Codex Autopilot

Codex Autopilot

Automated multi-project Codex CLI orchestration via tmux + launchd on macOS.

Overview

Codex Autopilot runs a watchdog loop that monitors multiple Codex CLI sessions in tmux windows. It detects idle sessions, auto-nudges them to continue, handles permission prompts, rotates logs, dispatches tasks from a queue, and sends notifications via Discord/Telegram.

Installation

git clone https://github.com/imwyvern/AIWorkFlowSkill.git ~/.autopilot
cd ~/.autopilot
cp config.yaml.example config.yaml
# Edit config.yaml with your project paths, Telegram bot token, and Discord channels

Dependencies

• macOS with launchd (for scheduled execution)
• tmux — session multiplexer for Codex windows
• Codex CLI (codex) — OpenAI's coding agent
• python3 — for state cleanup and PRD verification scripts
• yq — YAML processor for config parsing
• jq — JSON processor for state management
• bash 4+ — for associative arrays in scripts

Install dependencies via Homebrew:

brew install tmux yq jq

launchd Setup

Use install.sh to register the launchd plist:

./install.sh

This creates a LaunchAgent that runs the watchdog on a configurable interval.

Core Components

watchdog.sh

Main loop engine. On each tick:

1. Iterates through configured project tmux windows
2. Captures current Codex output via codex-status.sh
3. Determines if session is active, idle, or stuck
4. Dispatches appropriate action (nudge, permission grant, task from queue)
5. Enforces cooldowns, daily send limits, and loop detection

codex-status.sh

Captures and analyzes tmux pane content. Detects:

• Codex activity state (working / idle / waiting for permission)
• Permission prompts requiring approval
• Context compaction signals
• Error states and crashes

tmux-send.sh

Sends keystrokes or text to a specific tmux window. Handles:

• Typing text into Codex prompt
• Pressing Enter/keys for permission approval
• Verification polling to confirm send succeeded

autopilot-lib.sh

Shared function library used by all scripts:

• Telegram notification helpers
• File locking primitives
• Timeout and retry logic
• Logging utilities
• State file read/write

autopilot-constants.sh

Defines status constants used across scripts (e.g., STATUS_ACTIVE, STATUS_IDLE, STATUS_PERMISSION).

task-queue.sh

Task queue manager. Supports:

• Enqueuing tasks for specific projects
• Dequeueing next task based on priority
• Task status tracking (pending/running/done/failed)

discord-notify.sh

Sends formatted notifications to Discord channels via webhook. Supports project-channel routing defined in config.yaml.

Other Scripts

Configuration

Edit config.yaml (copy from config.yaml.example). Key sections:

Timing Thresholds

active_threshold: 120    # seconds — Codex considered "working"
idle_threshold: 360      # seconds — Codex considered "idle", triggers nudge
cooldown: 120            # minimum seconds between sends to same project

Safety Limits

max_daily_sends_total: 200   # global daily send cap
max_daily_sends: 50          # per-project daily cap
max_consecutive_failures: 5  # pause project after N failures
loop_detection_threshold: 3  # detect repeated output loops

Multi-Project Scheduler

scheduler:
  strategy: "round-robin"    # or "priority"
  max_sends_per_tick: 1
  inter_project_delay: 5     # seconds between project sends

Project Directories

project_dirs:
  - "~/project-alpha"
  - "~/project-beta"

Discord Channel Routing

discord_channels:
  my-project:
    channel_id: "123456789"
    tmux_window: "my-project"
    project_dir: "/path/to/project"

Telegram Notifications

telegram:
  bot_token: "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
  chat_id: "YOUR_CHAT_ID"
  status_interval: 1800

Usage

Adding a Project

1. Start a Codex CLI session in a named tmux window:

   tmux new-window -t autopilot -n my-project
   # In the new window, cd to project and run codex
   

2. Add the project path to config.yaml under project_dirs

3. Optionally create projects/my-project/tasks.yaml for task queue:

   project:
     name: "My Project"
     dir: "~/my-project"
     enabled: true
     priority: 1
   tasks:
     - id: "feature-x"
       name: "Implement feature X"
       prompt: |
         Implement feature X per the spec in docs/feature-x.md
   

Manual Operations

# Check status of all projects
./scripts/monitor-all.sh

# Manually nudge a specific project
./scripts/auto-nudge.sh my-project

# Send a command to a tmux window
./scripts/tmux-send.sh my-project "codex exec 'fix the tests'"

# Enqueue a task
./scripts/task-queue.sh enqueue my-project "Refactor auth module"

# Run the watchdog once (for testing)
./scripts/watchdog.sh

Python Autopilot (Alternative)

autopilot.py provides a Python-based alternative with richer state management:

python3 autopilot.py --once        # single pass
python3 autopilot.py --daemon      # continuous loop

Directory Structure

~/.autopilot/
├── SKILL.md                 # This file
├── config.yaml              # Local config (not in git)
├── config.yaml.example      # Config template
├── scripts/                 # All automation scripts
├── projects/                # Per-project task definitions
├── docs/                    # Additional documentation
├── code-review/             # Code review templates
├── development/             # Development workflow templates
├── doc-review/              # Doc review templates
├── doc-writing/             # Doc writing templates
├── requirement-discovery/   # Requirement discovery templates
├── testing/                 # Testing templates
├── tests/                   # Test suite
├── state/                   # Runtime state (gitignored)
├── logs/                    # Runtime logs (gitignored)
├── task-queue/              # Task queue data (gitignored)
└── archive/                 # Deprecated files