editing the app's own files, keeps no account or telemetry, and only contacts GitHub for optional update checks. Custom theme packages are limited to local images and JSON data rather than scripts or arbitrary code. It works on both macOS and Windows and supports both English and Simplified Chinese in the app and documentation. The code is released under the Apache 2.0 license, while the included art assets use a separate Creative Commons license. The full README is longer than what was shown.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Download and install Codex Styler and show me how to apply a built-in theme to Codex Desktop.
Prompt 2
Explain how Composer Interactions changes my model and reasoning effort settings safely.
Prompt 3
Walk me through using Companion Studio to turn my own image into a custom companion.
Prompt 4
Explain why Codex Styler describes itself as reversible and local-first, and what that means for safety.
Prompt 5
Show me how to create a custom theme package using only images and JSON, without writing CSS.

Frequently asked questions

What is codex-styler?

An unofficial theme and companion customizer for OpenAI's Codex Desktop app, with reversible visual themes and animated 2D characters.

What language is codex-styler written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, React, Electron.

What license does codex-styler use?

Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.

How hard is codex-styler to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is codex-styler for?

Mainly developer.

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