Codex (OpenAI) Tool Guide
Updated July 2026
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent for desktop and CLI workflows. PromptDC for Desktop rewrites your prompt in place in the Codex app and rewrites detected Codex CLI prompts in the terminal before you press Enter.
Codex (OpenAI) tool guide
Rewrite prompts in place inside Codex (OpenAI).
Works everywhere
PromptDC for Desktop works in any app on Mac or Windows. The Chrome extension covers any website.
In-Place Rewrites
Transform rough notes into clear, structured instructions instantly.
Why Use PromptDC with Codex (OpenAI)?
What PromptDC for Desktop does inside Codex (OpenAI).
Review before Replace
Select your prompt, use the desktop shortcut, and review the rewrite before Replace or Copy.
Clearer prompts
Turn a rough request into a complete prompt with the details Codex (OpenAI) needs before you send it.
Verified terminal coverage
PromptDC supports verified AI CLI workflows across macOS and Windows terminals.
Set coding defaults
Choose any profile that fits, or add your own profiles and Custom Actions.
Reuse saved context
On the Code profile, use Always Include for project rules. Custom Action works with any profile for one-off guidance.
Choose output formats
On the Code profile, choose Regular, JSON, XML, or YAML output. Auto keeps your prompt's original language on every profile.
Before and after prompts for Codex (OpenAI)
Rough request on the left, the PromptDC rewrite on the right.
Before
Fix empty api_prefix values being treated like the key is missing.
After
Fix the Go configuration loader so an explicit empty api_prefix remains distinct from an absent key. Inspect current TOML decoding, defaults, environment precedence, and public configuration types. Preserve existing behavior for missing keys and higher priority environment values. Add table tests for missing, empty, populated, and environment overridden values.
Why this is better: The prompt defines presence semantics and tests so Codex CLI can fix configuration precedence safely.
Before
Log an audit event when an admin exports the customer ledger.
After
Record a security audit event after a successful customer ledger export. Reuse the repository's existing audit event types and export service patterns. Include actor, account, filters, row count, and request ID without storing CSV contents. Add tests proving failed exports create no success event and sensitive data is excluded.
Why this is better: The prompt adds privacy and success rules so Codex CLI can implement a trustworthy export audit trail.
Before
Why do paid invoice events hit the dead letter queue after a restart?
After
Trace paid invoice events from receipt through retries and dead letter routing. Inspect the current consumer, retry policy, acknowledgement timing, and persisted state. Check whether restart behavior resets attempt counts or replays an unacknowledged event. Report the most likely path with code evidence and propose a focused validation test.
Why this is better: The prompt directs Codex CLI to gather retry evidence before proposing a fix for restart failures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn shortcuts & usage?
Read the shortcuts docs
Need assistance with Codex (OpenAI)?
Contact help & support
Write better with AI
Enhance any text you select in any app on desktop, in browsers, in your editor or terminals.
Download PromptDC