Open CLI

codex

officialscriptableai
$ npm i -g @openai/codex
Summary

Coding agent, terminal code tasks, and prompted edits from the terminal.

  • codex fits local ai well, especially for coding agent, terminal code tasks, and prompted edits from the terminal.
  • It is the official CLI from OpenAI.
  • Verify with `codex --help` first.
  • Good fit for coding-agent workflows and repeatable scripts.
  • Output is mostly text-first, so verify results before scripting around it.
ai-codex-SKILL.md

Codex guide

The official CLI from OpenAI. Coding agent, terminal code tasks, and prompted edits from the terminal.

Open CLI packages the install path, verify step, and safe-start workflow so this tool can move from “interesting CLI” to something you can actually use. It also integrates with skills.sh so each CLI comes with the right companion skills, not just a binary and a docs link.

When to apply

  • coding agent, terminal code tasks, and prompted edits from the terminal.
  • You work with AI models and inference and want a fast terminal interface.
  • You need coding agent.
  • You need terminal code tasks.
  • You need prompted edits.

Quick reference

Installnpm i -g @openai/codex
Verifycodex --help
First real commandcodex

Open CLI × skills.sh

Open CLI integrates codex with the right skills.sh companions so you get the tool and the workflow together.

MCP Builder

Verified pairing

Open CLI integrates codex with this skills.sh skill because it is the clearest fit for how codex is usually used. Turn useful CLI capabilities into reusable agent-accessible tool layers.

View on skills.sh
$ npx skills add https://github.com/anthropics/skills --skill mcp-builder
Starter prompt

Use codex together with the MCP Builder skills.sh skill. Start with a small prompt or read-only action, show the result, and propose the next loop before escalating scope.

Also useful from skills.sh
Prompt Engineeringskills.shAI Automation Workflowsskills.sh

Why this tool

  • codex fits local ai well, especially for coding agent, terminal code tasks, and prompted edits from the terminal.
  • It is the official CLI from OpenAI.
  • Verify with `codex --help` first.

Watch-outs

  • Sign in before real work.
  • Needs network access.
  • Automation can be brittle.

Example workflow

1. codex

Safe start

Step 1

Install codex.

Step 2

Run `codex --help` first.

Step 3

Start with `codex`.

Step 4

Authenticate codex before asking the agent to do real work.

Alternatives worth considering

claude

Coding agent, refactors, and codebase search from the terminal.

gemini

Coding agent, prompting, and terminal assistance from the terminal.

ollama

Local models, ai prototyping, and private inference from the terminal.