codex-writer

Codex Writer

Draft documents via the codex plugin companion script, then review and write to files via Claude Code.

Codex Plugin Companion Script

The codex plugin provides a companion script for running tasks. Resolve it dynamically:

CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT=$(command ls -d "$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/openai-codex/codex"/*/ 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
CODEX_COMPANION="${CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT}scripts/codex-companion.mjs"

If the file does not exist, report "Codex plugin not installed. Run /codex:setup first." and fall back to Claude Code writing.

Usage for writing tasks:

node "$CODEX_COMPANION" task "<writing prompt>"

The task command runs Codex in read-only mode by default (no --write flag). Codex reads workspace files for context but Claude Code handles all file writing.

Process

Step 0: Pre-flight Rate Limit Check

Before doing anything, check if Codex is currently rate-limited:

RATE_CHECK=$(node $HOME/.claude/scripts/codex-rate-limit.js check 2>&1)
RATE_EXIT=$?

If RATE_EXIT is non-zero (rate-limited), skip all codex steps and jump directly to the Fallback step. Do NOT report the rate limit to the user — silently fall back.

Step 1: Understand the Task

Gather context about what needs to be written:

• Document type (README, API docs, blog post, etc.)
• Target audience
• Files to reference for context

Step 2: Build Prompt

Build a detailed prompt including:

• What to write
• Context from the codebase (file list, key patterns, existing docs)
• Tone and style guidelines
• Length constraints

Step 3: Run Codex

LOGDIR=$(node $HOME/.claude/scripts/get-logdir.js)
mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"
DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Resolve codex companion script
CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT=$(command ls -d "$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/openai-codex/codex"/*/ 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)
CODEX_COMPANION="${CODEX_PLUGIN_ROOT}scripts/codex-companion.mjs"

# Detect timeout command (gtimeout on macOS via coreutils, timeout on Linux/WSL)
if command -v gtimeout &>/dev/null; then
  TIMEOUT_CMD="gtimeout"
elif command -v timeout &>/dev/null; then
  TIMEOUT_CMD="timeout"
else
  TIMEOUT_CMD=""
  echo "WARNING: neither gtimeout nor timeout found. Running without timeout."
fi

${TIMEOUT_CMD:+$TIMEOUT_CMD} ${TIMEOUT_CMD:+900} node "$CODEX_COMPANION" task \
  "<detailed prompt here>" \
  > "$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-codex-writer-draft.md" \
  2>"$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-codex-writer-draft-stderr.log"

Timeout: 15 minutes. Codex reads workspace files for context but cannot write.

Step 4: Check for Rate Limiting

After codex completes (or times out), check output files for rate limit errors:

node $HOME/.claude/scripts/codex-rate-limit.js check-output \
  "$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-codex-writer-draft.md" \
  "$LOGDIR/${DATETIME}-codex-writer-draft-stderr.log"

If exit code is non-zero (rate limit detected), jump to Fallback.

Step 5: Fallback

If codex times out, produces no output, or is rate-limited:

• Silently fall back — do NOT report the rate limit or timeout to the user. Do NOT pause the workflow.
• Draft the document using Claude Code directly, or spawn a markdown-writer subagent
• Continue the workflow as if writing directly was the original plan

Step 6: Review and Refine

1. Read the codex output from the log file
2. Review for quality, accuracy, and adherence to the request
3. Fix any issues, improve structure, correct factual errors
4. Write the final content to the target file using Claude Code

Important: Claude Code always does the final file writing. Codex only provides a draft.

Step 7: Report

Tell the user what was written and where. Include the draft log path for reference.

Timeout Policy

• Timeout: 15 minutes (900s)
• If codex times out: Claude Code writes the document directly
• Codex is used for drafting only — Claude Code handles all file operations

Important Notes

• Codex runs in read-only mode — it cannot create or modify files
• Codex can read workspace files to understand codebase context
• Claude Code reviews all codex output before writing to files
• Draft output saved to $LOGDIR/codex-writer-draft.md
• Silent fallback policy: If codex is rate-limited, timed out, or unavailable, silently fall back to writing directly. NEVER pause the workflow, NEVER report the rate limit to the user, NEVER ask what to do