plugins.md +119 −0 added
1# Plugins
2
3## Overview
4
5Plugins bundle skills, app integrations, and MCP servers into reusable
6workflows for Codex.
7
8Extend what Codex can do, for example:
9
10- Install the Gmail plugin to let Codex read and manage Gmail.
11- Install the Google Drive plugin to work across Drive, Docs, Sheets, and
12 Slides.
13- Install the Slack plugin to summarize channels or draft replies.
14
15A plugin can contain:
16
17- **Skills:** reusable instructions for specific kinds of work. Codex can load
18 them when needed so it follows the right steps and uses the right references
19 or helper scripts for a task.
20- **Apps:** connections to tools like GitHub, Slack, or Google Drive, so
21 Codex can read information from those tools and take actions in them.
22- **MCP servers:** services that give Codex access to additional tools or
23 shared information, often from systems outside your local project.
24
25More plugin capabilities are coming soon.
26
27## Use and install plugins
28
29### Plugin Directory in the Codex app
30
31Open **Plugins** in the Codex app to browse and install curated plugins.
32
33
34
35### Plugin directory in the CLI
36
37In Codex CLI, run the following command to open the plugins list:
38
39```text
40codex
41/plugins
42```
43
44
45
46The CLI plugin browser groups plugins by marketplace. Use the marketplace tabs
47to switch sources, open a plugin to inspect details, install or uninstall
48marketplace entries, and press <kbd>Space</kbd> on an installed plugin to toggle
49its enabled state.
50
51### Install and use a plugin
52
53Once you open the plugin directory:
54
551. Search or browse for a plugin, then open its details.
562. Select the install button. In the app, select the plus button or
57 **Add to Codex**. In the CLI, select `Install plugin`.
583. If the plugin needs an external app, connect it when prompted. Some plugins
59 ask you to authenticate during install. Others wait until the first time you
60 use them.
614. After installation, start a new thread and ask Codex to use the plugin.
62
63After you install a plugin, you can use it directly in the prompt window:
64
65
66
67Describe the task directly
68
69 Ask for the outcome you want, such as "Summarize unread Gmail threads
70 from today" or "Pull the latest launch notes from Google Drive."
71
72 Use this when you want Codex to choose the right installed tools for the
73 task.
74
75Choose a specific plugin
76
77 Type <code>@</code> to invoke the plugin or one of its bundled skills
78 explicitly.
79
80 Use this when you want to be specific about which plugin or skill Codex
81should use. See [Codex app commands](https://developers.openai.com/codex/app/commands) and
82[Skills](https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills).
83
84### How permissions and data sharing work
85
86Installing a plugin makes its workflows available in Codex, but your existing
87[approval settings](https://developers.openai.com/codex/agent-approvals-security) still apply. Any
88connected external services remain subject to their own authentication,
89privacy, and data-sharing policies.
90
91- Bundled skills are available as soon as you install the plugin.
92- If a plugin includes apps, Codex may prompt you to install or sign in to
93 those apps in ChatGPT during setup or the first time you use them.
94- If a plugin includes MCP servers, they may require additional setup or
95 authentication before you can use them.
96- When Codex sends data through a bundled app, that app's terms and privacy
97 policy apply.
98
99### Remove or turn off a plugin
100
101To remove a plugin, reopen it from the plugin browser and select
102**Uninstall plugin**.
103
104Uninstalling a plugin removes the plugin bundle from Codex, but bundled apps
105stay installed until you manage them in ChatGPT.
106
107If you want to keep a plugin installed but turn it off, set its entry in
108`~/.codex/config.toml` to `enabled = false`, then restart Codex:
109
110```toml
111[plugins."gmail@openai-curated"]
112enabled = false
113```
114
115## Build your own plugin
116
117If you want to create, test, or distribute your own plugin, see
118[Build plugins](https://developers.openai.com/codex/plugins/build). That page covers local scaffolding,
119manual marketplace setup, plugin manifests, and packaging guidance.