OpenAI launches Chronicle in Codex, a Windows Recall-style feature for developers

OpenAI has released Chronicle in the Codex agent app, a tool that periodically takes screenshots of a developer's screen so the AI can better understand what is going on. Chronicle runs in preview testing mode and is designed to give Codex more information about the user's working environment.

The screenshots let the agent see which code is open in the editor, which errors appear in the terminal, and which documents the developer is reading. All of this helps it produce more accurate answers and suggestions.

The feature closely mirrors Microsoft's Windows Recall, a tool that also takes regular screenshots of user activity to build a "memory" for the system. Recall drew a wave of criticism after its announcement in 2024: experts pointed to privacy risks and the possibility of leaking passwords, banking data and personal messages that end up in the frame. Microsoft postponed the full launch several times and substantially reworked how the data is stored.

OpenAI appears to be betting that this approach will be received more favorably in a professional context, among developers who work with code. Chronicle's target audience is more homogeneous: a programmer's screen mostly shows code, a terminal and documentation, not personal correspondence or financial services.

Still, questions about where the screenshots are stored, who can access them and how long they are kept remain without a detailed public answer.

Codex is already positioned as an autonomous agent that can carry out multistep tasks in a codebase without constant human involvement. Chronicle fits that concept logically: an agent that "sees" the screen can make better-informed decisions and less often ask the user to clarify context manually.

Chronicle's arrival in preview shows that the race for "screen memory" in AI tools is picking up speed. After Microsoft, and now OpenAI, other players in the market will likely adopt the same approach. The question is how transparent the terms for handling the collected data will be.