5.7 KiB
Getting started
Looking for something specific? Jump ahead:
- Tips & shortcuts – hotkeys, resume flow, prompts
- Non-interactive runs – automate with
codex exec - Ready for deeper customization? Head to
advanced.md
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.
Resuming interactive sessions
- Run
codex resumeto display the session picker UI - Resume most recent:
codex resume --last - Resume by id:
codex resume <SESSION_ID>(You can get session ids from /status or~/.codex/sessions/)
Examples:
# Open a picker of recent sessions
codex resume
# Resume the most recent session
codex resume --last
# Resume a specific session by id
codex resume 7f9f9a2e-1b3c-4c7a-9b0e-123456789abc
Running with a prompt as input
You can also run Codex CLI with a prompt as input:
codex "explain this codebase to me"
Example prompts
Below are a few bite-size examples you can copy-paste. Replace the text in quotes with your own task.
| ✨ | 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. |
Looking to reuse your own instructions? Create slash commands with custom prompts.
Memory with AGENTS.md
You can give Codex extra instructions and guidance using AGENTS.md files. Codex looks for them in the following places, and merges them top-down:
~/.codex/AGENTS.md- personal global guidance- Every directory from the repository root down to your current working directory (inclusive). In each directory, Codex first looks for
AGENTS.override.mdand uses it if present; otherwise it falls back toAGENTS.md. Use the override form when you want to replace inherited instructions for that directory.
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.
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.
--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.
--add-dir flag
Need to work across multiple projects in one run? Pass --add-dir one or more times to expose extra directories as writable roots for the current session while keeping the main working directory unchanged. For example:
codex --cd apps/frontend --add-dir ../backend --add-dir ../shared
Codex can then inspect and edit files in each listed directory without leaving the primary workspace.
Shell completions
Generate shell completion scripts via:
codex completion bash
codex completion zsh
codex completion fish
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"