---
summary: "Configuration, auth, discovery, and app-server reference for the Codex harness"
title: "Codex harness reference"
read_when:
  - You need every Codex harness config field
  - You are changing app-server transport, auth, discovery, or timeout behavior
  - You are debugging Codex harness startup, model discovery, or environment isolation
---

This reference covers the detailed configuration for the bundled `codex`
plugin. For setup and routing decisions, start with
[Codex harness](/plugins/codex-harness).

## Plugin config surface

All Codex harness settings live under `plugins.entries.codex.config`.

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          discovery: {
            enabled: true,
            timeoutMs: 2500,
          },
          appServer: {
            mode: "guardian",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Supported top-level fields:

| Field                      | Default                  | Meaning                                                                                                                                   |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `discovery`                | enabled                  | Model discovery settings for Codex app-server `model/list`.                                                                               |
| `appServer`                | managed stdio app-server | Transport, command, auth, approval, sandbox, and timeout settings.                                                                        |
| `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. See [Native Codex plugins](/plugins/codex-native-plugins). |
| `computerUse`              | disabled                 | Codex Computer Use setup. See [Codex Computer Use](/plugins/codex-computer-use).                                                          |

## App-server transport

By default, OpenClaw starts the managed Codex binary shipped with the bundled
plugin:

```bash
codex app-server --listen stdio://
```

This keeps the app-server version tied to the bundled `codex` plugin instead of
whichever separate Codex CLI happens to be installed locally. Set
`appServer.command` only when you intentionally want to run a different
executable.

For an already-running app-server, use WebSocket transport:

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            transport: "websocket",
            url: "ws://gateway-host:39175",
            authToken: "${CODEX_APP_SERVER_TOKEN}",
            requestTimeoutMs: 60000,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Supported `appServer` fields:

| Field                                         | Default                                                | Meaning                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `transport`                                   | `"stdio"`                                              | `"stdio"` spawns Codex; `"websocket"` connects to `url`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| `command`                                     | managed Codex binary                                   | Executable for stdio transport. Leave unset to use the managed binary.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| `args`                                        | `["app-server", "--listen", "stdio://"]`               | Arguments for stdio transport.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| `url`                                         | unset                                                  | WebSocket app-server URL.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| `authToken`                                   | unset                                                  | Bearer token for WebSocket transport.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| `headers`                                     | `{}`                                                   | Extra WebSocket headers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| `clearEnv`                                    | `[]`                                                   | Extra environment variable names removed from the spawned stdio app-server process after OpenClaw builds its inherited environment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| `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.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| `approvalPolicy`                              | `"never"` or an allowed guardian approval policy       | Native Codex approval policy sent to thread start, resume, and turn.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| `sandbox`                                     | `"danger-full-access"` or an allowed guardian sandbox  | Native Codex sandbox mode sent to thread start and resume. Active OpenClaw sandboxes narrow `danger-full-access` turns to Codex `workspace-write`; the turn network flag follows OpenClaw sandbox egress.                                                                                                                                                        |
| `approvalsReviewer`                           | `"user"` or an allowed guardian reviewer               | Use `"auto_review"` to let Codex review native approval prompts when allowed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| `defaultWorkspaceDir`                         | current process directory                              | Workspace used by `/codex bind` when `--cwd` is omitted.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| `serviceTier`                                 | unset                                                  | Optional Codex app-server service tier. `"priority"` enables fast-mode routing, `"flex"` requests flex processing, and `null` clears the override. Legacy `"fast"` is accepted as `"priority"`.                                                                                                                                                                  |
| `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.                                                                                                                                                                          |

The plugin blocks older or unversioned app-server handshakes. Codex app-server
must report stable version `0.125.0` or newer.

## Approval and sandbox modes

Local stdio app-server sessions default to YOLO mode:
`approvalPolicy: "never"`, `approvalsReviewer: "user"`, and
`sandbox: "danger-full-access"`. This trusted local operator posture lets
unattended OpenClaw turns and heartbeats make progress without native approval
prompts that nobody is around to answer.

If Codex's local system requirements file disallows implicit YOLO approval,
reviewer, or sandbox values, OpenClaw treats the implicit default as guardian
instead and selects allowed guardian permissions. `tools.exec.mode: "auto"`
also forces guardian-reviewed Codex approvals and does not preserve unsafe
legacy `approvalPolicy: "never"` or `sandbox: "danger-full-access"` overrides;
set `tools.exec.mode: "full"` for an intentional no-approval posture.
Hostname-matching
`[[remote_sandbox_config]]` entries in the same requirements file are honored
for the sandbox default decision.

Set `appServer.mode: "guardian"` for Codex guardian-reviewed approvals:

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            mode: "guardian",
            serviceTier: "priority",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

The `guardian` preset expands to `approvalPolicy: "on-request"`,
`approvalsReviewer: "auto_review"`, and `sandbox: "workspace-write"` when those
values are allowed. Individual policy fields override `mode`. The older
`guardian_subagent` reviewer value is still accepted as a compatibility alias,
but new configs should use `auto_review`.

When an OpenClaw sandbox is active, the local Codex app-server process still
runs on the Gateway host. OpenClaw therefore disables Codex native Code Mode,
user MCP servers, and app-backed plugin execution for that turn instead of
treating Codex host-side sandboxing as equivalent to the OpenClaw sandbox
backend. Shell access is exposed through OpenClaw sandbox-backed dynamic tools
such as `sandbox_exec` and `sandbox_process` when the normal exec/process tools
are available.

On Ubuntu/AppArmor hosts, Codex bwrap can fail under `workspace-write` before
the shell command starts when you intentionally run native Codex
`workspace-write` without active OpenClaw sandboxing. If you see
`bwrap: setting up uid map: Permission denied` or
`bwrap: loopback: Failed RTM_NEWADDR: Operation not permitted`, run
`openclaw doctor` and fix the reported host namespace policy for the OpenClaw
service user rather than granting broader Docker container privileges. Prefer
a scoped AppArmor profile for the service process; the
`kernel.apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_userns=0` fallback is host-wide and has
security tradeoffs.

## Sandboxed native execution

The stable default is fail-closed: active OpenClaw sandboxing disables native
Codex execution surfaces that would otherwise run from the Codex app-server
host. Use `appServer.experimental.sandboxExecServer: true` only when you want to
try Codex's remote environment support with OpenClaw's sandbox backend. This
preview path requires Codex app-server 0.132.0 or newer.

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          appServer: {
            experimental: {
              sandboxExecServer: true,
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

When the flag is on and the current OpenClaw session is sandboxed, OpenClaw
starts a local loopback exec-server backed by the active sandbox, registers it
with Codex app-server, and starts the Codex thread and turn with that
OpenClaw-owned environment. If the app-server cannot register the environment,
the run fails closed instead of silently falling back to host execution.

This preview path is local-only. A remote WebSocket app-server cannot reach the
loopback exec-server unless it is running on the same host, so OpenClaw rejects
that combination.

## Auth and environment isolation

Auth is selected in this order:

1. An explicit OpenClaw Codex auth profile for the agent.
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.

Stdio app-server launches inherit OpenClaw's process environment by default.
OpenClaw owns the Codex app-server account bridge and sets `CODEX_HOME` to a
per-agent directory under that agent's OpenClaw state. That keeps Codex config,
accounts, plugin cache/data, and thread state scoped to the OpenClaw agent
instead of leaking in from the operator's personal `~/.codex` home.

OpenClaw does not rewrite `HOME` for normal local app-server launches. Codex-run
subprocesses such as `openclaw`, `gh`, `git`, cloud CLIs, and shell commands see
the normal process home and can find user-home config and tokens. Codex may also
discover `$HOME/.agents/skills` and `$HOME/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json`;
that `.agents` discovery is intentionally shared with the operator home and is
separate from isolated `~/.codex` state.

OpenClaw plugins and OpenClaw skill snapshots still flow through OpenClaw's own
plugin registry and skill loader. Personal Codex `~/.codex` assets do not. If
you have useful Codex CLI skills or plugins from a Codex home that should become
part of an OpenClaw agent, inventory them explicitly:

```bash
openclaw migrate codex --dry-run
openclaw migrate apply codex --yes
```

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

```json5
{
  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 per-agent, and `HOME` stays inherited so
subprocesses can use normal user-home state.

## Dynamic tools

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`

Most remaining OpenClaw integration tools, such as messaging, media, cron,
browser, nodes, gateway, `heartbeat_respond`, and `web_search`, are available
through Codex tool search under the `openclaw` namespace. This keeps the initial
model context smaller. `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.

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.

## Timeouts

OpenClaw-owned dynamic tool calls are bounded independently from
`appServer.requestTimeoutMs`. Each Codex `item/tool/call` request uses the first
available timeout in this order:

- A positive per-call `timeoutMs` argument.
- For `image_generate`, `agents.defaults.imageGenerationModel.timeoutMs`.
- For `image_generate` without a configured timeout, the 120 second
  image-generation default.
- For the media-understanding `image` tool, `tools.media.image.timeoutSeconds`
  converted to milliseconds, or the 60 second media default. For image
  understanding, this applies to the request itself and is not reduced by
  earlier preparation work.
- The 90 second dynamic-tool default.

This watchdog is the outer dynamic `item/tool/call` budget. Provider-specific
request timeouts run inside that call and keep their own timeout semantics.
Dynamic tool budgets are capped at 600000 ms. 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`.

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 post-tool budget also extends the
progress watchdog for the silent synthesis window before Codex emits the next
current-turn event. 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. 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.

## Model discovery

By default, the Codex plugin asks the app-server for available models. Model
availability is owned by Codex app-server, so the list can change when OpenClaw
upgrades the bundled `@openai/codex` version or when a deployment points
`appServer.command` at a different Codex binary. Availability can also be
account-scoped. Use `/codex models` on a running gateway to see the live catalog
for that harness and account.

If discovery fails or times out, OpenClaw uses a bundled fallback catalog for:

- GPT-5.5
- GPT-5.4 mini
- GPT-5.2

The current bundled harness is `@openai/codex` `0.139.0`. A `model/list` probe
against that bundled app-server returned:

| Model id        | Default | Hidden | Input modalities | Reasoning efforts        |
| --------------- | ------- | ------ | ---------------- | ------------------------ |
| `gpt-5.5`       | Yes     | No     | text, image      | low, medium, high, xhigh |
| `gpt-5.4`       | No      | No     | text, image      | low, medium, high, xhigh |
| `gpt-5.4-mini`  | No      | No     | text, image      | low, medium, high, xhigh |
| `gpt-5.3-codex` | No      | No     | text, image      | low, medium, high, xhigh |
| `gpt-5.2`       | No      | No     | text, image      | low, medium, high, xhigh |

Hidden models can be returned by the app-server catalog for internal or
specialized flows, but they are not normal model-picker choices.

Tune discovery under `plugins.entries.codex.config.discovery`:

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          discovery: {
            enabled: true,
            timeoutMs: 2500,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Disable discovery when you want startup to avoid probing Codex and use only the
fallback catalog:

```json5
{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      codex: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          discovery: {
            enabled: false,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

## Workspace bootstrap files

Codex handles `AGENTS.md` itself through native project-doc discovery. OpenClaw
does not write synthetic Codex project-doc files or depend on Codex fallback
filenames for persona files, because Codex fallbacks only apply when
`AGENTS.md` is missing.

For OpenClaw workspace parity, the Codex harness resolves the other bootstrap
files. `SOUL.md`, `IDENTITY.md`, `TOOLS.md`, and `USER.md` are forwarded as
OpenClaw Codex developer instructions because they define the active agent,
available workspace guidance, and user profile. The compact OpenClaw skills
list is forwarded as turn-scoped collaboration developer instructions.
`HEARTBEAT.md` content is not injected; heartbeat turns get a collaboration-mode
pointer to read the file when it exists and is non-empty. `MEMORY.md` content
from the configured agent workspace is not pasted into native Codex turn input
when memory tools are available for that workspace; when it exists, the harness
adds a small workspace-memory pointer to turn-scoped collaboration developer
instructions and Codex should use `memory_search` or `memory_get` when durable
memory is relevant. If tools are disabled, memory search is unavailable, or the
active workspace differs from the agent memory workspace, `MEMORY.md` uses the
normal bounded turn-context path.
`BOOTSTRAP.md` when present is forwarded as OpenClaw turn input reference
context.

## Environment overrides

Environment overrides remain available for local testing:

- `OPENCLAW_CODEX_APP_SERVER_BIN`
- `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_BIN` bypasses the managed binary when
`appServer.command` is unset.

`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.

## Related

- [Codex harness](/plugins/codex-harness)
- [Codex harness runtime](/plugins/codex-harness-runtime)
- [Native Codex plugins](/plugins/codex-native-plugins)
- [Codex Computer Use](/plugins/codex-computer-use)
- [OpenAI provider](/providers/openai)
- [Configuration reference](/gateway/configuration-reference)
