ECC for Codex CLI

This supplements the root AGENTS.md with Codex-specific guidance.

Model Recommendations

Task Type	Recommended Model
Routine coding, tests, formatting	GPT 5.4
Complex features, architecture	GPT 5.4
Debugging, refactoring	GPT 5.4
Security review	GPT 5.4

Skills Discovery

Skills are auto-loaded from .agents/skills/. Each skill contains:

SKILL.md — Detailed instructions and workflow
agents/openai.yaml — Codex interface metadata

Available skills:

tdd-workflow — Test-driven development with 80%+ coverage
security-review — Comprehensive security checklist
coding-standards — Universal coding standards
frontend-patterns — React/Next.js patterns
frontend-slides — Viewport-safe HTML presentations and PPTX-to-web conversion
article-writing — Long-form writing from notes and voice references
content-engine — Platform-native social content and repurposing
market-research — Source-attributed market and competitor research
investor-materials — Decks, memos, models, and one-pagers
investor-outreach — Personalized investor outreach and follow-ups
backend-patterns — API design, database, caching
e2e-testing — Playwright E2E tests
eval-harness — Eval-driven development
strategic-compact — Context management
api-design — REST API design patterns
verification-loop — Build, test, lint, typecheck, security
deep-research — Multi-source research with firecrawl and exa MCPs
exa-search — Neural search via Exa MCP for web, code, and companies
claude-api — Anthropic Claude API patterns and SDKs
x-api — X/Twitter API integration for posting, threads, and analytics
crosspost — Multi-platform content distribution
fal-ai-media — AI image/video/audio generation via fal.ai
dmux-workflows — Multi-agent orchestration with dmux

MCP Servers

Treat the project-local .codex/config.toml as the default Codex baseline for ECC. The current ECC baseline enables GitHub, Context7, Exa, Memory, Playwright, and Sequential Thinking; add heavier extras in ~/.codex/config.toml only when a task actually needs them.

ECC's canonical Codex section name is [mcp_servers.context7]. The launcher package remains @upstash/context7-mcp; only the TOML section name is normalized for consistency with codex mcp list and the reference config.

Automatic config.toml merging

The sync script (scripts/sync-ecc-to-codex.sh) uses a Node-based TOML parser to safely merge ECC MCP servers into ~/.codex/config.toml:

Add-only by default — missing ECC servers are appended; existing servers are never modified or removed.
7 managed servers — Supabase, Playwright, Context7, Exa, GitHub, Memory, Sequential Thinking.
Canonical naming — ECC manages Context7 as [mcp_servers.context7]; legacy [mcp_servers.context7-mcp] entries are treated as aliases during updates.
Package-manager aware — uses the project's configured package manager (npm/pnpm/yarn/bun) instead of hardcoding pnpm.
Drift warnings — if an existing server's config differs from the ECC recommendation, the script logs a warning.
--update-mcp — explicitly replaces all ECC-managed servers with the latest recommended config (safely removes subtables like [mcp_servers.supabase.env]).
User config is always preserved — custom servers, args, env vars, and credentials outside ECC-managed sections are never touched.

External Action Boundaries

Treat networked tools as read-only by default. Search, inspect, and draft freely within the user's requested scope, but require explicit user approval before posting, publishing, pushing, merging, opening paid jobs, dispatching remote agents, changing third-party resources, or modifying credentials.

When approval is ambiguous, produce a local plan or draft artifact instead of taking the external action. Preserve user config and private state unless the user specifically asks for a scoped change.

Multi-Agent Support

Codex now supports multi-agent workflows behind the experimental features.multi_agent flag.

Enable it in .codex/config.toml with [features] multi_agent = true
Define project-local roles under [agents.<name>]
Point each role at a TOML layer under .codex/agents/
Use /agent inside Codex CLI to inspect and steer child agents

Sample role configs in this repo:

.codex/agents/explorer.toml — read-only evidence gathering
.codex/agents/reviewer.toml — correctness/security review
.codex/agents/docs-researcher.toml — API and release-note verification

Key Differences from Claude Code

Feature	Claude Code	Codex CLI
Hooks	8+ event types	Not yet supported
Context file	CLAUDE.md + AGENTS.md	AGENTS.md only
Skills	Skills loaded via plugin	`.agents/skills/` directory
Commands	`/slash` commands	Instruction-based
Agents	Subagent Task tool	Multi-agent via `/agent` and `[agents.<name>]` roles
Security	Hook-based enforcement	Instruction + sandbox
MCP	Full support	Supported via `config.toml` and `codex mcp add`

Security Without Hooks

Since Codex lacks hooks, security enforcement is instruction-based:

Always validate inputs at system boundaries
Never hardcode secrets — use environment variables
Run npm audit / pip audit before committing
Review git diff before every push
Use sandbox_mode = "workspace-write" in config

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