I find this new “Queued follow-up inputs” feature a little frustrating

Codex Codex CLI
1

I started noticing -

• Queued follow-up inputs

  ? 3 questions

    shift + ← to answer

…at the bottom of the Codex terminal, while it is processing a prompt, I attempted to respond to them. However, the overall experience is somewhat cumbersome. Does anyone share this sentiment, or am I not utilizing the tool effectively?

2

No, I don’t share that experience. However, that does not mean your experience is incorrect.

One reason my experience may be different is that I have been using /goal for a few months, and I have also been using steering while Codex is working.

Some OpenAI references that may be useful:

OpenAI describes steering as giving Codex additional instructions while it is already working—for example, correcting its direction, adding context, or telling it what to do next.

The first time I encountered this behavior was while using /goal. I entered another prompt while Codex was working and saw it appear as a steer rather than as a separate prompt being sent immediately.

It took me a few attempts to understand what was happening and, more importantly, how steering was intended to be used.

I find it most useful when the new instruction relates directly to the work already in progress—for example:

  • correcting the current direction;
  • adding information Codex should consider;
  • changing a constraint;
  • asking it to check something before continuing; or
  • telling it what to do after the current step finishes.

I would not think of steering as starting a separate conversation or asking an unrelated new question. It works better as a way of modifying or guiding the current work.

There is also an important distinction between /goal and steering. A Goal gives Codex a persistent objective to work toward across multiple steps. Steering lets you influence how it gets there while the work is underway.

I am using Codex through the VS Code Codex extension, with the Codex CLI underneath, so the exact interface may be somewhat different from what you are seeing.

My advice would be to keep posting what you learn and asking questions here. Others may be running into the same learning curve, and this topic could become a useful place to compare how people are using Goals and steering.

3

I’ve noticed the same thing. The queued questions are useful, but having to use the keyboard shortcut to answer them while Codex is still processing can feel a bit awkward. A smoother way to review and respond to queued inputs would make the workflow easier.