Document the /goal CLI command and Goals lifecycle in slash-command docs

Resolved 💬 6 comments Opened May 1, 2026 by iamhectorlopez Closed May 14, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (etraut-openai, contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Summary

Update after local verification: /goal does exist in codex-cli 0.128.0. This issue is not asking to implement a missing command. It is asking to document and surface the existing Goals entry point clearly in the Codex CLI docs and help/discovery surfaces.

Current behavior

The command appears to be present locally, but is still hard to discover:

  • The official CLI slash-command docs checked here list commands such as /plan, /status, /ps, /stop, /compact, and /resume, but did not include /goal.
  • A local codex-cli 0.128.0 install contains goal-related command/help strings, including Usage: /goal <objective>, /goal pause, /goal resume, and /goal clear.
  • The CLI also appears to have goal status surfaces such as pursuing, paused, achieved, unmet, and budget-limited states.

Because the public docs/help surfaces are not clear, users can reasonably end up asking whether /goal exists at all, or whether Codex can keep working toward a long-running objective across turns.

Requested improvement

Please document and expose the Goals lifecycle in the CLI slash-command docs and any relevant in-product command/help surfaces:

  • Add /goal to the official CLI slash-command page.
  • Show the basic syntax, for example /goal <objective>.
  • Document lifecycle commands such as /goal pause, /goal resume, and /goal clear.
  • Explain expected states such as pursuing, paused, achieved, unmet, and budget-limited.
  • Explain the high-level semantics: a goal stays active across turns and Codex should continue working toward it until it is achieved, paused/cleared, blocked, or constrained by a configured budget.
  • Mention how this differs from adjacent commands such as /plan, /resume, and /compact.

Why this matters

Long-horizon work is one of Codex's most valuable workflows. Users need a reliable, discoverable way to tell Codex: "keep working toward this objective until it is actually done, verify against the current state, and only stop when complete or blocked."

If /goal exists but is not listed in the public slash-command documentation, users may assume the capability is unavailable or may misuse adjacent commands for a workflow that has a first-class lifecycle.

Environment observed

  • Codex CLI: 0.128.0
  • Platform: Windows / PowerShell
  • Documentation checked: [https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/slash-commands](<https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/slash-commands>)

Related context

This is separate from goal-retention/compaction behavior. For example, openai/codex#19910 discusses preserving active goal context after compaction. This issue is specifically about user-facing discovery and command/documentation clarity.

View original on GitHub ↗

6 Comments

etraut-openai contributor · 2 months ago

Yes, we'll get to it. We typically document a feature when we expose it as "experimental". This feature is still "under development".

vural2123 · 2 months ago

Add config.toml

[features]
goals = true

vural2123 · 2 months ago

Add config.toml

[features]
goals = true

happyf-weallareeuropean · 2 months ago

and suppress_unstable_features_warning = true

happyf-weallareeuropean · 2 months ago

but looks like didnot sup in codex app

etraut-openai contributor · 2 months ago

Documentation can be found here.