Coding Agent

Coding Agent

Use bash (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work.

PTY: Codex/Pi/OpenCode yes, Claude Code no

For Codex, Pi, and OpenCode, PTY is required (interactive terminal apps):

# Codex/Pi/OpenCode
bash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"

For Claude Code (claude CLI), use --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions instead. --print mode keeps full tool access and avoids interactive confirmation:

# Claude Code (no PTY needed)
cd /path/to/project && claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'

# Background execution: use background:true on the exec tool

Bash Tool Parameters

Process Tool Actions

Quick Start: One-Shot Tasks

# Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!)
SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here"

# In a real project
bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'"

Why git init? Codex refuses to run outside a trusted git directory. A temp repo solves this for scratch work.

The Pattern: workdir + background + pty

For longer tasks, use background mode:

# Start agent in target directory
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a snake game'"
# Returns sessionId for tracking

# Monitor progress
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Check if done
process action:poll sessionId:XXX

# Send input (if agent asks a question)
process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"

# Kill if needed
process action:kill sessionId:XXX

Why workdir matters: Agent wakes up in a focused directory and doesn't wander off reading unrelated files.

Codex CLI

Preferred agent for single tasks. Pass the requirements clearly — Codex handles execution well.

Flags

Building/Creating

# Quick one-shot
bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'"

# Background for longer work
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Refactor the auth module'"

Reviewing PRs

Never review PRs in the OpenClaw workspace or the live project folder. Clone to temp or use git worktree.

# Clone to temp for safe review
REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIR
cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130
bash pty:true workdir:$REVIEW_DIR command:"codex review --base origin/main"
# Clean up after: trash $REVIEW_DIR

# Or use git worktree (keeps main intact)
git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branch
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review --base main"

Batch PR Reviews (parallel)

# Fetch all PR refs
git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*'

# One Codex per PR
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"

# Monitor all
process action:list

# Post results
gh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"

OpenCode

bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'"

Claude Code

No PTY required. Use when explicitly requested or for tasks that benefit from tighter integration.

# Foreground
bash workdir:~/project command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"

# Background
bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"

Pi

bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'"

# Non-interactive mode
bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'"

# Different provider/model
bash pty:true command:"pi --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini -p 'Your task'"

Parallel Issue Fixing with git worktrees

# Create worktrees for each issue
git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main
git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main

# Launch agents in parallel
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'"
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99. Implement only the in-scope edits and commit after review.'"

# Monitor
process action:list
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Create PRs
cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78
gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..."

# Cleanup
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99

Rules

1. Right execution mode per agent: Claude Code uses --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions (no PTY); Codex/Pi/OpenCode use pty:true
2. Respect tool choice — if the user asks for a specific agent, use it; don't silently substitute
3. Orchestrator mode — do not hand-code patches yourself when the task is delegated to an agent
4. Be patient — don't kill sessions just because they're slow; check with process:log first
5. Parallel is fine — run multiple agents at once for batch work
6. Never start agents in the OpenClaw workspace — they'll read soul docs and get confused about who's in charge
7. Never checkout branches in the live OpenClaw project folder — that's the running instance

Progress Updates

Keep the user in the loop without flooding them.

• One short message when you start: what's running and where
• Update again only when something changes: milestone done, agent needs input, error, or finished
• If you kill a session, say so immediately and explain why

Auto-Notify on Completion

For long-running background tasks, append a wake trigger to the prompt so Miki gets notified immediately when the agent finishes:

... your task here.

When completely finished, run:
openclaw system event --text "Done: [brief summary]" --mode now

Example:

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos.

When completely finished, run: openclaw system event --text \"Done: Built todos REST API\" --mode now'"

Notes

• PTY is essential for Codex/Pi/OpenCode — without it, output breaks or the agent hangs
• Git repo required for Codex — use mktemp -d && git init for scratch work
• exec is clean — codex exec "prompt" runs and exits, perfect for one-shots
• submit vs write — submit sends input + Enter; write sends raw data without newline