VS Code 1.138 let Codex run on a ChatGPT subscription and move sessions between the ChatGPT app and VS Code

Archive entry: this covers an event from September 16, 2026, and we published it on November 8, 2026. The details come from sources dated at the time and may have changed since.

On September 16, 2026, Microsoft released VS Code 1.138, as described in the Visual Studio Code 1.138 release notes. The release expanded Codex support in the agent host: Codex could run on either a GitHub Copilot subscription or a ChatGPT subscription, and sessions could move between the ChatGPT app and VS Code.

What changed

• With both subscriptions signed in, users could switch between Copilot-backed and ChatGPT-backed models in the model picker without losing the conversation.
• Using the Codex harness with only a ChatGPT subscription required turning on an extra setting.
• The same Codex session could move between the ChatGPT app and VS Code.
• If the ChatGPT app was configured for computer use, the Codex harness in VS Code could reuse that setup to control desktop apps.
• Codex could use VS Code's built-in, extension and MCP tools, and with a ChatGPT-backed model it could also use its image-generation tool.

What it means for builders

ChatGPT subscribers could use Codex inside VS Code without paying for a separate Copilot plan. Because the same session could move between the ChatGPT app and the editor, work started in one place could continue in the other, with the editor's tools available to Codex.

Agents in Dev Containers

The release also let agent sessions run with a project's tools and dependencies inside a local Dev Container.

Sources

• Visual Studio Code 1.138 (Microsoft, September 16, 2026, official)

Written with AI assistance, strictly from the sources listed above. Before it went live, automated checks verified its dates, sources and every language edition.