Codex

codex_local runs OpenAI's Codex CLI on the same machine as Paperclip. Use it when you want a local coding agent with persistent session state, managed CODEX_HOME, and Paperclip skills injected into the Codex skills directory.

When To Use

• You already use the Codex CLI on the host machine.
• You want session continuity across heartbeats.
• You want Paperclip to manage a per-company Codex home when possible.
• You want repo instructions, Paperclip instructions, and Codex's own runtime behavior to work together.

When Not To Use

• The runtime lives behind a webhook or remote API. Use HTTP.
• You only need a shell command or script. Use Process.
• Codex CLI is not installed or cannot be executed from the Paperclip host.

Common Fields

Note: Codex sends the prompt through stdin and uses codex exec --json. The adapter's environment test checks both the command and the auth path before you try to run a real heartbeat.

Models

Pick any of the known Codex model ids in the model field. The current options are:

• gpt-5.5
• gpt-5.4
• gpt-5.3-codex (the adapter default)
• gpt-5.3-codex-spark
• gpt-5
• o3
• o4-mini
• gpt-5-mini
• gpt-5-nano
• o3-mini
• codex-mini-latest

You can also type a model id that is not in this list. Anything Paperclip does not recognize is treated as a manual model id and passed straight through to the Codex CLI.

Tip: Leave model empty to let Codex choose. When no model is set, the adapter omits the --model flag entirely so the Codex CLI falls back to its own default model.

Session Persistence

Codex preserves the previous_response_id chain so heartbeats can continue the same conversation instead of starting fresh each time.

The session codec also preserves these location hints when present:

• cwd
• workspaceId
• repoUrl
• repoRef

If the working directory changes, the adapter starts a fresh session instead of reusing the old response chain.

Skills Injection

Codex injects Paperclip skills into the effective CODEX_HOME/skills directory.

In the default managed-home mode, Paperclip uses a per-company Codex home under the active Paperclip instance and seeds it from the shared Codex home for auth continuity.

When Paperclip runs inside a managed worktree instance, that Codex home is worktree-isolated so sessions, logs, and skills do not leak across checkouts.

For manual local CLI use outside Paperclip, run:

pnpm paperclipai agent local-cli codexcoder --company-id <company-id>

That command installs missing skills, creates an agent API key, and prints shell exports you can use to run Codex as that agent.

Instructions File

If you set instructionsFilePath, Paperclip reads that file and prepends it to the stdin prompt sent to codex exec on every run.

That is separate from Codex's own repo instruction discovery. If the working directory contains an AGENTS.md, Codex can still load it as part of its normal behavior.

Tip: Use instructionsFilePath for Paperclip-managed instructions. Use repo-local instruction files when you want Codex to pick them up naturally from the workspace.

Authentication And Per-Agent Homes

Each codex_local agent runs against its own managed Codex home, so one agent can never spend against another agent's login or share its Codex state. Because that home starts empty, Paperclip seeds credentials into it for you before launching Codex:

• You inherit the host Codex login by default. If you are already signed in to Codex on the Paperclip host (a ChatGPT-subscription login), Paperclip links that login into the agent's managed home automatically. You do not have to log in again per company or per agent.
• A per-agent API key wins when you set one. If the agent's env carries an OPENAI_API_KEY, Paperclip writes that key into the managed home as API-key auth instead of borrowing the host login.
• Your own CODEX_HOME is left alone. If you point the adapter at a CODEX_HOME outside Paperclip's managed company tree, Paperclip treats it as self-managed and never seeds or overwrites it.
• No silent credential-less runs. If a managed home ends up with no usable login and no configured API key, the run fails fast with a clear adapter error instead of starting Codex and hitting a 401 from the provider.

Environment Test

The Test Environment button checks:

• Codex CLI is installed and executable.
• The working directory is absolute and usable.
• Authentication is ready through OPENAI_API_KEY or Codex's own login state.
• The hello probe can run codex exec --json - with the prompt Respond with hello.

If the probe fails, fix the command or auth path before saving the adapter.

Custom Providers And Gateways

Codex has no CLI flag or env var for pointing at a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Custom endpoints live as [model_providers.<id>] tables in $CODEX_HOME/config.toml. To route Codex at your own gateway or provider without hand-editing that file, set the PAPERCLIP_CODEX_PROVIDERS environment variable on the Paperclip host.

PAPERCLIP_CODEX_PROVIDERS is a JSON object that maps onto Codex's config.toml schema:

{
  "providers": {
    "my-gateway": {
      "name": "My gateway",
      "base_url": "https://gateway.example.com/v1",
      "env_key": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
      "wire_api": "responses"
    }
  },
  "model_provider": "my-gateway"
}

• Each key under providers becomes a [model_providers.<id>] table. Common fields are name (optional display name), base_url (the OpenAI-compatible endpoint), env_key (the env var Codex reads the bearer key from at request time), and wire_api (the protocol Codex speaks to the provider). Any other field Codex supports is passed through too, including query_params, http_headers, env_http_headers, and request_max_retries.
• model_provider is optional. When set, it selects the top-level provider and must match one of your providers entries. The model field then picks the model within that provider.
• String values may use {env:VAR} placeholders. Paperclip expands them server-side against the run env and process.env, which is handy for fields that must carry a literal value such as http_headers. Prefer Codex's own env_key indirection for the bearer key. Unresolvable placeholders are left intact.

Paperclip writes these definitions into a managed region of the per-company managed Codex home's config.toml, delimited by # >>> paperclip codex providers ... managed, do not edit >>> marker comments. Your existing config is preserved, conflicting definitions are excised so the managed ones win, and the original file is restored after the run.

Note: This merge only happens for the managed Codex home. If your adapter config explicitly sets env.CODEX_HOME, Paperclip leaves that user-managed home untouched and surfaces a note instead of merging.

Example

{
  "adapterType": "codex_local",
  "adapterConfig": {
    "cwd": "/Users/me/projects/paperclip-workspace",
    "model": "gpt-5.3-codex",
    "instructionsFilePath": "/Users/me/projects/paperclip-workspace/INSTRUCTIONS.md",
    "modelReasoningEffort": "medium",
    "search": false,
    "dangerouslyBypassApprovalsAndSandbox": true,
    "env": {
      "OPENAI_API_KEY": {
        "type": "secret_ref",
        "secretId": "secret-id",
        "version": "latest"
      }
    },
    "timeoutSec": 300,
    "graceSec": 15
  }
}

Next Steps

• Creating an Adapter
• Adapter UI Parser Contract
• External Adapters