How to Use Opus 4.7 and the New Codex

The recent releases of Opus 4.7 and the updated Codex application signal a shift toward more autonomous, agentic workflows for knowledge workers. Codex now features Mac-based computer use, allowing agents to operate GUIs and interact with non-API applications, while introducing "Heartbeats" to maintain persistent context across long-running threads. This "monothread" architecture enables users to offload recurring tasks—such as monitoring Slack, email, and project status—to an AI-driven Chief of Staff. Simultaneously, Opus 4.7 delivers measurable improvements in reasoning, design, and agentic coding benchmarks, outperforming its predecessor in complex, multi-step tasks. While Anthropic and OpenAI currently diverge in their interface philosophies—with Claude maintaining distinct modes for different tasks and Codex consolidating them into a single, fluid workspace—both updates emphasize a move away from manual, short-lived interactions toward long-term, delegated AI collaboration.