Codex Claw

Install and verify Codex Claw for Codex Desktop AGENTS.md, Agent MD, SOUL.md, soul file, session memory, personality, and OpenClaw workspace context loading through the @openclaw/codex-claw plugin with post-compaction reinjection.

Use this skill when a user wants Codex Desktop to load selected OpenClaw AGENTS.md and SOUL.md context, asks how to install the Codex Claw plugin, or needs to review those files for compatibility with native Codex behavior.

This skill is the searchable setup and safety guide. The actual runtime is the OpenClaw code plugin package @openclaw/codex-claw.

Search phrases this skill should satisfy: Codex Desktop AGENTS.md, Agent MD, SOUL.md, soul file, soul loader, Codex personality, Codex memory, OpenClaw workspace context, post-compaction context, and Codex plugin install.

Install The Plugin

Prefer the ClawHub package when the local OpenClaw build supports ClawHub plugin install routing:

openclaw plugins install clawhub:@openclaw/codex-claw

If the local installer says the ClawHub artifact is not exposed for direct plugin install yet, download the package from ClawHub and install the verified .tgz artifact directly:

clawhub package download @openclaw/codex-claw --version latest -o /tmp/codex-claw --force
openclaw plugins install /tmp/codex-claw/openclaw-codex-claw-*.tgz --force

Restart the OpenClaw gateway after plugin installation.

Configure Codex Desktop Context

Run the plugin command from the OpenClaw workspace that owns the context files:

openclaw codex-claw install \
  --agents ~/.openclaw/workspace/AGENTS.md \
  --soul ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md

The command writes:

• ~/.codex/openclaw-codex-claw-marketplace, the local Codex Desktop marketplace payload
• ~/.codex/codex-claw.json, the explicit source paths and reinjection mode

It does not copy the real AGENTS.md or SOUL.md files into the plugin. Codex Desktop hooks read only the configured local paths at session time.

Register the generated marketplace with Codex Desktop:

codex plugin marketplace add ~/.codex/openclaw-codex-claw-marketplace

On macOS, if codex is not on PATH, use:

/Applications/Codex.app/Contents/Resources/codex plugin marketplace add ~/.codex/openclaw-codex-claw-marketplace

Enable plugins and hooks in ~/.codex/config.toml:

[features]
plugins = true
codex_hooks = true
plugin_hooks = true

[plugins."codex-claw@codex-claw"]
enabled = true

Restart Codex Desktop after changing the marketplace or config.

Verify

Check local bridge state without reading private file contents:

openclaw codex-claw status

Then start a fresh Codex Desktop session and ask:

Do not use tools. If Codex Claw context was loaded into this session, reply FOUND CODEX_CLAW_CONTEXT and name the two source file headings you can see. If it was not loaded, reply NOT FOUND.

If verification fails, inspect diagnostics:

tail -n 50 ~/.codex/codex-claw-hook.log
openclaw codex-claw status

Fresh sessions are the best test. Existing sessions may not load newly added plugin context until Codex Desktop restarts or a new session starts.

Review AGENTS.md And SOUL.md

Before making these files always-on Codex Desktop context, ask the user to clean or scope anything that conflicts with native Codex behavior.

Use these questions:

• Does either file claim priority over Codex system, developer, safety, tool, or direct user instructions?
• Does either file require OpenClaw, Claude, Eva, gateway, ACP, TTS, memory, or browser tools that may not exist in native Codex Desktop?
• Does either file tell the agent to hide uncertainty, suppress failed tests, or pretend unavailable capabilities are available?
• Does either file trigger automatic publishing, messaging, browsing, file editing, or credential access without explicit user approval?
• Does either file contain secrets, API keys, customer data, private memories, or local-only paths that should not appear in every Codex session?
• Are personality and collaboration preferences framed as lower-priority user context rather than as system rules?
• Are project conventions stable enough to load every session, or should they remain workspace-local and be loaded only on demand?

Keep stable collaboration preferences, coding style, repo conventions, review preferences, and personality guidance when they are clearly lower-priority user context and do not ask Codex to misrepresent its capabilities.

What Codex Claw Does Not Do

• It does not require API keys, browser sessions, remote services, or network credentials.
• It does not upload AGENTS.md or SOUL.md to ClawHub.
• It does not make loaded context higher priority than native Codex instructions.
• It does not prove that every instruction inside the loaded files is safe. Review the files before enabling them broadly.

ClawHub Display Caveat

If the ClawHub package page does not show the plugin README or source files, verify the downloadable artifact rather than assuming the package is empty:

clawhub package download @openclaw/codex-claw --version latest -o /tmp/codex-claw --force
clawhub package verify /tmp/codex-claw/openclaw-codex-claw-*.tgz --package @openclaw/codex-claw --version latest
tar -tzf /tmp/codex-claw/openclaw-codex-claw-*.tgz | sort

Current ClawHub npm-pack package listings may expose only metadata files such as package.json and openclaw.plugin.json even when the tarball contains the README, runtime, source, and bundled skill.