Codex MCP Tool

Codex MCP Tool is an open‑source Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects your IDE or AI assistant (Claude, Cursor, etc.) to the Codex CLI. It enables non‑interactive automation with codex exec, safe sandboxed edits with approvals, and large‑scale code analysis via @ file references. Built for reliability and speed, it streams progress updates, supports structured change mode (OLD/NEW patch output), and integrates cleanly with standard MCP clients for code review, refactoring, documentation, and CI automation.

Latest Release (v1.2.4): Enhanced Windows compatibility - Now using cross-spawn for reliable npm global command execution across all platforms (Windows, macOS, Linux). See changelog

Ask Codex questions from your MCP client, or brainstorm ideas programmatically.

TLDR: + Codex CLI

Goal: Use Codex directly from your MCP-enabled editor to analyze and edit code efficiently.

Prerequisites

Before using this tool, ensure you have:

Node.js (v18.0.0 or higher)
Codex CLI installed and authenticated

✅ Cross-Platform Support: Fully tested and working on Windows, macOS, and Linux (v1.2.4+)

One-Line Setup

claude mcp add codex-cli -- npx -y @cexll/codex-mcp-server

Verify Installation

Type /mcp inside Claude Code to verify the Codex MCP is active.

Alternative: Import from Claude Desktop

If you already have it configured in Claude Desktop:

Add to your Claude Desktop config:

"codex-cli": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@cexll/codex-mcp-server"]
}

Import to Claude Code:

claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop

Configuration

For NPX Usage (Recommended)

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codex-cli": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@cexll/codex-mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

For Global Installation

If you installed globally, use this configuration instead:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codex-cli": {
      "command": "codex-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Configuration File Locations:

Claude Desktop:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

After updating the configuration, restart your terminal session.

Example Workflow

Natural language: "use codex to explain index.html", "understand this repo with @src", "look for vulnerabilities and suggest fixes"
Claude Code: Type /codex-cli to access the MCP server tools.

Usage Examples

Model Selection

// Use the default gpt-5-codex model
'explain the architecture of @src/';

// Use gpt-5 for fast general purpose reasoning
'use codex with model gpt-5 to analyze @config.json';

// Use o3 for deep reasoning tasks
'use codex with model o3 to analyze complex algorithm in @algorithm.py';

// Use o4-mini for quick tasks
'use codex with model o4-mini to add comments to @utils.js';

// Use codex-1 for software engineering
'use codex with model codex-1 to refactor @legacy-code.js';

With File References (using @ syntax)

ask codex to analyze @src/main.ts and explain what it does
use codex to summarize @. the current directory
analyze @package.json and list dependencies

General Questions (without files)

ask codex to explain div centering
ask codex about best practices for React development related to @src/components/Button.tsx

Brainstorming & Ideation

brainstorm ways to optimize our CI/CD pipeline using SCAMPER method
use codex to brainstorm 10 innovative features for our app with feasibility analysis
ask codex to generate product ideas for the healthcare domain with design-thinking approach

Codex Approvals & Sandbox

Codex CLI supports fine-grained control over permissions and approvals through sandbox modes and approval policies.

Understanding Parameters

The sandbox Parameter (Convenience Flag):

sandbox: true → Enables fullAuto mode (equivalent to fullAuto: true)
sandbox: false (default) → Does NOT disable sandboxing, just doesn't enable auto mode
Important: The sandbox parameter is a convenience flag, not a security control

Granular Control Parameters:

sandboxMode: Controls file system access level
approvalPolicy: Controls when user approval is required
fullAuto: Shorthand for sandboxMode: "workspace-write" + approvalPolicy: "on-failure"
yolo: ⚠️ Bypasses all safety checks (dangerous, not recommended)

Sandbox Modes

Mode	Description	Use Case
`read-only`	Analysis only, no file modifications	Code review, exploration, documentation reading
`workspace-write`	Can modify files in workspace	Most development tasks, refactoring, bug fixes
`danger-full-access`	Full system access including network	Advanced automation, CI/CD pipelines

Approval Policies

Policy	Description	When to Use
`never`	No approvals required	Fully trusted automation
`on-request`	Ask before every action	Maximum control, manual review
`on-failure`	Only ask when operations fail	Balanced automation (recommended)
`untrusted`	Maximum paranoia mode	Untrusted code or high-risk changes

Configuration Examples

Example 1: Balanced Automation (Recommended)

{
  "approvalPolicy": "on-failure",
  "sandboxMode": "workspace-write",  // Auto-set if omitted in v1.2+
  "model": "gpt-5-codex",
  "prompt": "refactor @src/utils for better performance"
}

Example 2: Quick Automation (Convenience Mode)

{
  "sandbox": true,  // Equivalent to fullAuto: true
  "model": "gpt-5-codex",
  "prompt": "fix type errors in @src/"
}

Example 3: Read-Only Analysis

{
  "sandboxMode": "read-only",
  "model": "gpt-5-codex",
  "prompt": "analyze @src/ and explain the architecture"
}

Smart Defaults (v1.2+)

Starting from version 1.2.0, the server automatically applies intelligent defaults to prevent permission errors:

✅ If approvalPolicy is set but sandboxMode is not → auto-sets sandboxMode: "workspace-write"
✅ If search: true or oss: true → auto-sets sandboxMode: "workspace-write" (for network access)
✅ All commands include --skip-git-repo-check to prevent errors in non-git environments

Troubleshooting Permission Errors

If you encounter ❌ Permission Error: Operation blocked by sandbox policy:

Check 1: Verify sandboxMode

# Ensure you're not using read-only mode for write operations
{
  "sandboxMode": "workspace-write",  // Not "read-only"
  "approvalPolicy": "on-failure"
}

Check 2: Use convenience flags

# Let the server handle defaults
{
  "sandbox": true,  // Simple automation
  "prompt": "your task"
}

Check 3: Update to latest version

# v1.2+ includes smart defaults to prevent permission errors
npm install -g @cexll/codex-mcp-server@latest

Common Issues

Issue 1: MCP Tool Timeout Error

If you encounter timeout errors when using Codex MCP tools:

# Set the MCP tool timeout environment variable (in milliseconds)
export MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=36000000  # 10 hours

# For Windows (PowerShell):
$env:MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=36000000

# For Windows (CMD):
set MCP_TOOL_TIMEOUT=36000000

Add this to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or PowerShell profile) to make it permanent.

Issue 2: Codex Cannot Write Files

If Codex responds with permission errors like "Operation blocked by sandbox policy" or "rejected by user approval settings", configure your Codex CLI settings:

Create or edit ~/.codex/config.toml:

# Dynamically generated Codex configuration
model = "gpt-5-codex"
model_reasoning_effort = "high"
model_reasoning_summary = "detailed"
approval_policy = "never"
sandbox_mode = "danger-full-access"
disable_response_storage = true
network_access = true

⚠️ Security Warning: The danger-full-access mode grants Codex full file system access. Only use this configuration in trusted environments and for tasks you fully understand.

Configuration File Locations:

macOS/Linux: ~/.codex/config.toml
Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.codex\config.toml

After updating the configuration, restart your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, etc.).

Basic Examples

use codex to create and run a Python script that processes data
ask codex to safely test @script.py and explain what it does

Default Behavior:

All codex exec commands automatically include --skip-git-repo-check to avoid unnecessary git repository checks, as not all execution environments are git repositories.
This prevents permission errors when running Codex in non-git directories or when git checks would interfere with automation.

Advanced Examples

// Using ask-codex with specific model
'ask codex using gpt-5 to refactor @utils/database.js for better performance';

// Brainstorming with constraints
"brainstorm solutions for reducing API latency with constraints: 'must use existing infrastructure, budget under $5k'";

// Change mode for structured edits
'use codex in change mode to update all console.log to use winston logger in @src/';

Tools (for the AI)

These tools are designed to be used by the AI assistant.

Core Tools

ask-codex: Sends a prompt to Codex via codex exec.
- Supports @ file references for including file content
- Optional model parameter - available models:
  - gpt-5-codex (default, optimized for coding)
  - gpt-5 (general purpose, fast reasoning)
  - o3 (smartest, deep reasoning)
  - o4-mini (fast & efficient)
  - codex-1 (o3-based for software engineering)
  - codex-mini-latest (low-latency code Q&A)
  - gpt-4.1 (also available)
- sandbox=true enables --full-auto mode
- changeMode=true returns structured OLD/NEW edits
- Supports approval policies and sandbox modes
- Automatically includes --skip-git-repo-check to prevent permission errors in non-git environments
brainstorm: Generate novel ideas with structured methodologies.
- Multiple frameworks: divergent, convergent, SCAMPER, design-thinking, lateral
- Domain-specific context (software, business, creative, research, product, marketing)
- Supports same models as ask-codex (default: gpt-5-codex)
- Configurable idea count and analysis depth
- Includes feasibility, impact, and innovation scoring
- Example: brainstorm prompt:"ways to improve code review process" domain:"software" methodology:"scamper"
ping: A simple test tool that echoes back a message.
- Use to verify MCP connection is working
- Example: /codex-cli:ping (MCP) "Hello from Codex MCP!"
help: Shows the Codex CLI help text and available commands.

Advanced Tools

fetch-chunk: Retrieves cached chunks from changeMode responses.
- Used for paginating large structured edit responses
- Requires cacheKey and chunkIndex parameters
timeout-test: Test tool for timeout prevention.
- Runs for a specified duration in milliseconds
- Useful for testing long-running operations

Slash Commands (for the User)

You can use these commands directly in Claude Code's interface (compatibility with other clients has not been tested).

/analyze: Analyzes files or directories using Codex, or asks general questions.
- prompt (required): The analysis prompt. Use @ syntax to include files (e.g., /analyze prompt:@src/ summarize this directory) or ask general questions (e.g., /analyze prompt:Please use a web search to find the latest news stories).
/sandbox: Safely tests code or scripts with Codex approval modes.
- prompt (required): Code testing request (e.g., /sandbox prompt:Create and run a Python script that processes CSV data or /sandbox prompt:@script.py Test this script safely).
/help: Displays the Codex CLI help information.
/ping: Tests the connection to the server.
- message (optional): A message to echo back.

Recent Updates

v1.2.4 (2025-10-27)

🔧 Major Improvement:

Windows Compatibility Enhancement: Replaced Node.js native spawn() with industry-standard cross-spawn package
- Root cause: Previous shell: true fix still failed on some Windows configurations
- Solution: Use cross-spawn (50M+ weekly downloads, used by Webpack/Jest) for automatic Windows .cmd handling
- Benefits:
  - Zero configuration required for Windows users
  - Automatic handling of .cmd, .ps1, and .exe extensions
  - Compatible with both CMD and PowerShell environments
  - <5ms performance overhead
- Dependencies: Added cross-spawn@^7.0.6 and @types/cross-spawn

🐛 Bug Fixes:

Enhanced ENOENT error diagnostics with Windows-specific 4-step troubleshooting guide
Added optional chaining for stdout/stderr to handle null values in TypeScript strict mode

📝 Documentation:

Added comprehensive Windows troubleshooting section in docs
Documented spawn codex ENOENT error resolution steps

v1.2.3 (2025-10-27)