OpenAI Codex Scratchpad: Parallel Agent Task Execution from TODO List View Coming to Desktop App

TestingCatalog·medium signal

OpenAI is building a Scratchpad feature for Codex that allows users to trigger multiple Codex agents in parallel from a TODO list view within a unified desktop app merging ChatGPT, Atlas browser, and coding tools. Heartbeat references in the codebase suggest managed agents that run in the background, check in periodically, and execute multi-step workflows without constant user input. This directly parallels Anthropic's Epitaxy coordinator mode, signaling both companies are converging on multi-agent desktop orchestration as the next UX paradigm for coding assistants.