chrisliu298 Codex First
Claude Code only. Codex implements; Claude specs and reviews.
codex exec --yolo runs unsandboxed: --cd does not confine filesystem or network access. Claude's review gates the visible repo diff, not the machine — so delegate only trusted, scoped tasks and keep destructive/push ops Claude-side.
Route
Delegate (clear work orders): implementation from a spec, refactors, mechanical migrations, bug fixes with a known repro, tests/coverage, CI/dependency/tooling, bulk code exploration.
Keep in Claude: design/API/naming/UX judgment; ambiguous work where the spec is the work; tiny edits (≲20 lines); secrets or session-only tools (MCP/browser/1Password); and — never delegated — commits, pushes, releases, GitHub mutations, and the review itself.
/codex-first <task> delegates $ARGUMENTS immediately via the flow below.
Invoke
Write the spec, then spawn Codex with the bundled CLI — it appends fixed safety guardrails and runs codex exec --yolo from inside the repo. Prefer a clean tree (or throwaway git worktree) so the diff is attributable to Codex:
CF=~/.claude/skills/codex-first/scripts/codex-first
$CF -e <level> /abs/path/to/repo <<'EOF'
Goal: <what to build>. Target paths: <files/dirs>.
Proof: <exact command to run>.
EOF
# Final message: /tmp/codex-first.out.md; stderr: /tmp/codex-first.out.md.err
Choose -e <level> by task difficulty (never none) — see the OpenAI reasoning guide:
-e |
Use for |
|---|---|
low |
simple, well-scoped mechanical edits; speed/cost priority |
medium |
typical implementation from a clear spec — the default starting point |
high |
hard reasoning: tricky multi-file changes, complex debugging, deep planning |
xhigh |
only the hardest architecture/analysis, where the extra latency clearly earns it |
- Gate on the exit code: nonzero or empty output = failed run; read the
.err. - Fix-up:
$CF -e <level> -r /abs/path/to/repo <<'EOF' … EOFresumes the repo's last session; cap at 2 rounds, then finish in Claude. - One delegation at a time uses the default output path; pass
-o <file>for a parallel run in another repo.
Verify (always)
- Read
git -C "$REPO" status -sb+git -C "$REPO" diff(including untracked files); judge it like a PR — nothing outside the target paths, no commit/push. - Re-run the proof yourself — Codex's claims are advisory. If the diff is wrong, fix forward or resume; never
git restore/resetit away.
Done = intended diff only, proof passes, nothing out of scope.