Reskin OpenAI Codex Desktop with a single image. Free, open source, reversible in one click.
- One image = one theme. Any PNG, JPG, JPEG, or WebP becomes a complete skin: palette, backdrop, and Codex's light/dark appearance are derived from the image automatically.
- Native controls stay interactive. Sidebar, composer, and suggestion cards remain the real Codex UI — the skin changes how it looks, not how it works.
- One-click revert. The stock interface is always one menu entry away.
- No app.asar or binary modification. Themes are injected at runtime over the local CDP debug port; application files, binaries, and signature resources are never touched.
- macOS & Windows.
You need an installed Codex Desktop. Get the tool from GitHub Releases (codex-skin.skill plus source) or via the product page (free store download after registration). When using the system Node runtime, Node.js 22 or newer is required.
- macOS: double-click
scripts/install.command - Windows: run
scripts\windows\install.bat
Everything after install happens in the 🎨 menu at the top of Codex: switch themes, return to the native UI, upload your own image, control persistence. Applying a skin quits Codex normally and relaunches it with a local debug port, so save your work first.
Windows day-to-day entries live under scripts/windows/: scripts/windows/apply.ps1, the session-only alias scripts/windows/enable-skin.bat, scripts/windows/pause.ps1, scripts/windows/resume.ps1, and scripts/windows/restore.ps1.
Persistence is opt-in. The skin-persistence switch in the 🎨 menu is the only supported way to keep a skin across launches; switching it off keeps the current session skinned and restores the native UI on the next launch. To come back later, open the AURIFEXA Skin Launcher to restore the current session, then flip the switch in the top menu. enable-skin.command and scripts/windows/enable-skin.bat are session-only aliases for apply and never change persistence. enable-persist.command is deprecated and exits non-zero.
Three paths, from quickest to most automated:
- Upload from the menu. Pick the custom-image entry in the 🎨 menu. New menu uploads are stored as durable user themes in your local theme library, with colors and appearance picked from the image. The legacy
custom-uploadentry is a local compatibility slot only; new uploads no longer use it as authoritative storage. - Run the customizer. Double-click
scripts/customize.command(Windows:scripts\windows\customize.bat) to turn any local image into a full saved theme. - Let Codex do all of it. Hand
output/codex-skin.skillto Codex and describe the theme you want — it generates the artwork, builds the theme, and applies it end to end. No extra API key required.
Six presets ship with the tool — all switch Codex's own light/dark appearance to match.
Two original AURIFEXA sets:
| Atelier Obsidian | Atelier Papier |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Dark default: obsidian black with molten-gold lines | Light: paper grain with ink-drawn lines |
Four community-favourite fan presets:
| Miku 488137 | Genshin · Starry Night |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Wuthering Waves · Tide | Dragon Ball · Nimbus |
|---|---|
 |
 |
Character artwork in the fan presets remains the property of its respective rights holders — per-file status is tracked in ASSET_PROVENANCE.md, and any preset is removed immediately upon a rights holder's request.
- macOS: run
scripts/restore.command— it disables persistence, deregisters the background controller, and restores the stock UI. To remove all files afterwards, delete~/.codex/aurifexa-codex-skinand~/Library/Application Support/AurifexaCodexSkin. - Windows: run
scripts\windows\uninstall.bat— it removes the per-user scheduled task, the Start Menu entry, AppData state, and the stable install directory.
- Injection uses the Chrome DevTools Protocol on loopback only (
127.0.0.1:9341). Loopback CDP carries no authentication, so other processes running as the same local user are inside the threat boundary — see SECURITY.md for the full model. - The tool never modifies
app.asar, application binaries, or signature resources, and does not read conversations, API keys, or workspace files. - Future Codex Desktop updates may change startup arguments or UI structure and require adaptation.
- CLI reference, theme JSON schema, persistence semantics, and FAQ: docs/manual.md.
MIT. Based on the MIT-licensed work of HeiGeAi (Blake Xu). The license covers the software code only — artwork, characters, and trademarks stay with their owners; see NOTICE.md and ASSET_PROVENANCE.md.