Codex With Multiple Accounts (2026)
Codex reaches accounts through plugins and MCP servers, and the plugin side holds one connection per provider. Authorize every account in Carly, register one MCP server, and the Codex CLI addresses all of them by email address.
What the plugin catalog gives you
On July 9, 2026 OpenAI folded the app directory into a plugin directory shared across ChatGPT and Codex. A plugin bundles apps, skills, and app templates. The MCP connection underneath is unchanged, and the 1,600-plus already-approved apps were migrated automatically.
OpenAI ships Gmail and Google Drive plugins in that shared catalog, reachable from the ChatGPT desktop app and the Codex CLI though not from the IDE extension. The limit is the count. An open OpenAI issue describes the connector model as oriented around one active connection per provider, and Google sign-in uses domain matching to stop you attaching the wrong account. One inbox, chosen at setup. There is no first-party Outlook plugin at all, so Microsoft mail is an MCP question from the start.
| Your setup | What Codex reaches through plugins |
|---|---|
| One Gmail account | Yes |
| Two Gmail accounts | One of the two |
| Work Google + personal Google | One of the two |
| Any Outlook mailbox | No plugin |
| Two Microsoft tenants | No plugin |
| Calendars beyond the connected identity | No |
1. Connect every account to Carly
- Sign in at carlyassistant.com.
- Open carlyassistant.com/integrations.
- Find Gmail or Outlook, click Connect, and authorize the account.
- Click Connect again for the next one, choosing Use another account if the provider preselects the first login, and keep going for as many as you want.
- Repeat for Calendar on each account that has one.
Verify the full address after every authorization before adding the next. If a Workspace or tenant requires administrator review, ask that administrator to approve the connection, then finish authorization. Each organization approves independently.
Carly connects to thousands of apps, so while you are on that page you can add your CRM, files, and anything else you want Codex to reach through the same server.
2. Register Carly as an MCP server
The CLI route is the shortest:
codex mcp add carly --url https://carlyassistant.com/mcp/Servers added this way land in ~/.codex/config.toml at user scope. You can write the entry by hand instead:
[mcp_servers.carly]
url = "https://carlyassistant.com/mcp/"A trusted project can carry its own .codex/config.toml if you would rather scope the server to one repository than to your whole machine. Then authenticate and confirm:
codex mcp login carly
codex mcp listSign in to the Carly workspace holding the connections. Codex supports OAuth and bearer-token auth against remote HTTP MCP servers, so there is no API key to paste into a config file.
3. Address the account you want
Name the address and the work happens there.
Search every connected inbox for the Varonex deploy thread. Include the source address on every row.
Draft the reply from
josh.tran@northwind.com. Do not send it yet.
Check every connected calendar for conflicts Thursday 1:00 to 4:00 PM Eastern, then book the review at 2:00 on the Northwind calendar only.
Why one server beats one per account
The usual advice is to wire each account in through a separate third-party MCP provider. That works for one. For three it means three server entries, three OAuth apps to keep alive, and no shared vocabulary for saying which account you mean.
| Need | Per-account MCP servers | Carly MCP server |
|---|---|---|
| Reach one account | Yes | Yes |
| Reach several accounts | One server per account | One server, all of them |
| Reach Outlook as well as Gmail | Another server again | Same server |
| Address a specific account in a prompt | No shared convention | Yes, by email address |
| Manage your own OAuth app and scopes | Often required | No |
| Add a fourth account later | New server entry | No config change |
| Keep the work running outside Codex | No | Yes |
Carly gives Codex one account-aware toolset instead of a stack of per-account servers. Carly offers free Zapier-style workflows; AI agents start at $35/month.
Quick fixes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Tools do not show up | Start a new Codex session after adding the server |
codex mcp login never completes | Finish the browser OAuth flow, then rerun codex mcp list |
| The same account connected twice | Remove the duplicate in Carly and reconnect with Use another account |
| A Workspace or tenant blocks authorization | Ask that administrator to approve Carly |
| Codex queries the wrong account | Use the full address and require source attribution |
Frequently asked questions
How many accounts can Codex reach this way?
As many as you authorize in Carly. Codex connects to one server, so the account count is a Carly setting rather than a Codex one, and a fourth account later changes nothing in config.toml.
Does Codex have an Outlook plugin?
No. Microsoft mail and calendars reach Codex through MCP, which is the same route this page describes for the second Gmail account. See multiple Outlook accounts in Codex.
Can I keep the first-party Gmail plugin as well?
Yes. Leave it on the account you use most and let Carly carry the rest. The two do not conflict.
Should I run inbox work from Codex?
Codex is a coding agent, and terminal mail suits scripted or one-off tasks. Recurring triage, drafting, and follow-up belong in a Carly workflow that runs with no session open.
Related: Codex + Gmail · Codex MCP servers · Multiple Gmail accounts in Codex · Multiple Outlook accounts in Codex · Every email account in Codex · What is MCP
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