OpenAI added optional animated-GIF creation and editing to Codex CLI on November 13, 2026. For designers, developers and small creative teams already using the command-line coding assistant, version 0.168.0 adds a way to request short animated assets alongside their projects.
The feature is off by default and marked under development. The release notes direct users to enable features.image_generation_animation. They document support in the software, however, not a complete list of accounts eligible to receive GIF output.
OpenAI had already presented GIF creation in its November 4 Images 2.6 announcement. This release brings the optional workflow into the stable CLI; it is not a new image-model launch.
Short loops, with extra preparation for edits
OpenAI’s shipped guidance targets simple animations of 2–16 frames. The defaults are nine frames, each displayed for 200 milliseconds, with controls to change both the frame count and timing.
Using those defaults, one animation cycle lasts 1.8 seconds: 9 × 200 milliseconds = 1,800 milliseconds. This is a calculation from the documented settings, not a measured generation time. Increasing the delay stretches playback without adding frames.
Editing takes an extra preparation step. The documented workflow first inspects the frames, then combines them into a spritesheet—a single image laid out as a regular grid of equal-sized cells. That grid, rather than the GIF itself, becomes the input for the revised animation.
The implementation saves the animation but supplies a still preview to the model. The practical implication is that a good-looking preview cannot establish how well it moves. Play the saved GIF before using it, including the transition from the last frame back to the first.
For more complex animations or more than 16 frames, OpenAI’s guidance points to other tools. If the job instead calls for scripted dialogue and character scenes, RohitAI’s coverage of Baidu’s Wizshot explains that separate video-production workflow.
Access and usage costs remain important
As of November 13, OpenAI’s Codex pricing page says image generation is unavailable on the Free plan. That is narrower than the Images 2.6 announcement’s broad all-tier availability statement; the sources do not resolve GIF eligibility for every CLI account.
OpenAI says images share Codex’s normal usage allowance and draw on credits after included limits are exhausted. API-key use follows API pricing. Its general image guidance estimates that generation uses included limits three to five times faster on average than similar non-image turns, depending on size and quality.
That estimate is not a GIF-specific price, and multiplying it by the number of frames would not establish a budget. The cited pages give no fixed charge per GIF. Before planning a batch, check account access and remaining usage; keep the frame grid if revisions are likely.