Codex CLI /model picker hides GPT-5.6 when models_cache.json is stale

Summary

On one Linux machine, the Codex CLI /model picker does not show any GPT-5.6 options even though the same ChatGPT login shows GPT-5.6 options on another laptop.

The local CLI has a stale-looking model cache:

• Running binary: codex-cli 0.144.4
• codex doctor runtime version: 0.144.4
• ~/.codex/models_cache.json has client_version: "0.142.3"
• ~/.codex/models_cache.json was refreshed today but contains only 5 models:
• gpt-5.5
• gpt-5.4
• gpt-5.4-mini
• gpt-5.3-codex-spark
• codex-auto-review
• codex debug models --bundled shows the expected GPT-5.6 variants:
• gpt-5.6-sol
• gpt-5.6-terra
• gpt-5.6-luna
• gpt-5.5

This looks like the interactive /model picker may be using ~/.codex/models_cache.json, while codex debug models --bundled or the bundled catalog includes GPT-5.6. The result is that the user cannot select GPT-5.6 from /model on this machine despite the model being available on another machine under the same login.

Environment

• OS: Ubuntu 26.4.0, linux-x86_64
• Codex CLI: 0.144.4
• Install method: standalone
• Auth mode: ChatGPT sign-in
• Config default model: gpt-5.5
• Network in the inspected Codex session was restricted, so codex doctor reported provider reachability failures from that sandboxed diagnostic context.

Evidence

codex --version:

codex-cli 0.144.4

codex doctor --json reports:

codexVersion: 0.144.4
auth mode: chatgpt
config model: gpt-5.5
runtime platform: linux-x86_64

jq -r '.client_version, .fetched_at, (.models|length), (.models[].slug)' ~/.codex/models_cache.json:

0.142.3
2026-07-14T20:10:25.510056173Z
5
gpt-5.5
gpt-5.4
gpt-5.4-mini
gpt-5.3-codex-spark
codex-auto-review

codex debug models --bundled | jq -r '.models[] | select(.slug | test("gpt-5\\.6|gpt-5\\.5")) | [.slug, .display_name, .visibility] | @tsv':

gpt-5.6-sol	GPT-5.6-Sol	list
gpt-5.6-terra	GPT-5.6-Terra	list
gpt-5.6-luna	GPT-5.6-Luna	list
gpt-5.5	GPT-5.5	list

Expected behavior

/model should show the same GPT-5.6 options available to the account and supported by the installed CLI, or it should invalidate/refresh an older model cache when the CLI version changes.

Actual behavior

/model does not show GPT-5.6 options on this machine, despite another laptop with the same login showing them.

Suspected cause

The persisted ~/.codex/models_cache.json appears to be refreshed with an old client_version value and an older model list, and the TUI picker appears to use that stale cache instead of the bundled/current model list.