Verdict, October 19, 2026. Mid-turn steering is OP. The best defaults this week are Cursor CLI (steer, then interrupt) and Claude Code (queue, with Ctrl+Enter). Codex CLI 0.163.0 is OP if you babysit a turn and Mid if you type the next task ahead. Antigravity CLI default Queue is Mid until you learn alt+m or switch to Send Immediately. All four stay A on the AI Coding Agents board. S stays locked. That is an editorial call. OP or Mid has not tested these CLIs hands-on.
The behaviors below are vendor changelog and docs claims.
What moved on October 15 and 16
NEW Codex CLI 0.163.0 (October 15, 2026) says a follow-up sent while Codex is responding steers it immediately, and interrupting a turn stops active Code Mode cells and their nested tool calls. Sources: changelog (opens in a new tab), release (opens in a new tab). Codex CLI 0.159.0 (September 29, 2026) had made instant_interrupt opt-in. Source: changelog (opens in a new tab). PR #48135 (opens in a new tab), merged September 25, added the flag off by default and yielded cells without stopping them. PR #51812 (opens in a new tab), merged October 7, turns it on by default and keeps it "marked as under development".
NEW Antigravity CLI 1.4.0 (October 16, 2026) adds alt+m: send now in Queue mode, or queue in Send Immediately mode. Sources: changelog (opens in a new tab), CHANGELOG.md (opens in a new tab).
The comparison
| Tool | Version | Enter mid-turn | Send now | Take back | Status signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codex CLI | 0.163.0, October 15, 2026 | not documented. A follow-up steers immediately | not documented as a second key | not documented | PR list: OSC 7501 idle, working, blocked |
| Claude Code | v2.1.303, October 18, 2026 | Queues. Does not interrupt | Ctrl+Enter, or Ctrl+X Ctrl+S | Up from the first input line | OSC 7501 since October 8: working, waiting on you, done |
| Cursor CLI | v2026.10.08 latest entry | First Enter steers at a safe boundary | Second Enter interrupts | not documented | April 2026 desktop notifications. No OSC 7501 in these notes |
| Antigravity CLI | 1.4.0, October 16, 2026 | Default Queue waits until the turn ends | alt+m flips /config. Send Immediately interrupts | Up, per the 1.2.16 notes | OSC 7501: working, waiting, done, failed |
Codex is immediate, with no documented off switch
BUFF OP if you babysit. A follow-up steers the response in progress, and an interrupt stops active Code Mode cells. September's PR yielded those cells without stopping them. See Codex. Source: 0.163.0 (opens in a new tab).
NERF Mid if you type ahead. Config basics, checked October 19, 2026, document a [features] table. instant_interrupt is absent from the common flags list, which the page limits to common user-facing flags. Source: config basics (opens in a new tab). Take-back is not documented, and the 0.163.0 notes do not name Enter.
Claude Code queues, then hands you a hatch
BUFF OP for type ahead. Enter while Claude is working queues the message. During tool calls, that message is passed in when the calls finish, same turn. Commands and shell commands wait for the turn to end, then run in order. Source: interactive mode (opens in a new tab).
QoL Ctrl+Enter, or Ctrl+X Ctrl+S, sends the queue now. The key needs v2.1.275, published September 17, 2026. Sources: release (opens in a new tab), changelog (opens in a new tab). A queued ! command ahead of the messages makes the key interrupt. Work that can background keeps running, and Claude reads the messages in the same turn. Writing, or work that cannot background, is interrupted. Before v2.1.281 (September 23, 2026) the key interrupted in both cases. If the terminal drops extended keys, Ctrl+Enter arrives as Enter and queues. Ctrl+X Ctrl+S still sends. Esc interrupts, keeps the work, sends the queue, and leaves the draft. Up from the first line takes the queue back. Source: interactive mode (opens in a new tab).
v2.1.303 (October 18, 2026) says "Bug fixes and reliability improvements." Sources: changelog (opens in a new tab), release (opens in a new tab). See Claude and the October 16 desktop piece for several sessions.
Cursor steers, then interrupts
BUFF OP for course correction. v2026.08.11 says Enter while the agent works sends the queued message into the active run at a safe boundary, and Enter again interrupts. "Safe boundary" is Cursor's phrase. v2026.06.29 said a second Enter on an empty prompt stops the turn and sends immediately. v2026.08.11 is the later claim. The changelog dates those entries by version label. Source: CLI changelog (opens in a new tab).
v2026.10.08 is the latest entry: images on a message queued during an interrupted turn go out on the next turn. Take-back is not documented in the entries read here. See Cursor.
Antigravity is flexible after you set it
NERF Mid on the default when the turn is already wrong. 1.2.14 (September 30, 2026) added Queued Messages. Default Queue holds follow-ups until the turn ends. Send Immediately interrupts. The key is {"queuedMessages": "send-immediately"}. Sources: 1.2.14 (opens in a new tab), changelog (opens in a new tab).
BUFF 1.2.16 (October 3, 2026) sends a Send Immediately message together with anything still queued, in order, and returns a failed send to the queue. Up pulls queued messages back. 1.3.1 (October 7, 2026) stopped Send Immediately messages from waiting out the turn after the agent wrote an artifact, such as a task list or a plan. Sources: changelog (opens in a new tab), CHANGELOG.md (opens in a new tab).
NEW OP with the hatch. alt+m on 1.4.0 (Option+m on macOS when Option acts as Alt) uses the opposite of /config for that message. Releases 1.4.1 (October 17) and 1.4.2 (October 18) do not mention queued messages. Source: releases (opens in a new tab).
OSC 7501 when several tabs are open
QoL Claude Code v2.1.295 (October 8, 2026) added OSC 7501: working, waiting on you, or done. Sources: changelog (opens in a new tab), release (opens in a new tab). Codex 0.163.0's user-facing bullets skip it. The full list includes #52725. That PR (opens in a new tab), merged October 9, emits idle, working, or blocked when stdout is a terminal, including multiplexed sessions, and uses blocked when it needs you. Antigravity 1.4.0 reports working, waiting for input, done, or failed. AGY_CLI_OSC7501=off disables it. Source: changelog (opens in a new tab).
VENDOR CLAIM The Cursor CLI entries read here do not mention OSC 7501. April 2026 documents desktop notifications when a turn finishes or the agent is blocked on you (approvals, questions, sudo), on iTerm2, Ghostty, Warp, Kitty, and Terminal.app. Source: CLI changelog (opens in a new tab).
The board stays put
No letter moves. Codex, Claude Code, Antigravity, and Cursor stay in A on the October 15 AI Coding Agents list. S stays locked. This is not a hands-on test. Harness rows: tools directory.
What to do today
- Claude Code: Enter queues. Ctrl+Enter, or Ctrl+X Ctrl+S, sends now. Esc interrupts and sends the queue. Up from the first line takes it back.
- Cursor CLI: Enter steers at a safe boundary. Enter again interrupts.
- Antigravity CLI: Queue types the next task ahead. Send Immediately in
/configinterrupts. alt+m flips one message (Option+m on macOS when Option acts as Alt). - Codex CLI 0.163.0: A follow-up steers the response in progress. The common flags list does not name
instant_interrupt.
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Sources
Checked October 19, 2026.
- Codex changelog (opens in a new tab), 0.163.0 (opens in a new tab), PR #51812 (opens in a new tab), PR #48135 (opens in a new tab), PR #52725 (opens in a new tab), config basics (opens in a new tab)
- Claude Code interactive mode (opens in a new tab), changelog (opens in a new tab), CHANGELOG.md (opens in a new tab), v2.1.275 (opens in a new tab), v2.1.281 (opens in a new tab), v2.1.295 (opens in a new tab), v2.1.303 (opens in a new tab)
- Cursor CLI changelog (opens in a new tab)
- Antigravity changelog (opens in a new tab), CHANGELOG.md (opens in a new tab), 1.2.14 (opens in a new tab), releases (opens in a new tab)