use-cases/reusable-codex-skills.md +153 −0 added
1# Save workflows as skills | Codex use cases
2
3Codex use cases
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5
6
7
8
9Codex use case
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11# Save workflows as skills
12
13Create a skill Codex can keep on hand for work you repeat.
14
15Difficulty **Easy**
16
17Time horizon **5m**
18
19Turn a working Codex thread, review rules, test commands, release checklists, design conventions, writing examples, or repo-specific scripts into a skill Codex can use in future threads.
20
21## Best for
22
23 - Codified workflows you want Codex to use again.
24- Teams that want a reusable skill instead of a long prompt pasted into every thread.
25
26# Contents
27
28[← All use cases](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases)
29
30Copy page [Export as PDF](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/reusable-codex-skills/?export=pdf)
31
32Turn a working Codex thread, review rules, test commands, release checklists, design conventions, writing examples, or repo-specific scripts into a skill Codex can use in future threads.
33
34Easy
35
365m
37
38Related links
39
40[Agent skills](https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills)
41
42## Best for
43
44 - Codified workflows you want Codex to use again.
45- Teams that want a reusable skill instead of a long prompt pasted into every thread.
46
47## Skills & Plugins
48
49- [Skill Creator](https://github.com/openai/skills/tree/main/skills/.system/skill-creator)
50
51 Gather information about the workflow, scaffold a skill, keep the main instructions short, and validate the result.
52
53| Skill | Why use it |
54| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
55| [Skill Creator](https://github.com/openai/skills/tree/main/skills/.system/skill-creator) | Gather information about the workflow, scaffold a skill, keep the main instructions short, and validate the result. |
56
57## Starter prompt
58
59Use $skill-creator to create a Codex skill that [fixes failing Buildkite checks on a GitHub PR / turns PR notes into inline review comments / writes our release notes from merged PRs]
60 Use these sources when creating the skill:
61- Working example: [say "use this thread," link a merged PR, or paste a good Codex answer]
62- Source: [paste a Slack thread, PR review link, runbook URL, docs URL, or ticket]
63 - Repo: [repo path, if this skill depends on one repo]
64- Scripts or commands to reuse: [test command], [preview command], [log-fetch script], [release command]
65- Good output: [paste the Slack update, changelog entry, review comment, ticket, or final answer you want future threads to match]
66
67Use $skill-creator to create a Codex skill that [fixes failing Buildkite checks on a GitHub PR / turns PR notes into inline review comments / writes our release notes from merged PRs]
68 Use these sources when creating the skill:
69- Working example: [say "use this thread," link a merged PR, or paste a good Codex answer]
70- Source: [paste a Slack thread, PR review link, runbook URL, docs URL, or ticket]
71 - Repo: [repo path, if this skill depends on one repo]
72- Scripts or commands to reuse: [test command], [preview command], [log-fetch script], [release command]
73- Good output: [paste the Slack update, changelog entry, review comment, ticket, or final answer you want future threads to match]
74
75## Create a skill Codex can keep on hand
76
77Use skills to give Codex reusable instructions, resources, and scripts for work you repeat. A [skill](https://developers.openai.com/codex/skills) can preserve the thread, doc, command, or example that made Codex useful the first time.
78
79Start with one working example: a Codex thread that cherry-picked a PR, a release checklist from Notion, a set of useful PR comments, or a Slack thread explaining a launch process.
80
81## How to use
82
831. Add the context you want Codex to use.
84
85 Stay in the Codex thread you want to preserve, paste the Slack thread or docs link, and add the rule, command, or example Codex should remember.
862. Run the starter prompt.
87
88 The prompt names the skill you want, then gives `$skill-creator` the thread, doc, PR, command, or output to preserve.
893. Let Codex create and validate the skill.
90
91 The result should define the `$skill-name`, describe when it should trigger, and keep reusable instructions in the right place.
92
93 Skills in `~/.codex/skills` are available from any repo. Skills in the current repo can be committed so teammates can use them too.
944. Use the skill, then update it from the thread.
95
96 Invoke the new `$skill-name` on the next PR, alert, review, release note, or design task. If it uses the wrong test command, misses a review rule, skips a runbook step, or writes a draft you would not send, ask Codex to add that correction to the skill.
97
98## Provide source material
99
100Give `$skill-creator` the material that explains how the skill should work.
101
102| What you have | What to add |
103| ------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
104| **A workflow from a Codex thread that you want to preserve** | Stay in that thread and say `use this thread`. Codex can use the conversation, commands, edits, and feedback from that thread as the starting point. |
105| **Docs or a runbook** | Paste the release checklist, link the incident-response runbook, attach the API PDF, or point Codex at the markdown guide in your repo. |
106| **Team conversation** | Paste the Slack thread where someone explained an alert, link the PR review with frontend rules, or attach the support conversation that explains the customer problem. |
107| **Scripts or commands the skill should reuse** | Add the test command, preview command, release script, log-fetch script, or local helper command you want future Codex threads to run. |
108| **A good result** | Add the merged PR, final changelog entry, accepted launch note, resolved ticket, before/after screenshot, or final Codex answer you want future threads to match. |
109
110If the source is in Slack, Linear, GitHub, Notion, or Sentry, connect that tool in Codex with a [plugin](https://developers.openai.com/codex/plugins), mention it in the starter prompt, or paste the relevant part into the thread.
111
112## What Codex creates
113
114Most skills start as a `SKILL.md` file. `$skill-creator` can add longer references, scripts, or assets when the workflow needs them.
115
116- my-skill/
117
118 - SKILL.md Required: instructions and metadata
119 - references/ Optional: longer docs
120 - scripts/ Optional: repeatable commands
121 - assets/ Optional: templates and starter files
122
123## Skills you could create
124
125Use the same pattern when future threads should read the same runbook, run the same CLI, follow the same review rubric, write the same team update, or QA the same browser flow. For example:
126
127- **`$buildkite-fix-ci`** downloads failed job logs, diagnoses the error, and proposes the smallest code fix.
128- **`$fix-merge-conflicts`** checks out a GitHub PR, updates it against the base branch, resolves conflicts, and returns the exact push command.
129- **`$frontend-skill`** keeps Codex close to your UI taste, existing components, screenshot QA loop, asset choices, and browser polish pass.
130- **`$pr-review-comments`** turns review notes into concise inline comments with the right tone and GitHub links.
131- **`$web-game-prototyper`** scopes the first playable loop, chooses assets, tunes game feel, captures screenshots, and polishes in the browser.
132
133## Related use cases
134
135[
136
137### Create a CLI Codex can use
138
139Ask Codex to create a composable CLI it can run from any folder, combine with repo scripts...
140
141Engineering Code](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/agent-friendly-clis)[
142
143### Create browser-based games
144
145Use Codex to turn a game brief into first a well-defined plan, and then a real browser-based...
146
147Engineering Code](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/browser-games)[
148
149### Iterate on difficult problems
150
151Give Codex an evaluation system, such as scripts and reviewable artifacts, so it can keep...
152
153Engineering Analysis](https://developers.openai.com/codex/use-cases/iterate-on-difficult-problems)