Getting started

CLI usage

Command	Purpose	Example
codex	Interactive TUI	codex
codex "..."	Initial prompt for interactive TUI	codex "fix lint errors"
codex exec "..."	Non-interactive "automation mode"	codex exec "explain utils.ts"

Key flags: --model/-m, --ask-for-approval/-a.

Running with a prompt as input

You can also run Codex CLI with a prompt as input:

codex "explain this codebase to me"

codex --full-auto "create the fanciest todo-list app"

That's it - Codex will scaffold a file, run it inside a sandbox, install any missing dependencies, and show you the live result. Approve the changes and they'll be committed to your working directory.

Example prompts

Below are a few bite-size examples you can copy-paste. Replace the text in quotes with your own task. See the prompting guide for more tips and usage patterns.

✨	What you type	What happens
1	codex "Refactor the Dashboard component to React Hooks"	Codex rewrites the class component, runs npm test, and shows the diff.
2	codex "Generate SQL migrations for adding a users table"	Infers your ORM, creates migration files, and runs them in a sandboxed DB.
3	codex "Write unit tests for utils/date.ts"	Generates tests, executes them, and iterates until they pass.
4	codex "Bulk-rename *.jpeg -> *.jpg with git mv"	Safely renames files and updates imports/usages.
5	codex "Explain what this regex does: ^(?=.*[A-Z]).{8,}$"	Outputs a step-by-step human explanation.
6	codex "Carefully review this repo, and propose 3 high impact well-scoped PRs"	Suggests impactful PRs in the current codebase.
7	codex "Look for vulnerabilities and create a security review report"	Finds and explains security bugs.

Memory with AGENTS.md

You can give Codex extra instructions and guidance using AGENTS.md files. Codex looks for AGENTS.md files in the following places, and merges them top-down:

1. ~/.codex/AGENTS.md - personal global guidance
2. AGENTS.md at repo root - shared project notes
3. AGENTS.md in the current working directory - sub-folder/feature specifics

For more information on how to use AGENTS.md, see the official AGENTS.md documentation.

Tips & shortcuts

Use @ for file search

Typing @ triggers a fuzzy-filename search over the workspace root. Use up/down to select among the results and Tab or Enter to replace the @ with the selected path. You can use Esc to cancel the search.

Image input

Paste images directly into the composer (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V) to attach them to your prompt. You can also attach files via the CLI using -i/--image (comma‑separated):

codex -i screenshot.png "Explain this error"
codex --image img1.png,img2.jpg "Summarize these diagrams"

Esc–Esc to edit a previous message

When the chat composer is empty, press Esc to prime “backtrack” mode. Press Esc again to open a transcript preview highlighting the last user message; press Esc repeatedly to step to older user messages. Press Enter to confirm and Codex will fork the conversation from that point, trim the visible transcript accordingly, and pre‑fill the composer with the selected user message so you can edit and resubmit it.

In the transcript preview, the footer shows an Esc edit prev hint while editing is active.

Shell completions

Generate shell completion scripts via:

codex completion bash
codex completion zsh
codex completion fish

--cd/-C flag

Sometimes it is not convenient to cd to the directory you want Codex to use as the "working root" before running Codex. Fortunately, codex supports a --cd option so you can specify whatever folder you want. You can confirm that Codex is honoring --cd by double-checking the workdir it reports in the TUI at the start of a new session.