openclaw-openclaw/docs/plugins/codex-harness.md

summary, title, read_when

summary	title	read_when
Run OpenClaw embedded agent turns through the bundled Codex app-server harness	Codex harness	You want to use the bundled Codex app-server harness You need Codex harness config examples You want Codex-only deployments to fail instead of falling back to OpenClaw

The bundled codex plugin runs embedded OpenAI agent turns through Codex app-server instead of the built-in OpenClaw harness. Codex owns the low-level agent session: native thread resume, native tool continuation, native compaction, and app-server execution. OpenClaw still owns chat channels, session files, model selection, OpenClaw dynamic tools, approvals, media delivery, and the visible transcript mirror.

Use canonical OpenAI model refs such as openai/gpt-5.5. Do not configure legacy Codex GPT refs; put OpenAI agent auth order under auth.order.openai. Legacy Codex auth profile ids and legacy Codex auth order entries are repaired by openclaw doctor --fix.

When no OpenClaw sandbox is active, OpenClaw starts Codex app-server threads with Codex native code mode enabled (code-mode-only stays off by default), so native workspace/code capabilities remain available alongside OpenClaw dynamic tools routed through the app-server item/tool/call bridge. An active OpenClaw sandbox or restricted tool policy disables native code mode entirely unless you opt into the experimental sandbox exec-server path.

This Codex-native feature is separate from OpenClaw code mode, an opt-in QuickJS-WASI runtime for generic OpenClaw runs with a different exec input shape. For the broader model/provider/runtime split, start with Agent runtimes: openai/gpt-5.5 is the model ref, codex is the runtime, and Telegram, Discord, Slack, or another channel is the communication surface.

Requirements

• OpenClaw with the bundled codex plugin available. Include codex in plugins.allow if your config uses an allowlist.
• Codex app-server 0.125.0 or newer. The plugin manages a compatible binary by default, so a codex command on PATH does not affect normal startup.
• Codex auth through openclaw models auth login --provider openai, an app-server account already present in the agent's Codex home, or an explicit Codex API-key auth profile.

For auth precedence, environment isolation, custom app-server commands, model discovery, and the full config field list, see Codex harness reference.

Quickstart

Sign in with Codex OAuth:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai

Enable the bundled codex plugin and select an OpenAI agent model:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: "openai/gpt-5.5",
    },
  },
}

If your config uses plugins.allow, add codex there too:

{
  plugins: {
    allow: ["codex"],
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

Restart the gateway after changing plugin config. If a chat already has a session, run /new or /reset first so the next turn resolves the harness from current config.

Share threads with Codex Desktop and CLI

The default appServer.homeScope: "agent" isolates each OpenClaw agent from the operator's native Codex state. To let an owner inspect and manage the same native threads shown by Codex Desktop and the Codex CLI, opt into the user Codex home:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            homeScope: "user",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

User-home mode requires local stdio transport. It uses $CODEX_HOME when set and ~/.codex otherwise, including that home's native Codex auth, config, plugins, and thread store. OpenClaw does not inject an OpenClaw auth profile into this app-server.

Owner turns gain the codex_threads tool: list, search, read, fork, rename, archive, and restore native threads. Fork a thread to continue it in OpenClaw; the fork attaches to the current OpenClaw session and stays visible to other native Codex clients. Archiving requires explicit confirmation that the thread is closed elsewhere.

Do not resume or write the same thread concurrently from OpenClaw and another Codex client. Codex coordinates live writers inside one app-server process, not across independent Desktop, CLI, and OpenClaw processes. Forking is the safe coexistence path.

Configuration

Need	Set	Where
Enable the harness	plugins.entries.codex.enabled: true	OpenClaw config
Keep an allowlisted plugin install	Include codex in plugins.allow	OpenClaw config
Route OpenAI agent turns through Codex	agents.defaults.model or agents.list[].model as openai/gpt-*	OpenClaw agent config
Sign in with ChatGPT/Codex OAuth	openclaw models auth login --provider openai	CLI auth profile
Add API-key backup for Codex runs	openai:* API-key profile listed after subscription auth in auth.order.openai	CLI auth profile + OpenClaw config
Fail closed when Codex is unavailable	Provider or model agentRuntime.id: "codex"	OpenClaw model/provider config
Use direct OpenAI API traffic	Provider or model agentRuntime.id: "openclaw" with normal OpenAI auth	OpenClaw model/provider config
Tune app-server behavior	plugins.entries.codex.config.appServer.*	Codex plugin config
Enable native Codex plugin apps	plugins.entries.codex.config.codexPlugins.*	Codex plugin config
Enable Codex Computer Use	plugins.entries.codex.config.computerUse.*	Codex plugin config

Prefer auth.order.openai for subscription-first/API-key-backup ordering. Existing legacy Codex auth profile ids and legacy Codex auth order are doctor-only legacy state; do not write new legacy Codex GPT refs.

{
  auth: {
    order: {
      openai: ["openai:user@example.com", "openai:api-key-backup"],
    },
  },
}

Both profiles above still run through Codex for openai/gpt-* agent turns. The API key is only an auth fallback, not a request to switch to OpenClaw or plain OpenAI Responses.

Compaction

Do not set compaction.model or compaction.provider on Codex-backed agents. Codex compacts through its native app-server thread state, so OpenClaw ignores those local summarizer overrides at runtime, and openclaw doctor --fix removes them when the agent uses Codex.

Lossless remains supported as a context engine for assembly, ingestion, and maintenance around Codex turns, configured through plugins.slots.contextEngine: "lossless-claw" and plugins.entries.lossless-claw.config.summaryModel, not through agents.defaults.compaction.provider. openclaw doctor --fix migrates the old compaction.provider: "lossless-claw" shape to the Lossless context-engine slot when Codex is the active runtime, but native Codex still owns compaction. The native app-server harness supports context engines that need pre-prompt assembly; generic CLI backends, including codex-cli, do not provide that host capability.

For Codex-backed agents, /compact starts native Codex app-server compaction on the bound thread. OpenClaw does not wait for completion, impose an OpenClaw timeout, restart the shared app-server, or fall back to a context-engine or public OpenAI summarizer. If the native Codex thread binding is missing or stale, the command fails closed instead of silently switching compaction backends.

The rest of this page covers deployment shape, fail-closed routing, guardian approval policy, native Codex plugins, and Computer Use. For full option lists, defaults, enums, discovery, environment isolation, timeouts, and app-server transport fields, see Codex harness reference.

Verify Codex runtime

Use /status in the chat where you expect Codex. A Codex-backed OpenAI agent turn shows:

Runtime: OpenAI Codex

Then check Codex app-server state:

/codex status
/codex models

/codex status reports app-server connectivity, account, rate limits, MCP servers, and skills. /codex models lists the live Codex app-server catalog for the harness and account. If /status is surprising, see Troubleshooting.

Routing and model selection

Keep provider refs and runtime policy separate:

• Use openai/gpt-* for OpenAI agent turns through Codex.
• Do not use legacy Codex GPT refs in config; run openclaw doctor --fix to repair legacy refs and stale session route pins.
• agentRuntime.id: "codex" is optional for normal OpenAI auto mode, but useful when a deployment should fail closed if Codex is unavailable.
• agentRuntime.id: "openclaw" opts a provider or model into the embedded OpenClaw runtime when that is intentional.
• /codex ... controls native Codex app-server conversations from chat.
• ACP/acpx is a separate external harness path. Use it only when the user asks for ACP/acpx or an external harness adapter.

User intent	Use
Attach the current chat	/codex bind [thread-id] [--cwd <path>] [--model <model>] [--provider <provider>]
Resume an existing Codex thread	/codex resume <thread-id>
List or filter Codex threads	/codex threads [filter]
List native Codex plugins	/codex plugins list
Enable or disable a configured native Codex plugin	/codex plugins enable <name>, /codex plugins disable <name>
Attach an existing Codex CLI session on a paired node	/codex sessions --host <node> [filter], then /codex resume <session-id> --host <node> --bind here
Change the bound thread's model, fast-mode, or permissions	/codex model <model>, /codex fast [on|off|status], /codex permissions [default|yolo|status]
Stop or steer the active turn	/codex stop, /codex steer <text>
Detach the current binding	/codex detach (alias /codex unbind)
Send Codex feedback only	/codex diagnostics [note]
Start an ACP/acpx task	ACP/acpx session commands, not /codex

Use case	Configure	Verify	Notes
ChatGPT/Codex subscription with native Codex runtime	openai/gpt-* plus enabled codex plugin	/status shows Runtime: OpenAI Codex	Recommended path
Fail closed if Codex is unavailable	Provider or model agentRuntime.id: "codex"	Turn fails instead of embedded fallback	Use for Codex-only deployments
Direct OpenAI API-key traffic through OpenClaw	Provider or model agentRuntime.id: "openclaw" and normal OpenAI auth	/status shows OpenClaw runtime	Use only when OpenClaw is intentional
Legacy config	legacy Codex GPT refs	openclaw doctor --fix rewrites it	Do not write new config this way
ACP/acpx Codex adapter	ACP sessions_spawn({ runtime: "acp" })	ACP task/session status	Separate from native Codex harness

agents.defaults.imageModel follows the same prefix split. Use openai/gpt-* for the normal OpenAI route and codex/gpt-* only when image understanding should run through a bounded Codex app-server turn. Doctor rewrites legacy Codex GPT refs to openai/gpt-*.

Deployment patterns

Basic Codex deployment

Use the quickstart config when all OpenAI agent turns should use Codex by default:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: "openai/gpt-5.5",
    },
  },
}

Mixed provider deployment

Keep Claude as the default agent and add a named Codex agent:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
    },
    list: [
      {
        id: "main",
        default: true,
        model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
      },
      {
        id: "codex",
        name: "Codex",
        model: "openai/gpt-5.5",
      },
    ],
  },
}

The main agent uses its normal provider path; the codex agent uses Codex app-server.

Fail-closed Codex deployment

openai/gpt-* already resolves to Codex when the bundled plugin is available. Add explicit runtime policy for a written fail-closed rule:

{
  models: {
    providers: {
      openai: {
        agentRuntime: {
          id: "codex",
        },
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: "openai/gpt-5.5",
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

With Codex forced, OpenClaw fails early if the Codex plugin is disabled, the app-server is too old, or the app-server cannot start.

App-server policy

By default, the plugin starts OpenClaw's managed Codex binary locally with stdio transport. Set appServer.command only to intentionally run a different executable. Use WebSocket transport only when an app-server is already running elsewhere:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            transport: "websocket",
            url: "ws://gateway-host:39175",
            authToken: "${CODEX_APP_SERVER_TOKEN}",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Local stdio app-server sessions default to the trusted local operator posture: approvalPolicy: "never", approvalsReviewer: "user", and sandbox: "danger-full-access". If local Codex requirements disallow that implicit YOLO posture, OpenClaw selects allowed guardian permissions instead. When an OpenClaw sandbox is active for the session, OpenClaw disables Codex native Code Mode, user MCP servers, and app-backed plugin execution for that turn instead of relying on Codex host-side sandboxing. Shell access instead goes through OpenClaw sandbox-backed dynamic tools such as sandbox_exec and sandbox_process when the normal exec/process tools are available.

Use normalized OpenClaw exec mode for Codex native auto-review before sandbox escapes or extra permissions:

{
  tools: {
    exec: {
      mode: "auto",
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
      },
    },
  },
}

For Codex app-server sessions, tools.exec.mode: "auto" maps to Codex Guardian-reviewed approvals: usually approvalPolicy: "on-request", approvalsReviewer: "auto_review", and sandbox: "workspace-write" when local requirements allow those values. In tools.exec.mode: "auto", OpenClaw does not preserve legacy unsafe Codex approvalPolicy: "never" or sandbox: "danger-full-access" overrides; use tools.exec.mode: "full" for an intentional no-approval Codex posture. The legacy plugins.entries.codex.config.appServer.mode: "guardian" preset still works, but tools.exec.mode: "auto" is the normalized OpenClaw surface.

For the mode-level comparison with host exec approvals and ACPX permissions, see Permission modes. For every app-server field, auth order, environment isolation, and timeout behavior, see Codex harness reference.

Commands and diagnostics

The bundled plugin registers /codex as a slash command on any channel that supports OpenClaw text commands.

Native execution and control require an owner or an operator.admin Gateway client: binding or resuming threads, sending or stopping turns, changing model, fast-mode, or permission state, compacting or reviewing, and detaching a binding. Other authorized senders keep read-only status, help, account, model, thread, MCP server, skill, and binding inspection commands.

Common forms:

• /codex status checks app-server connectivity, models, account, rate limits, MCP servers, and skills.
• /codex models lists live Codex app-server models.
• /codex threads [filter] lists recent Codex app-server threads.
• /codex resume <thread-id> attaches the current OpenClaw session to an existing Codex thread.
• /codex bind [thread-id] [--cwd <path>] [--model <model>] [--provider <provider>] attaches the current chat.
• /codex detach (or /codex unbind) detaches the current binding.
• /codex binding describes the current binding.
• /codex stop stops the active turn; /codex steer <text> steers it.
• /codex model <model>, /codex fast [on|off|status], and /codex permissions [default|yolo|status] change per-conversation state.
• /codex compact asks Codex app-server to compact the attached thread.
• /codex review starts Codex native review for the attached thread.
• /codex diagnostics [note] asks before sending Codex feedback for the attached thread.
• /codex account shows account and rate-limit status.
• /codex mcp lists Codex app-server MCP server status.
• /codex skills lists Codex app-server skills.
• /codex plugins list, /codex plugins enable <name>, and /codex plugins disable <name> manage configured native Codex plugins.
• /codex computer-use [status|install] manages Codex Computer Use.
• /codex help lists the full command tree.

For most support reports, start with /diagnostics [note] in the conversation where the bug happened. It creates one Gateway diagnostics report and, for Codex harness sessions, asks for approval to send the relevant Codex feedback bundle. See Diagnostics export for the privacy model and group chat behavior. Use /codex diagnostics [note] only when you specifically want the Codex feedback upload for the currently attached thread without the full Gateway diagnostics bundle.

Inspect Codex threads locally

The fastest way to inspect a bad Codex run is often to open the native Codex thread directly:

codex resume <thread-id>

Get the thread id from the completed /diagnostics reply, /codex binding, or /codex threads [filter].

For upload mechanics and runtime-level diagnostics boundaries, see Codex harness runtime.

Auth order

In the default per-agent home, auth is selected in this order:

1. Ordered OpenAI auth profiles for the agent, preferably under auth.order.openai. Run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate older legacy Codex auth profile ids and legacy Codex auth order.
2. The app-server's existing account in that agent's Codex home.
3. For local stdio app-server launches only, CODEX_API_KEY, then OPENAI_API_KEY, when no app-server account is present and OpenAI auth is still required.

When OpenClaw sees a ChatGPT subscription-style Codex auth profile, it removes CODEX_API_KEY and OPENAI_API_KEY from the spawned Codex child process. That keeps Gateway-level API keys available for embeddings or direct OpenAI models without making native Codex app-server turns bill through the API by accident. Explicit Codex API-key profiles and local stdio env-key fallback use app-server login instead of inherited child-process env. WebSocket app-server connections do not receive Gateway env API-key fallback; use an explicit auth profile or the remote app-server's own account.

If a subscription profile hits a Codex usage limit, OpenClaw records the reset time when Codex reports one and tries the next ordered auth profile for the same Codex run. When the reset time passes, the subscription profile becomes eligible again without changing the selected openai/gpt-* model or Codex runtime.

When native Codex plugins are configured, OpenClaw installs or refreshes those plugins through the connected app-server before exposing plugin-owned apps to the Codex thread. app/list remains the source of truth for app ids, accessibility, and metadata, but OpenClaw owns the per-thread enablement decision: if policy allows a listed accessible app, OpenClaw sends thread/start.config.apps[appId].enabled = true even when app/list currently reports that app disabled. This path does not invent app installation for unknown ids; OpenClaw only activates marketplace plugins with plugin/install and then refreshes inventory.

Environment isolation

For local stdio app-server launches, OpenClaw sets CODEX_HOME to a per-agent directory so Codex config, auth/account files, plugin cache/data, and native thread state do not read or write the operator's personal ~/.codex by default. OpenClaw preserves the normal process HOME; Codex-run subprocesses can still find user-home config and tokens, and Codex may discover shared $HOME/.agents/skills and $HOME/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json entries. With appServer.homeScope: "user", OpenClaw instead uses the native user Codex home and its existing account without injecting an OpenClaw auth profile.

If a deployment needs additional environment isolation, add those variables to appServer.clearEnv:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            clearEnv: ["CODEX_API_KEY", "OPENAI_API_KEY"],
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

appServer.clearEnv only affects the spawned Codex app-server child process. OpenClaw removes CODEX_HOME and HOME from this list during local launch normalization: CODEX_HOME stays pointed at the selected agent or user scope, and HOME stays inherited so subprocesses can use normal user-home state.

Dynamic tools and web search

Codex dynamic tools default to searchable loading. OpenClaw does not expose dynamic tools that duplicate Codex-native workspace operations: read, write, edit, apply_patch, exec, process, update_plan, tool_call, tool_describe, tool_search, and tool_search_code. Most remaining OpenClaw integration tools, such as messaging, media, cron, browser, nodes, gateway, and heartbeat_respond, are available through Codex tool search under the openclaw namespace, keeping the initial model context smaller.

Web search uses Codex's hosted web_search tool by default when search is enabled and no managed provider is selected. Native hosted search and OpenClaw's managed web_search dynamic tool are mutually exclusive so managed search cannot bypass native domain restrictions. OpenClaw uses the managed tool when hosted search is unavailable, explicitly disabled, or replaced by a selected managed provider. OpenClaw keeps Codex's standalone web.run extension disabled because production app-server traffic rejects its user-defined web namespace. tools.web.search.enabled: false disables both paths, as do tool-disabled LLM-only runs. Codex treats "cached" as a preference and resolves it to live external access for unrestricted app-server turns. Automatic managed fallback fails closed when native allowedDomains are set so the allowlist cannot be bypassed. Persistent effective search-policy changes rotate the bound Codex thread before the next turn; transient per-turn restrictions use a temporary restricted thread and preserve the existing binding for later resume.

sessions_yield and message-tool-only source replies stay direct because those are turn-control contracts. sessions_spawn stays searchable so Codex's native spawn_agent remains the primary Codex subagent surface, while explicit OpenClaw or ACP delegation is still available through the openclaw dynamic tool namespace. Heartbeat collaboration instructions tell Codex to search for heartbeat_respond before ending a heartbeat turn when the tool is not already loaded.

Set codexDynamicToolsLoading: "direct" only when connecting to a custom Codex app-server that cannot search deferred dynamic tools or when debugging the full tool payload.

Config fields

Supported top-level Codex plugin fields:

Field	Default	Meaning
codexDynamicToolsLoading	"searchable"	Use "direct" to put OpenClaw dynamic tools directly in the initial Codex tool context.
codexDynamicToolsExclude	[]	Additional OpenClaw dynamic tool names to omit from Codex app-server turns.
codexPlugins	disabled	Native Codex plugin/app support for migrated source-installed curated plugins.

Supported appServer fields:

Field	Default	Meaning
transport	"stdio"	"stdio" spawns Codex; "websocket" connects to url.
homeScope	"agent"	"agent" isolates Codex state per OpenClaw agent. "user" shares the native $CODEX_HOME or ~/.codex, uses native auth, and enables owner-only thread management. User scope requires stdio.
command	managed Codex binary	Executable for stdio transport. Leave unset to use the managed binary; set it only for an explicit override.
args	["app-server", "--listen", "stdio://"]	Arguments for stdio transport.
url	unset	WebSocket app-server URL.
authToken	unset	Bearer token for WebSocket transport. Accepts a literal string or SecretInput such as ${CODEX_APP_SERVER_TOKEN}.
headers	{}	Extra WebSocket headers. Header values accept literal strings or SecretInput values, for example x-codex-client-session-token: "${CODEX_CLIENT_SESSION_TOKEN}".
clearEnv	[]	Extra environment variable names removed from the spawned stdio app-server process after OpenClaw builds its inherited environment. OpenClaw keeps the selected CODEX_HOME and inherited HOME for local launches.
codeModeOnly	false	Opt into Codex's code-mode-only tool surface. OpenClaw dynamic tools remain registered with Codex so nested tools.* calls return through the app-server item/tool/call bridge.
remoteWorkspaceRoot	unset	Remote Codex app-server workspace root. When set, OpenClaw infers the local workspace root from the resolved OpenClaw workspace, preserves the current cwd suffix under this remote root, and sends only the final app-server cwd to Codex. If the cwd is outside the resolved OpenClaw workspace root, OpenClaw fails closed instead of sending a gateway-local path to the remote app-server.
requestTimeoutMs	60000	Timeout for app-server control-plane calls.
turnCompletionIdleTimeoutMs	60000	Quiet window after Codex accepts a turn or after a turn-scoped app-server request while OpenClaw waits for turn/completed.
postToolRawAssistantCompletionIdleTimeoutMs	300000	Completion-idle and progress guard used after a tool handoff, native tool completion, post-tool raw assistant progress, raw reasoning completion, or reasoning progress while OpenClaw waits for turn/completed. Use this for trusted or heavy workloads where post-tool synthesis can legitimately stay quiet longer than the final assistant release budget.
mode	"yolo" unless local Codex requirements disallow YOLO	Preset for YOLO or guardian-reviewed execution. Local stdio requirements that omit danger-full-access, never approval, or the user reviewer make the implicit default guardian.
approvalPolicy	"never" or an allowed guardian approval policy	Native Codex approval policy sent to thread start/resume/turn. Guardian defaults prefer "on-request" when allowed.
sandbox	"danger-full-access" or an allowed guardian sandbox	Native Codex sandbox mode sent to thread start/resume. Guardian defaults prefer "workspace-write" when allowed, otherwise "read-only". When an OpenClaw sandbox is active, danger-full-access turns use Codex workspace-write with network access derived from the OpenClaw sandbox egress setting.
approvalsReviewer	"user" or an allowed guardian reviewer	Use "auto_review" to let Codex review native approval prompts when allowed, otherwise guardian_subagent or user. guardian_subagent remains a legacy alias.
serviceTier	unset	Optional Codex app-server service tier. "priority" enables fast-mode routing, "flex" requests flex processing, null clears the override, and legacy "fast" is accepted as "priority".
networkProxy	disabled	Opt into Codex permissions-profile networking for app-server commands. OpenClaw defines the selected permissions.<profile>.network config and selects it with default_permissions instead of sending sandbox.
experimental.sandboxExecServer	false	Preview opt-in that registers an OpenClaw sandbox-backed Codex environment with Codex app-server 0.132.0 or newer so native Codex execution can run inside the active OpenClaw sandbox.

appServer.networkProxy is explicit because it changes the Codex sandbox contract. When enabled, OpenClaw also sets features.network_proxy.enabled and default_permissions in the Codex thread config so the generated permission profile can start Codex managed networking. By default, OpenClaw generates a collision-resistant openclaw-network-<fingerprint> profile name from the profile body; use profileName only when a stable local name is required.

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        config: {
          appServer: {
            sandbox: "workspace-write",
            networkProxy: {
              enabled: true,
              domains: {
                "api.openai.com": "allow",
                "blocked.example.com": "deny",
              },
              unixSockets: {
                "/tmp/proxy.sock": "allow",
                "/tmp/blocked.sock": "none",
              },
              allowUpstreamProxy: true,
              proxyUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:3128",
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

If the normal app-server runtime would be danger-full-access, enabling networkProxy uses workspace-style filesystem access for the generated permission profile: Codex managed network enforcement is sandboxed networking, so a full-access profile would not protect outbound traffic. Domain entries use allow or deny; Unix socket entries use Codex's allow or none values.

Dynamic tool call timeouts

OpenClaw-owned dynamic tool calls are bounded independently from appServer.requestTimeoutMs: Codex item/tool/call requests use a 90 second OpenClaw watchdog by default. A positive per-call timeoutMs argument extends or shortens that specific tool budget, capped at 600000 ms. The image_generate tool uses agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel.timeoutMs when the tool call does not provide its own timeout, or a 120 second image-generation default otherwise. The media-understanding image tool uses tools.media.image.timeoutSeconds or its 60 second media default; for image understanding, that timeout applies to the request itself and is not reduced by earlier preparation work. On timeout, OpenClaw aborts the tool signal where supported and returns a failed dynamic-tool response to Codex so the turn can continue instead of leaving the session in processing. This watchdog is the outer dynamic item/tool/call budget; provider-specific request timeouts run inside that call and keep their own timeout semantics.

After Codex accepts a turn, and after OpenClaw responds to a turn-scoped app-server request, the harness expects Codex to make current-turn progress and eventually finish the native turn with turn/completed. If the app-server goes quiet for appServer.turnCompletionIdleTimeoutMs, OpenClaw best-effort interrupts the Codex turn, records a diagnostic timeout, and releases the OpenClaw session lane so follow-up chat messages are not queued behind a stale native turn. Most non-terminal notifications for the same turn disarm that short watchdog because Codex has proven the turn is still alive.

Tool handoffs use a longer post-tool idle budget: after OpenClaw returns an item/tool/call response, after native tool items such as commandExecution complete, after raw custom_tool_call_output completions, and after post-tool raw assistant progress, raw reasoning completions, or reasoning progress. The guard uses appServer.postToolRawAssistantCompletionIdleTimeoutMs when configured and defaults to five minutes otherwise; that same budget also extends the progress watchdog for the silent synthesis window before Codex emits the next current-turn event. Global app-server notifications, such as rate-limit updates, do not reset turn-idle progress. Reasoning completions, commentary agentMessage completions, and pre-tool raw reasoning or assistant progress can be followed by an automatic final reply, so they use the post-progress reply guard instead of releasing the session lane immediately.

Only final/non-commentary completed agentMessage items and pre-tool raw assistant completions arm the assistant-output release: if Codex then goes quiet without turn/completed, OpenClaw best-effort interrupts the native turn and releases the session lane. If another turn watch wins that release race, OpenClaw still accepts the completed final assistant item once no native request, item, or dynamic tool completion remains active and the assistant-output release still belongs to the latest completed item, with no later item completion. This can preserve the final answer after completed tool work without replaying the turn. Partial assistant deltas, stale earlier replies, and empty later completions do not qualify.

Replay-safe stdio app-server failures, including turn-completion idle timeouts without assistant, tool, active-item, or side-effect evidence, are retried once on a fresh app-server attempt. Unsafe timeouts still retire the stuck app-server client and release the OpenClaw session lane; they also clear the stale native thread binding instead of being replayed automatically. Completion-watch timeouts surface Codex-specific timeout text: replay-safe cases say the response may be incomplete, while unsafe cases tell the user to verify current state before retrying. Public timeout diagnostics include structural fields such as the last app-server notification method, raw assistant response item id/type/role, active request/item counts, and armed watch state; when the last notification is a raw assistant response item, they also include a bounded assistant text preview. They do not include raw prompt or tool content.

Local testing env overrides

• OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_BIN bypasses the managed binary when appServer.command is unset.
• OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_ARGS
• OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_MODE=yolo|guardian
• OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_APPROVAL_POLICY
• OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_SANDBOX

OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_GUARDIAN=1 was removed. Use plugins.entries.codex.config.appServer.mode: "guardian" instead, or OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_MODE=guardian for one-off local testing. Config is preferred for repeatable deployments because it keeps the plugin behavior in the same reviewed file as the rest of the Codex harness setup.

Native Codex plugins

Native Codex plugin support uses Codex app-server's own app and plugin capabilities in the same Codex thread as the OpenClaw harness turn. OpenClaw does not translate Codex plugins into synthetic codex_plugin_* OpenClaw dynamic tools.

codexPlugins affects only sessions that select the native Codex harness. It has no effect on built-in harness runs, normal OpenAI provider runs, ACP conversation bindings, or other harnesses.

Minimal migrated config:

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          codexPlugins: {
            enabled: true,
            allow_destructive_actions: true,
            plugins: {
              "google-calendar": {
                enabled: true,
                marketplaceName: "openai-curated",
                pluginName: "google-calendar",
              },
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Thread app config is computed when OpenClaw establishes a Codex harness session or replaces a stale Codex thread binding; it is not recomputed on every turn. After changing codexPlugins, use /new, /reset, or restart the gateway so future Codex harness sessions start with the updated app set.

For migration eligibility, app inventory, destructive action policy, elicitations, and native plugin diagnostics, see Native Codex plugins.

OpenAI-side app and plugin access is controlled by the signed-in Codex account and, for Business and Enterprise/Edu workspaces, workspace app controls. See Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan for OpenAI's account and workspace-control overview.

Computer Use

Computer Use has its own setup guide: Codex Computer Use.

Short version: OpenClaw does not vendor the desktop-control app or execute desktop actions itself. It prepares Codex app-server, verifies that the computer-use MCP server is available, and then lets Codex own the native MCP tool calls during Codex-mode turns.

Runtime boundaries

The Codex harness changes the low-level embedded agent executor only.

• OpenClaw dynamic tools are supported. Codex asks OpenClaw to execute those tools, so OpenClaw remains in the execution path.
• Codex-native shell, patch, MCP, and native app tools are owned by Codex. OpenClaw can observe or block selected native events through the supported relay, but it does not rewrite native tool arguments.
• Codex owns native compaction. OpenClaw keeps a transcript mirror for channel history, search, /new, /reset, and future model or harness switching, but does not replace Codex compaction with an OpenClaw or context-engine summarizer.
• Media generation, media understanding, TTS, approvals, and messaging-tool output continue through the matching OpenClaw provider/model settings.
• tool_result_persist applies to OpenClaw-owned transcript tool results, not Codex-native tool result records.

For hook layers, supported V1 surfaces, native permission handling, queue steering, Codex feedback upload mechanics, and compaction details, see Codex harness runtime.

Troubleshooting

Codex does not appear as a normal /model provider: expected for new configs. Select an openai/gpt-* model, enable plugins.entries.codex.enabled, and check whether plugins.allow excludes codex.

OpenClaw uses the built-in harness instead of Codex: confirm the model ref is openai/gpt-* on the official OpenAI provider and that the Codex plugin is installed and enabled. For strict proof while testing, set provider or model agentRuntime.id: "codex" — a forced Codex runtime fails instead of falling back to OpenClaw.

OpenAI Codex runtime falls back to the API-key path: collect a redacted gateway excerpt that shows the model, runtime, selected provider, and failure. Ask affected collaborators to run this read-only command on their OpenClaw host:

(
  pattern='openai/gpt-5\.[45]|openai[-]codex|agentRuntime(\.id)?|harnessRuntime|Runtime: OpenAI Codex|legacy OpenAI Codex prefix|resolveSelectedOpenAIRuntimeProvider|candidateProvider[": ]+openai|status[": ]+401|Incorrect API key|No API key|api-key path|API-key path|OAuth'

  if ls /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    grep -E -i -n "$pattern" /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log 2>/dev/null || true
  else
    journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway --since today --no-pager 2>/dev/null \
      | grep -E -i "$pattern" || true
  fi
) | sed -E \
    -e 's/(Authorization: Bearer )[A-Za-z0-9._~+\/-]+/\1[REDACTED]/Ig' \
    -e 's/(Bearer )[A-Za-z0-9._~+\/-]+/\1[REDACTED]/Ig' \
    -e 's/(api[_ -]?key[=: ]+)[^ ,}"]+/\1[REDACTED]/Ig' \
    -e 's/(OPENAI_API_KEY[=: ]+)[^ ,}"]+/\1[REDACTED]/Ig' \
    -e 's/sk-[A-Za-z0-9_-]{12,}/sk-[REDACTED]/g' \
    -e 's/[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}/[EMAIL-REDACTED]/g' \
  | tail -200

Useful excerpts usually include openai/gpt-5.5 or openai/gpt-5.4, Runtime: OpenAI Codex, agentRuntime.id or harnessRuntime, candidateProvider: "openai", and a 401, Incorrect API key, or No API key result. A corrected run should show the OpenAI OAuth path instead of a plain OpenAI API-key failure.

Legacy Codex model refs config remains: run openclaw doctor --fix. Doctor rewrites legacy model refs to openai/*, removes stale session and whole-agent runtime pins, and preserves existing auth-profile overrides.

The app-server is rejected: use Codex app-server 0.125.0 or newer. Same-version prereleases or build-suffixed versions such as 0.125.0-alpha.2 or 0.125.0+custom are rejected because OpenClaw tests the stable 0.125.0 protocol floor.

/codex status cannot connect: check that the bundled codex plugin is enabled, that plugins.allow includes it when an allowlist is configured, and that any custom appServer.command, url, authToken, or headers are valid.

Model discovery is slow: lower plugins.entries.codex.config.discovery.timeoutMs or disable discovery. See Codex harness reference.

WebSocket transport fails immediately: check appServer.url, authToken, headers, and that the remote app-server speaks the same Codex app-server protocol version.

Native shell or patch tools are blocked with Native hook relay unavailable: the Codex thread is still trying to use a native hook relay id that OpenClaw no longer has registered. This is a native Codex hook transport problem, not an ACP backend, provider, GitHub, or shell-command failure. Start a fresh session in the affected chat with /new or /reset, then retry a harmless command. If that works once but the next native tool call fails again, treat /new as a temporary workaround only: copy the prompt into a fresh session after restarting the Codex app-server or OpenClaw Gateway so old threads are dropped and native hook registrations are recreated.

A non-Codex model uses the built-in harness: expected unless provider or model runtime policy routes it to another harness. Plain non-OpenAI provider refs stay on their normal provider path in auto mode.

Computer Use is installed but tools do not run: check /codex computer-use status from a fresh session. If a tool reports Native hook relay unavailable, use the native hook relay recovery above. See Codex Computer Use.

Related

• Codex harness reference
• Codex harness runtime
• Native Codex plugins
• Codex Computer Use
• Agent runtimes
• Model providers
• OpenAI provider
• OpenAI Codex help
• Agent harness plugins
• Plugin hooks
• Diagnostics export
• Status
• Testing