Workspace Terminal, Helix, and Codex Tool Access
How the live preview and embedded workspace tools differ, what read-only viewer mode means for Terminal, Helix, and Codex, and how sessions and Codex shortcuts fit into edit-mode work.
Workspace Terminal, Helix, and Codex Tool Access
Where you see this in the app
This page explains the embedded tool tabs inside a running workspace:
HelixCodexTerminal
These appear next to Live Preview when the current workspace mode and CLI settings allow them.
Live preview vs embedded tools
These tabs do different jobs:
| Surface | What it is for |
|---|---|
Live Preview | Shows the running app or site output |
Helix | In-browser editor inside the workspace |
Codex | CLI agent session inside the workspace |
Terminal | Shell access inside the workspace |
So preview is for seeing the app, while the tool tabs are for inspecting or changing the workspace itself.
Read-only vs interactive
The workspace panel already tells the user whether a tool is read-only.
| Session state | What users should expect |
|---|---|
VIEW mode with read-only CLI | Tool tabs can appear, but they are read-only inspection surfaces |
EDIT mode | Tool tabs are fully interactive for the session |
| CLI disabled | Tool tabs do not appear at all |
The product also marks read-only viewer tabs with RO, which is the quick hint that the tool is not editable in that session.
Codex sessions and config shortcuts
The Usage area includes a Codex Config Shortcut for the current edit session.
From an end-user standpoint:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
Codex Config Shortcut | Writes session-user Codex files like ~/.codex/config.toml and ~/.codex/auth.json |
Codex sessions | Shows saved interactive Codex runs for the workspace |
codex resume <session-id> | Lets you continue a previous Codex session from inside the Codex tool |
These shortcuts are intentionally tied to the active session user, not to a permanent global account setting.
When a tool tab is missing or limited
| Situation | What it usually means |
|---|---|
No Helix, Codex, or Terminal tabs | CLI access is disabled for that workspace mode |
| Tabs exist but behave read-only | You are in viewer mode or the post uses read-only viewer CLI settings |
| Codex file writes are blocked | You need an active edit session with CLI access |
| Terminal does not connect | The workspace session may still be starting or the controller session may be stale |
Related docs
Related docs
See it in action
Previous
Workspace Upload Targets and ZIP Merge Behavior
How the Upload tab works in edit mode, what Workspace project vs Static preview site mean, how target paths are resolved, and what ZIP merge actually does.
Next
Workspace Usage, Credits, and Rolling Windows
How the workspace usage tab reports Codex request counts and token totals, how those numbers relate to your AI credit balance, and what rolling windows tell you about recent activity.