By name: codex-cli description: > Reference for using OpenAI Codex CLI to handle complex coding tasks. Use when Research-Claw needs to delegate multi-file projects, iterative debugging, or complex code generation to a specialized AI coding tool. Trigger words: codex, coding CLI, delegate coding, complex project.
Codex CLI (OpenAI)
Terminal-based AI coding agent by OpenAI. Reads, edits, and runs code locally in a sandboxed environment. Built in Rust.
Detect Installation
which codex # should return a path
codex --version
Install
npm i -g @openai/codex
Requires an OpenAI API key or ChatGPT account (prompted on first run).
Non-Interactive Usage (exec)
For programmatic invocation from Research-Claw, use codex exec:
# Basic non-interactive execution
codex exec "Refactor the auth module to use JWT tokens"
# Pipe from stdin
echo "Fix the failing test in src/utils.test.ts" | codex exec -
# Full-auto mode (workspace writes + minimal approvals)
codex exec --full-auto "Add error handling to all API routes"
# Skip all approvals (dangerous — use only in sandboxed environments)
codex exec -a never -s workspace-write "Update dependencies and fix breaking changes"
# Save final response to file
codex exec -o result.md "Explain the architecture of this project"
Key Flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-m, --model <model> |
Override model (e.g. gpt-5-codex) |
-a, --ask-for-approval <mode> |
untrusted / on-request / never |
-s, --sandbox <policy> |
read-only / workspace-write / danger-full-access |
--full-auto |
Shortcut: workspace-write sandbox + on-request approvals |
--add-dir <path> |
Grant write access to additional directories |
-C, --cd <path> |
Set working directory for the agent |
-i, --image <path> |
Attach image files (comma-separated) |
-o, --output-last-message <path> |
Write final response to file |
--json |
Print newline-delimited JSON events |
--ephemeral |
Don't persist session to disk |
--skip-git-repo-check |
Allow running outside a git repository |
--oss |
Use local OSS model via Ollama |
Research-Claw exec Patterns
# Delegate a complex coding task
exec("codex exec --full-auto -C /path/to/project 'Implement the feature described in TODO.md'")
# Read-only analysis
exec("codex exec -s read-only -o /tmp/analysis.md -C /path/to/project 'Analyze code quality and list issues'")
# With model selection
exec("codex exec -m gpt-5-codex --full-auto 'Fix all TypeScript type errors'")
Docs
- CLI reference: https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli/reference
- SDK (programmatic): https://developers.openai.com/codex/sdk