plugins.md +118 −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, and press `Space`
48on an installed plugin to toggle its enabled state.
49
50### Install and use a plugin
51
52Once you open the plugin directory:
53
541. Search or browse for a plugin, then open its details.
552. Select the install button. In the app, select the plus button or
56 **Add to Codex**. In the CLI, select `Install plugin`.
573. If the plugin needs an external app, connect it when prompted. Some plugins
58 ask you to authenticate during install. Others wait until the first time you
59 use them.
604. After installation, start a new thread and ask Codex to use the plugin.
61
62After you install a plugin, you can use it directly in the prompt window:
63
64
65
66Describe the task directly
67
68 Ask for the outcome you want, such as "Summarize unread Gmail threads
69 from today" or "Pull the latest launch notes from Google Drive."
70
71 Use this when you want Codex to choose the right installed tools for the
72 task.
73
74Choose a specific plugin
75
76 Type <code>@</code> to invoke the plugin or one of its bundled skills
77 explicitly.
78
79 Use this when you want to be specific about which plugin or skill Codex
80should use. See [Codex app commands](https://developers.openai.com/codex/app/commands) and
81[Skills](https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills).
82
83### How permissions and data sharing work
84
85Installing a plugin makes its workflows available in Codex, but your existing
86[approval settings](https://developers.openai.com/codex/agent-approvals-security) still apply. Any
87connected external services remain subject to their own authentication,
88privacy, and data-sharing policies.
89
90- Bundled skills are available as soon as you install the plugin.
91- If a plugin includes apps, Codex may prompt you to install or sign in to
92 those apps in ChatGPT during setup or the first time you use them.
93- If a plugin includes MCP servers, they may require additional setup or
94 authentication before you can use them.
95- When Codex sends data through a bundled app, that app's terms and privacy
96 policy apply.
97
98### Remove or turn off a plugin
99
100To remove a plugin, reopen it from the plugin browser and select
101**Uninstall plugin**.
102
103Uninstalling a plugin removes the plugin bundle from Codex, but bundled apps
104stay installed until you manage them in ChatGPT.
105
106If you want to keep a plugin installed but turn it off, set its entry in
107`~/.codex/config.toml` to `enabled = false`, then restart Codex:
108
109```toml
110[plugins."gmail@openai-curated"]
111enabled = false
112```
113
114## Build your own plugin
115
116If you want to create, test, or distribute your own plugin, see
117[Build plugins](https://developers.openai.com/codex/plugins/build). That page covers local scaffolding,
118manual marketplace setup, plugin manifests, and packaging guidance.