Your First Read-Only Project in Codex

OpenAI’s current quickstart covers client and account setup; Codex CLI has a separate official entry point. Available surfaces and setup can vary. Use the current official instructions for your chosen client rather than treating a copied terminal command as universal installation advice.

Use a project you own or may inspect. Know whether you are opening local files or a configured hosted repository. Note the current directory, branch if applicable, and existing changes. Do not include real customer messages in the sample.

Request: “Inspect the project without editing, installing, committing, or deploying. Find the contact form source and the documented checks. Explain how you identified them. If you cannot access the files, say so rather than inventing their structure.” The deliverable is an inventory, not a redesign.

1. Follow the official setup path for the client you intend to use. Handle account authentication yourself.
2. Open the intended project and inspect its local guidance. Confirm which environment holds the working files.
3. Submit the read-only request and review any approval request before allowing an action.
4. Open one reported source file and compare the description with the real markup. Record unknown setup details for later.

Expect actual paths, a short explanation of the form flow, and a documented verification route or an honest unknown. The first session is successful if it establishes trustworthy project context with no modifications.

Stop if the worker sees a different checkout, requests production secrets, or claims to have inspected files it cannot access. Correct the environment or provide a sanitized excerpt instead of asking it to infer the missing repository.

• Do the paths and branch match your intended project?
• Are suggested actions clearly separate from executed ones?
• Did the read-only session leave the existing changes intact?