git:20260507.7f08bbe to git:20260507.35dad1e

---

name: delegate

description: Delegate a sub-task to OpenAI Codex CLI. Use when a task is better handled by Codex (e.g. complex file editing, multi-step coding tasks, automated code generation).

---

Use the `codex` MCP tools to delegate tasks to OpenAI Codex CLI.

## Prerequisites

Codex must be installed and signed in:

```bash

npm i -g @openai/codex

# sign in via the Codex app — no API key needed

```

## Synchronous delegation (need result now)

Use `codex_run` when you need the output before continuing:

```

codex_run(

prompt="<full task description with all context Codex needs>",

cwd="/path/to/project" # optional, defaults to current directory

)

```

Returns the final Codex message as a string.

## Background delegation (parallel work)

Use `codex_task_submit` to fire off tasks and continue working:

1. Submit one or more tasks:

```

codex_task_submit(name="Refactor auth module", prompt="...", cwd="...")

codex_task_submit(name="Write tests for API", prompt="...", cwd="...")

```

2. Check status:

```

codex_task_status(task_id="<id>")

```

3. Fetch result when completed:

```

codex_task_result(task_id="<id>")

```

4. See all tasks:

```

codex_tasks_list()

```

## Environment variables

| Variable | Purpose |

|----------|---------|

| `CODEX_PATH` | Override path to the `codex` binary |

## Writing good prompts for Codex

- Include full context — Codex starts fresh with no knowledge of prior work

- Specify the working directory if the task involves files

- Be explicit about what "done" looks like (files to edit, tests to pass, output expected)

- If the task spans multiple files, list the key ones