codex-delegate

---
name: codex-delegate
description: >-
  Delegate a coding task to the OpenAI Codex CLI as a background implementer, then review its diff and
  land it yourself. Use this whenever the user wants to hand implementation work to Codex — phrasings
  like "have Codex do X", "delegate this to Codex", "run it through Codex", or "use Codex to
  implement/fix/refactor" — or to run a queue of coding tasks through Codex while staying the reviewer.
  Prefer it over a one-shot Codex forwarder (such as the codex-rescue agent) when the user will review
  the resulting diff and commit it themselves. Also reach for it proactively for a separate
  implementation pass on a bounded task — a migration, a mechanical refactor, a removal sweep. DO NOT
  USE for tasks small enough to do inline, or when the user wants the code written directly without
  delegating.
license: MIT
compatibility: Requires the `codex` CLI (OpenAI Codex) installed and authenticated, Node 18+, and git. The orchestrating agent must be able to run shell commands and read files. Shell examples assume bash/zsh (macOS/Linux, or Git Bash/WSL on Windows).
metadata:
  version: 0.1.0
---

# Codex Delegate

You are the **orchestrator**. This skill lets you hand a bounded coding task to a separate
**implementer** — the OpenAI Codex CLI — then review what it produced and land it yourself. You write
the brief and own the judgment; Codex does the typing in its own sandbox; you verify and commit.

Nothing here is specific to one orchestrating agent. The loop needs only the ability to run a shell
command and read a file, so it works the same whether you are Claude Code, OpenCode with a selected
model, or any comparable agent. (It is designed for and run on Claude Code; treat other orchestrators
as designed-for, not yet proven.)

## When NOT to use this

- The task is small enough to just do inline — delegation overhead is not worth it.
- The `codex` CLI is not installed or not authenticated (run `codex login`).
- You want to write the code yourself, or you only need a review (use Codex's own `review` command).

## Prerequisites (check once)

1. `codex --version` succeeds. If not, install (`npm i -g @openai/codex`) and `codex login`.
2. **Confirm which `codex` is on PATH.** Multiple installs are common (e.g. a current npm/nvm copy and
   a stale Homebrew one). `command -v codex` shows the active one and `codex --version` its version —
   an old binary predates flags this skill relies on (`codex exec --json`, `-o`, `exec resume`). The
   relay also records the version it ran into `result.json`, so a stale binary is visible after the fact.
3. You are in (or will point `--cd` at) the target git repository.

## The loop

Run these five steps per task. Steps 1, 4, and 5 are your judgment; 2 and 3 are mechanical.

### 1. Write the brief

Codex sees **only** the text you send — no repo memory, no chat history, no shared context. Everything the
task needs goes in the brief: the goal, the current state, what to change, what to leave untouched,
the project's **actual** gate commands (discover them from the repo's CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md/Makefile —
do not assume), and a report contract. Tell Codex it will **not** commit (you will). Keep one task per
brief. Full guidance and a template: [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md).

### 2. Dispatch

Send the brief to Codex with the bundled helper. It wraps `codex exec`, captures the run, and writes a
structured `result.json` — so your only job is "run a command, read a file." (`<skill-dir>` below is
this skill's installed directory — the folder containing this `SKILL.md`, i.e. the directory you loaded
the skill from. Claude Code prints it as "Base directory for this skill" when the skill loads; on other
orchestrators use that same directory — if unsure where it landed, run
`find ~ -name relay.mjs -path '*codex-delegate*'` and substitute the directory above it.)

```bash
node "<skill-dir>/scripts/relay.mjs" --brief brief.txt --cd /path/to/repo
# read-only (review/diagnosis, no edits):   add --read-only
# continue the previous Codex session:      add --resume-last  (send only the delta brief)
# see all options:                          node .../relay.mjs --help
```

The helper defaults to a write-capable (`workspace-write`) sandbox and writes its artifacts to a temp
dir, so the repo under review stays clean. It **never commits** — see step 5. Mechanics, flags, and the
`result.json` shape: [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md).

### 3. Wait for completion

The helper blocks until Codex finishes, so back it with whatever your orchestrator offers and resume
when it returns:

- **Claude Code:** run the Bash call with `run_in_background: true`; you are notified on completion.
- **Plain shell / other agents:** run it in the foreground for short tasks, or background it and poll
  the result file — `… &` in bash/zsh (including Git Bash/WSL), or your shell's equivalent (`Start-Job`
  in PowerShell, `start /b` in cmd). The run is done when `result.json` exists with a `status`. (A
  pre-run usage error — bad args or an empty brief — instead exits with code 2 and a stderr message and
  writes no result file, so check the exit code too. A missing `codex` binary exits 127 but *does* write
  a `result.json` with status `codex_unavailable`.)

Do not trust progress trackers over reality: a run is finished when `result.json` is written and the
process has exited. Read the working tree, not a status line.

### 4. Review — do not trust the self-report

Codex's `result.json` includes its own summary and gate claims. **Re-verify, don't accept:**

- **Re-run the project's gates yourself** (the test/lint/build commands from step 1). Never take
  "gates passed" on faith.
- **Read the diff** against the brief: did Codex do what was asked, nothing more (scope creep) and
  nothing less? `touchedFiles` in the result is your starting point.
- **Run the relevant guard skills** on the diff if you have them installed (clean-code-guard,
  test-guard, etc. from `guard-skills`) — this skill produces the work; those skills judge it.
- For schema/migration changes, round-trip them; for removals, grep for dangling references.

Full checklist: [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md).

### 5. Land it

Because Codex's sandbox cannot reliably write `.git` (it varies by version, OS, and path), **the
orchestrator commits.** Only after the gates pass and the diff holds:

- Commit the verified work yourself, with a clear message.
- If it needs changes, send a delta brief with `--resume-last` (don't restate the whole task) and
  review again.

## Non-negotiables

- **Re-run the gates yourself.** The self-report is a claim, not evidence.
- **The orchestrator commits, never Codex.** Don't assume Codex committed; it didn't.
- **One task = one brief = one commit.** Split unrelated work into separate runs.
- **Trust the working tree and process state** over any progress tracker.

## Authorization model

Delegation is something the human opts into. Once they have ("run this queue", "proceed"), committing
verified, gate-passing work is the agreed contract — that is the whole point. Two limits on that
mandate: **surface, don't absorb** (report Codex's design decisions, defensible-but-unasked turns, and
non-blocking nitpicks rather than silently keeping them) and **stop for scope changes** (if correct
completion needs going beyond the brief, ask — don't expand the mandate yourself). The full treatment
is in [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md).

## Trust and safety

`scripts/relay.mjs` itself makes no network calls, reads or writes no credentials, and sends no
telemetry; it has no dependencies (Node built-ins only) and shells out only to `codex` and `git`. The
`codex` process it launches does authenticate — exactly as you do at the terminal. Read the script
before you run it. It is the one executable in this package; everything else is Markdown.

## References

- [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md) — how to write a brief Codex can
  execute blind: structure, XML blocks, the report contract, embedding the real gate commands.
- [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md) — `relay.mjs` flags, the
  `result.json` contract, backgrounding per orchestrator, and recovery when a run misbehaves.
- [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md) — the review checklist, the commit
  boundary, and the rework cycle via `--resume-last`.
- [references/multi-task-queues.md](references/multi-task-queues.md) — running a sequential queue:
  carrying constraints forward, progress tracking, and the end-of-run coherence check.

## What this skill does NOT do

- It does not commit for you — that is deliberate (step 5).
- It does not review the code's quality itself — pair it with guard skills.
- It does not run your tests — you re-run the project's own gates in step 4.
- It is not the inverse direction (Codex reviewing your work). For that, use the openai-codex plugin's
  review command or stop-review gate.