OpenAI buys Astral to bolster Codex developer tools

OpenAI has agreed to acquire Astral, bringing a set of widely used Python development tools into its Codex business.

Astral's team and products will help expand Codex, OpenAI's software development offering. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval, and the companies will remain separate until it closes.

Astral is best known in Python circles for open source tools including uv, Ruff and ty. They are used for dependency and environment management, linting and formatting, and type checking, putting them at the centre of day-to-day Python development.

Codex has grown sharply this year, with user numbers tripling and usage rising fivefold since the start of the year. It now has more than 2 million weekly active users.

Developer tools

The acquisition shows OpenAI's effort to move Codex beyond code generation into broader software development tasks. Its stated goal is to build systems that can plan changes, modify codebases, run tools, verify results and maintain software over time.

Astral's software is strategically relevant because its tools are already embedded in Python developers' workflows. Bringing those tools and the engineers behind them into Codex would create tighter links between AI systems and the software developers already use to build and maintain applications.

Python has become one of the most widely adopted programming languages across artificial intelligence, data science, web services and internal developer infrastructure. Control of tools used throughout Python projects could give OpenAI a stronger foothold in one of the software market's most active segments.

Astral has built a strong profile through open source software rather than commercial enterprise products. OpenAI plans to continue supporting Astral's open source projects after the transaction closes.

That may matter to developers who rely on those tools as core parts of their workflow. Open source users often watch acquisitions closely for signs that products could be restricted, relicensed or folded into closed systems.

"Astral has always focused on building tools that transform how developers work with Python-helping them ship better software, faster. As part of Codex, we'll continue evolving our open source tools to push the frontier of software development," said Charlie Marsh, Founder and Chief Executive of Astral.

Codex push

The deal also underlines OpenAI's broader effort to deepen its position in software engineering tools, where large language model companies are competing to become embedded in routine developer work. Rather than serving only as code assistants, these systems are increasingly being designed to interact with repositories, testing systems and project tooling.

Astral's products fit directly into that model because they help manage projects, enforce code quality and catch errors earlier in development. Bringing those functions closer to Codex could make it easier for AI agents to work inside Python workflows with fewer manual steps.

OpenAI framed the move as part of an effort to make Codex more useful across the full software lifecycle. That includes planning, editing, checking and maintaining code, rather than only producing snippets in response to prompts.

The transaction also highlights the value being placed on specialist developer infrastructure built in open source communities. While Astral's tools are focused on Python, the language's importance to AI development gives the acquisition added significance for OpenAI, whose products are widely used by technical teams.

For Astral, joining a larger AI company offers a route to broader distribution inside a fast-growing developer product. For OpenAI, the acquisition adds both tooling and engineering talent in a part of the stack developers use frequently.

The companies did not disclose financial terms.

After completion, the Astral team will join OpenAI's Codex team. "Astral's tools are used by millions of Python developers. By bringing their expertise and ecosystem to OpenAI, we're accelerating our vision for Codex as the agent most capable of working across the entire software developer lifecycle," said Thibault Sottiaux, Codex lead at OpenAI.