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OpenAI Codex Mid-Turn Steering: The Killer Feature for GTM Teams [2026]

· 6 min read

When GPT-5.3-Codex dropped on February 5, 2026, everyone focused on the "25% faster" headline. But the real game-changer? Mid-turn steering.

This feature lets you redirect an AI agent while it's working—not after it finishes. For GTM teams running complex automation, this changes everything.

Codex mid-turn steering: Human directing AI mid-task

What is Mid-Turn Steering?​

Traditionally, when you ask an AI to do something, you wait until it's done to give feedback. If it goes off track, you:

  1. Wait for completion
  2. Read the output
  3. Write a correction prompt
  4. Start over

Mid-turn steering breaks this pattern. You can intervene during execution:

You: Build a lead scoring model based on our HubSpot data

Codex: [starts working]
       - Pulling contact fields...
       - Analyzing conversion patterns...
       - Building scoring criteria...

You: Actually, weight company size more heavily than title

Codex: [adjusts mid-task]
       - Updating weight for company_size field...
       - Recalculating score thresholds...
       [continues with adjustment]

No restart. No lost work. Just a course correction.

Why This Matters for GTM​

1. Complex Automation Doesn't Fail Silently​

When building sales automation, you often don't know exactly what you want until you see the first attempt. Mid-turn steering lets you:

  • Watch the agent's approach in real-time
  • Correct misunderstandings immediately
  • Guide toward edge cases as they appear

Without this, a 20-minute automation task might need 3-4 full restarts to get right.

2. Better Collaboration with AI​

Mid-turn steering makes AI feel less like a black box and more like a collaborator. You're not just prompting and praying—you're actively directing.

For sales leaders building complex workflows, this means:

  • Faster iteration cycles
  • More precise outputs
  • Higher confidence in automation

3. Reduced Token Waste​

Every restart burns tokens. Mid-turn steering reduces:

  • Repeated context loading
  • Duplicate work
  • Prompt engineering overhead

For teams running Codex at scale, this adds up.

Human giving mid-task feedback with course correction

GTM Use Cases for Mid-Turn Steering​

Building Custom Lead Scoring​

Traditional approach:

  1. Ask Codex to build a lead score
  2. Wait 10 minutes
  3. Realize it weighted "email opened" too heavily
  4. Start over with clarification
  5. Wait another 10 minutes

With mid-turn steering:

  1. Ask Codex to build a lead score
  2. Watch it start weighting criteria
  3. "Wait—de-emphasize email opens, focus on website visits"
  4. Codex adjusts in real-time
  5. Get the right model in one pass

Generating Email Sequences​

Traditional approach:

  1. "Write a 5-email nurture sequence"
  2. Wait for all 5 emails
  3. Email 3 is too salesy
  4. Restart or write complex follow-up prompt

With mid-turn steering:

  1. "Write a 5-email nurture sequence"
  2. After email 2: "Make these more educational, less pitch-focused"
  3. Codex adjusts emails 3-5 accordingly
  4. Done

Building Pipeline Dashboards​

Traditional approach:

  1. "Build a pipeline dashboard showing X, Y, Z"
  2. Wait for completion
  3. Visualizations aren't quite right
  4. Describe changes in detail
  5. Hope it understands

With mid-turn steering:

  1. "Build a pipeline dashboard"
  2. See the chart types being chosen
  3. "Actually, use bar charts for that, not pie"
  4. Watch it switch mid-build
  5. "Add a filter for deal size"
  6. Done with all adjustments in one session

How to Use Mid-Turn Steering​

In Codex CLI​

# Start a task
codex run "Build a HubSpot integration that syncs new contacts"

# While it's running, type to intervene
> Also add error handling for rate limits
> Skip the logging for now, we'll add that later

In Codex Cloud (Web UI)​

The Codex dashboard shows real-time execution. A sidebar lets you:

  • See what the agent is currently doing
  • Type interventions
  • Pause/resume execution
  • Save partial progress

Via API​

const session = await codex.createSession({
  task: "Build lead enrichment pipeline",
  onProgress: (state) => console.log(state),
  allowSteering: true
});

// Intervene mid-task
await session.steer("Use Apollo for enrichment instead of Clearbit");

Best Practices for Mid-Turn Steering​

1. Let It Start Before Steering​

Don't intervene in the first 10 seconds. Let Codex show its approach first—you might learn something.

2. Be Specific with Corrections​

❌ "That's not quite right"
✅ "Use percentage instead of raw numbers for the conversion column"

3. Steer Early, Not Late​

If you see it going the wrong direction, intervene immediately. Don't wait until it's 80% done.

4. Save Checkpoints​

For complex tasks, tell Codex to checkpoint progress: "After each major step, commit and show me the current state"

This lets you roll back if steering doesn't work.

5. Don't Over-Steer​

Every intervention has overhead. If you're steering every 30 seconds, your initial prompt probably wasn't clear enough.

Mid-Turn Steering vs. Other Approaches​

ApproachProCon
Single promptFast for simple tasksNo correction possible
Chain of promptsMore controlContext lost between prompts
Agent loopsAutonomousHard to intervene
Mid-turn steeringBest of both worldsRequires Codex

Mid-turn steering gives you the autonomy of agents with the control of manual prompting.

Real Example: Building a Competitor Alert System​

Here's a real session transcript (abbreviated):

Me: Build a system that alerts me when competitors publish new content

Codex: Starting. I'll:
       1. Set up RSS feeds for competitor blogs
       2. Create a daily digest
       3. Send via email
       
       Setting up RSS parser...

Me: Actually, send via Slack not email

Codex: Switching to Slack webhook...
       Setting up #competitor-intel channel post...

Me: Also check their Twitter, not just blogs

Codex: Adding Twitter API integration...
       Will monitor @Warmly_AI, @CommonRoom...

Me: Add @6sense too

Codex: Added. Continuing with alert formatting...

[5 minutes later]

Codex: Done. System checks hourly, posts to #competitor-intel
       when new content detected.

That would have been 3-4 restarts without mid-turn steering.

Limitations to Know​

1. Not All Tasks Support Steering​

Some operations (like API calls mid-flight) can't be interrupted. Codex will tell you when steering isn't possible.

2. Token Cost Still Applies​

Steering doesn't reduce total tokens—it just uses them more efficiently.

3. Requires Real-Time Attention​

If you're not watching, you can't steer. For hands-off automation, traditional approaches might be better.

The Bottom Line​

Mid-turn steering is Codex's competitive moat for complex GTM automation. It transforms AI from "prompt and pray" to "collaborative building."

For teams building:

  • Custom integrations
  • Complex workflows
  • Multi-step automation

This feature alone justifies using Codex over alternatives.

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