Check Codex Installation Method Mac

Check Codex Installation Method Mac | Generated by AI

Home 2026.02

Question: How to determine whether Codex was installed globally via npm or via Homebrew cask on a Mac?

Answer:

Your current installation is the Homebrew cask version.

Here’s why and how to confirm which method was used:

The output from codex --version shows:
codex-cli 0.36.0
Recent versions of the official OpenAI Codex CLI (especially after switching to a Rust-based native binary) display the version in this exact format: codex-cli X.Y.Z. This matches the output from both installation methods, so the version string alone doesn’t distinguish them.
The reliable ways to tell the difference on macOS:
1. Check which command provides the binary (most definitive method):
  Run:
```
which codex
```
  - If the result is something like:
    /opt/homebrew/bin/codex or /usr/local/bin/codex (Homebrew locations)
    → You are using the Homebrew cask version.
  - If the result is something like:
    /usr/local/bin/codex (but actually symlinked from ~/.npm-global/bin/codex or similar) or /Users/yourname/.nvm/versions/node/vXX.XX.XX/bin/codex
    → You are using the npm version.
2. Check Homebrew cask status:
```
brew list --cask | grep codex
```
  - If it shows codex → Installed via Homebrew cask.
  Or run:
```
brew info --cask codex
```
  If it’s installed, you’ll see details including the version and “Installed” status.
3. Check npm global packages:
```
npm list -g @openai/codex
```
  - If it shows the package (with a version) → Installed via npm.
  - If it says “empty” or not found → Not installed via npm.

In practice, most users on macOS who see the clean codex command without path issues and are using Homebrew tend to install via brew install --cask codex, especially since the project officially recommends it as one of the two equal options.

Your version (0.36.0) appears to be an older release from late 2025 or early 2026 — consider updating to get the latest features and models:

For Homebrew: brew upgrade --cask codex
For npm: npm install -g @openai/codex@latest

References:

Back Donate