coding-agent

Delegate coding tasks to Codex, Claude Code, or Pi agents via background process. Use when: (1) building/creating new features or apps, (2) reviewing PRs (spawn in temp dir), (3) refactoring large codebases, (4) iterative coding that needs file exploration. NOT for: simple one-liner fixes (just edit), reading code (use read tool), thread-bound ACP harness requests in chat (use sessions_spawn with runtime:"acp"), or any work in the OpenClaw workspace (never spawn agents here). Claude Code: use --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions (no PTY). Codex/Pi/OpenCode: pty:true required.

Use bash (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work.

PTY: Codex/Pi/OpenCode yes, Claude Code no

For Codex, Pi, and OpenCode, PTY is required (interactive terminal apps):

bash

# Codex/Pi/OpenCode
bash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"

For Claude Code (claude CLI), use --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions instead. --print mode keeps full tool access and avoids interactive confirmation:

bash

# Claude Code (no PTY needed)
cd /path/to/project && claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'

# Background execution: use background:true on the exec tool

Bash Tool Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
command	string	The shell command to run
pty	boolean	Allocates a pseudo-terminal for interactive CLIs (required for Codex/Pi)
workdir	string	Working directory (agent sees only this folder's context)
background	boolean	Run in background, returns sessionId for monitoring
timeout	number	Timeout in seconds (kills process on expiry)
elevated	boolean	Run on host instead of sandbox (if allowed)

Process Tool Actions

Action	Description
list	List all running/recent sessions
poll	Check if session is still running
log	Get session output (with optional offset/limit)
write	Send raw data to stdin
submit	Send data + newline (like typing and pressing Enter)
send-keys	Send key tokens or hex bytes
paste	Paste text (with optional bracketed mode)
kill	Terminate the session

---

Quick Start: One-Shot Tasks

bash

# Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!)
SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here"

# In a real project
bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'"

Why git init? Codex refuses to run outside a trusted git directory. A temp repo solves this for scratch work.

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The Pattern: workdir + background + pty

For longer tasks, use background mode:

bash

# Start agent in target directory
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a snake game'"
# Returns sessionId for tracking

# Monitor progress
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Check if done
process action:poll sessionId:XXX

# Send input (if agent asks a question)
process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"

# Kill if needed
process action:kill sessionId:XXX

Why workdir matters: Agent wakes up in a focused directory and doesn't wander off reading unrelated files.

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Codex CLI

Preferred agent for single tasks. Pass the requirements clearly — Codex handles execution well.

Flags

Flag	Effect
exec "prompt"	One-shot execution, exits when done
--full-auto	Sandboxed but auto-approves in workspace
--yolo	No sandbox, no approvals (fastest, most dangerous)

Building/Creating

bash

# Quick one-shot
bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'"

# Background for longer work
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Refactor the auth module'"

Reviewing PRs

Never review PRs in the OpenClaw workspace or the live project folder. Clone to temp or use git worktree.

bash

# Clone to temp for safe review
REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIR
cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130
bash pty:true workdir:$REVIEW_DIR command:"codex review --base origin/main"
# Clean up after: trash $REVIEW_DIR

# Or use git worktree (keeps main intact)
git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branch
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review --base main"

Batch PR Reviews (parallel)

bash

# Fetch all PR refs
git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*'

# One Codex per PR
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"

# Monitor all
process action:list

# Post results
gh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"

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OpenCode

bash

bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'"

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Claude Code

No PTY required. Use when explicitly requested or for tasks that benefit from tighter integration.

bash

# Foreground
bash workdir:~/project command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"

# Background
bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"

---

Pi

bash

bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'"

# Non-interactive mode
bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'"

# Different provider/model
bash pty:true command:"pi --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini -p 'Your task'"

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Parallel Issue Fixing with git worktrees

bash

# Create worktrees for each issue
git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main
git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main

# Launch agents in parallel
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'"
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99. Implement only the in-scope edits and commit after review.'"

# Monitor
process action:list
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Create PRs
cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78
gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..."

# Cleanup
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99

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Rules

1. Right execution mode per agent: Claude Code uses --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions (no PTY); Codex/Pi/OpenCode use pty:true
2. Respect tool choice — if the user asks for a specific agent, use it; don't silently substitute
3. Orchestrator mode — do not hand-code patches yourself when the task is delegated to an agent
4. Be patient — don't kill sessions just because they're slow; check with process:log first
5. Parallel is fine — run multiple agents at once for batch work
6. Never start agents in the OpenClaw workspace — they'll read soul docs and get confused about who's in charge
7. Never checkout branches in the live OpenClaw project folder — that's the running instance

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Progress Updates

Keep the user in the loop without flooding them.

• One short message when you start: what's running and where
• Update again only when something changes: milestone done, agent needs input, error, or finished
• If you kill a session, say so immediately and explain why

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Auto-Notify on Completion

For long-running background tasks, append a wake trigger to the prompt so Miki gets notified immediately when the agent finishes:

text

... your task here.

When completely finished, run:
openclaw system event --text "Done: [brief summary]" --mode now

Example:

bash

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos.

When completely finished, run: openclaw system event --text \"Done: Built todos REST API\" --mode now'"

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Notes

• PTY is essential for Codex/Pi/OpenCode — without it, output breaks or the agent hangs
• Git repo required for Codex — use mktemp -d && git init for scratch work
• exec is clean — codex exec "prompt" runs and exits, perfect for one-shots
• submit vs write — submit sends input + Enter; write sends raw data without newline