›_ Codex Issues
Codex Issues / #13466

Composer placeholder: cannot disable + suggestions are not task-aware

Resolved 💬 6 comments Opened Mar 4, 2026 by pa4uslf Closed Aug 7, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Summary

Two UX issues around the composer placeholder text in Codex CLI:

  1. There is currently no public config to disable the input-box placeholder text.
  2. The placeholder suggestions are often unrelated to the current task context or recent task history.

Environment

  • Codex CLI version: 0.107.0
  • OS: macOS (Apple Silicon)
  • Config file: ~/.codex/config.toml (symlinked to dotfiles)

What I already tried

I configured:

[tui]
show_tooltips = false

This works for welcome tooltips, but does not affect the composer/input placeholder (e.g. Write tests for @filename).

Steps to reproduce

  1. Set show_tooltips = false under [tui] in ~/.codex/config.toml.
  2. Restart Codex CLI.
  3. Observe the input box when idle.

Actual behavior

  • Placeholder text still appears in the input box.
  • Placeholder examples can be unrelated to the active session goals.

Expected behavior

  • A config option to disable input placeholder entirely (for distraction-free mode), e.g. tui.show_input_placeholder = false.
  • If enabled, placeholder suggestions should be context-aware (current task / recent interactions), not generic or unrelated.

Why this matters

For users who prefer a minimal UI, static/generic placeholder hints add noise and can conflict with task focus.

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

github-actions[bot] contributor · 5 months ago

Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.

  • #12510

Powered by Codex Action

pa4uslf · 5 months ago

Additional verification from my side after restart:

  • tui.show_tooltips = false is set correctly in [tui] and Codex was restarted.
  • The input composer still shows placeholder text (example observed: Write tests for @filename).
  • This confirms the current setting does not control composer placeholder visibility.

Second concern (task relevance):

  • The placeholder suggestion frequently does not match current working intent.
  • In active sessions focused on config/debugging tasks, placeholder suggestions can still be generic (e.g. tests/docs prompts).

Request:

1) Please add a dedicated config switch to disable composer placeholder entirely (minimal/distraction-free mode).
2) If placeholder remains enabled, please make it context-aware based on current thread/task history.

paddor · 1 month ago

Please, make it possible to remove those distracting, off-topic suggestions. I just wanna focus on tasks.

jhinsdale · 26 days ago

The placeholder hints are very annoying and it would be great to turn them off.

etraut-openai contributor · 21 days ago

Based on feedback, we've decided to remove the rotating placeholders, which users found confusing. We've replaced it with a generic placeholder message.

ElijahLynn · 18 days ago
Based on feedback, we've decided to remove the rotating placeholders, which users found confusing. We've replaced it with a generic placeholder message.

I'm hopeful this will be fixed, it was a horrible UX. 🤞

What release will it be in?