Claude Code vs Codex CLI: The Complete Guide

Type less, code more. A complete, verified reference guide to the two leading AI command-line coding agents: Claude Code (Anthropic) and Codex CLI (OpenAI). Every slash command, every CLI flag, every keyboard shortcut, plus a full head-to-head comparison to help you pick the right terminal AI agent for your workflow.

Available in French (PDF) and English (PDF).

What's inside

• Claude Code full command reference: every slash command (/code-review, /compact, /agents, /mcp, /plan, and 40+ more), every claude CLI flag (--permission-mode, --allowed-tools, --output-format, --worktree, etc.), and every keyboard shortcut.
• Claude Code configuration deep dive: CLAUDE.md persistent memory, Skills (SKILL.md), Hooks (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart...), MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, Subagents, Plan Mode, and the Claude Agent SDK (Python & TypeScript).
• Codex CLI full command reference: every built-in slash command, every global flag (--sandbox, --oss, --profile, --remote...), every subcommand (codex resume, codex apply, codex archive...), and every interactive shortcut.
• Codex CLI configuration: AGENTS.md, ~/.codex/config.toml, and the profiles system.
• Side-by-side comparison table: models, memory files, extensibility, sandboxing, remote sessions, SDKs, and local/open-source model support.
• Quick cheat sheet: the fastest commands for both tools on one page.

Who this is for

Developers, AI engineers, DevOps and platform engineers, and anyone using AI pair programming, agentic coding, terminal-based AI assistants, or autonomous coding agents in their daily workflow. Useful whether you're comparing Claude Code vs Codex CLI vs GitHub Copilot CLI, evaluating AI developer tools, or just want a fast CLI cheat sheet for either tool.

Keywords

Claude Code, Codex CLI, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI Codex, AI coding agent, AI coding assistant, command-line AI agent, terminal AI agent, agentic coding, AI pair programming, autonomous coding agent, Claude Agent SDK, MCP Model Context Protocol, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, developer productivity tools, CLI cheat sheet, slash commands reference, AI developer tools, LLM coding agent, prompt engineering CLI, DevOps AI tools, software engineering automation, AI terminal workflow, Claude Code tutorial, Codex CLI tutorial, Claude Code vs Codex.

Author

Ismael Ladjohounlou, Energy Engineer working across data, automation, and intelligent systems. LinkedIn

License

This guide is provided for free personal and educational use. Command names, flags, and product names belong to their respective owners (Anthropic, OpenAI).