@laowangbabababa: https://x.com/laowangbabababa/status/2074459150323769843

X AI KOLs Timeline Tools

Summary

The author details how to use OpenAI Codex, including registration, subscription, installation, and four usage methods (Web, Desktop App, CLI, IDE plugin), claiming it can help non-programmers automate work and earn 100k+ monthly.

https://t.co/25UV75OSNA
Original Article
View Cached Full Text

Cached at: 07/07/26, 05:35 PM

Open Source My Method to Make 10k+ Monthly with Codex (Detailed Tutorial)

Codex is the kind of thing that intuition tells you is for programmers. But the first people to master it were product managers, operations staff, social media bloggers, college students, and small business owners — few of them know how to code.

Because for a programmer, using it is going from 80 to 95 points. For someone who can’t code, it’s going from 0 points directly to 60. The sense of leap is completely different.

Huang Renxun put it more bluntly: An engineer making $500k a year who uses less than 250k tokens a year is abnormal. Tokens aren’t a cost; they are means of production. In the past, factories burned coal; today, knowledge workers burn compute. If you don’t use it, others will.

Stop treating AI as just a chatbot. ChatGPT chats with you; Codex works for you. Two different things.

I make over 10k monthly using Codex, and today I’m open-sourcing the entire method. From registration, installation, to page-by-page breakdown of every usage method, all with screenshots. No coding background required. Follow along and let AI start working for you.

1. What is Codex

Codex is an AI coding agent developed by OpenAI. Unlike regular ChatGPT conversations, Codex can directly create files, modify code, run commands, install dependencies, and deploy websites on your computer.

You state your requirements, it does the work, you review the results.

Here’s what you can do with Codex.

  • Develop websites: Help me build a personal blog with Next.js

  • Fix bugs: Why is this login API returning 500? Check it for me

  • Write scripts: Write a Python script to automatically scrape Weibo trending topics daily

  • Deploy: Deploy this project to Vercel

  • Refactor code: Convert this code from JavaScript to TypeScript

  • Write documentation: Write a README and API docs for this project

  • Data processing: Clean this CSV data and output statistical charts

  • Develop mini-programs: Help me initialize a WeChat Mini Program project

Codex is not ChatGPT. ChatGPT can only give you text suggestions; Codex can directly modify your project files and run terminal commands.

2. Registration and Subscription

Codex is not charged separately; it’s included in ChatGPT plans. You need a paid ChatGPT account.

2.1 Register a Google Account

Open https://accounts.google.com/signup and fill in the information as prompted.

A phone number is required for verification. Chinese mainland phone numbers (+86) can receive verification codes normally. After registration, you will have a Gmail email address.

If you already have a Google account, skip this step.

2.2 Register an OpenAI Account

Open https://chatgpt.com/ and use the Gmail address you just registered to sign up for an OpenAI account. Chinese mainland phone numbers can also be used for verification.

Note: OpenAI restricts some IP addresses. If registration is not available, try a different network environment.

3. Plan Selection

  • Plan: Plus; Monthly Fee: $20/month; Codex Access: Available, with usage limits; Suitable for: Personal learning, light development; Recommended to start with this

  • Plan: Pro; Monthly Fee: $100-200/month; Codex Access: Available, high limits; Suitable for: Heavy daily use, professional developers

  • Plan: Team; Monthly Fee: $25/person/month; Codex Access: Available; Suitable for: Small team collaboration

  • Plan: Business; Monthly Fee: Contact sales; Codex Access: Available; Suitable for: Businesses

  • Plan: Enterprise; Monthly Fee: Contact sales; Codex Access: Available; Suitable for: Large enterprises

4. Subscription Method, Recommend Android Google Play

The most reliable way to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus is via Google Play on an Android phone. Here is the complete process.

Step 1: Prepare an Android phone

If you don’t have an Android phone, you can install an Android emulator on your computer, such as MuMu Player or LDPlayer.

Step 2: Log in to your Google account on the phone

Open your phone’s settings, find “Accounts”, add a Google account, and log in with the Gmail address registered in step 2.1.

Step 3: Add a payment method to Google Play

Open the Google Play Store on your phone, click your profile picture in the top right, go to “Payments & subscriptions” > “Payment methods”, and add a credit or debit card.

Most Visa or MasterCard credit cards issued by Chinese banks should work. If you don’t have a foreign currency credit card, you can purchase Google Play gift cards on Taobao to top up.

Step 4: Install the ChatGPT App

Search for “ChatGPT” in the Google Play Store and download/install it. Make sure to get the official OpenAI ChatGPT app (green background with white lines).

Step 5: Log in and subscribe

Open the ChatGPT App and log in with the OpenAI account registered in step 2.2. After logging in, click “Upgrade plan” at the bottom left, select the Plus plan, and choose Google Play as the payment method.

The price will be shown as $19.99/month, and Google Play will automatically deduct the amount based on the monthly exchange rate.

3. Four Ways to Use Codex

Codex provides four different entry points for different usage habits.

  • Method: Web Interface; What it is: Open chatgpt.com/codex in a browser; Suitable for: Beginners, those who don’t want to install anything

  • Method: Desktop App; What it is: Download and install the ChatGPT desktop application; Suitable for: Those who need to read/write local files, primary daily use

  • Method: CLI (Command Line); What it is: Run the codex command in the terminal; Suitable for: Developers who prefer the command line, using on servers

  • Method: IDE Plugin; What it is: Install an extension in VS Code, Cursor, or Windsurf; Suitable for: Those already using these editors

All four methods share the same account and usage limits. Choose the one that suits you best; you don’t need to install all of them.

4. Step-by-Step Installation Guide

4.1 Web Interface: Zero Installation

Simply open https://chatgpt.com/codex in your browser.

Log in to your ChatGPT account, and you can use Codex in the web interface.

Advantage: No installation needed; you can use it from any computer. Disadvantage: Cannot directly access local folders on your computer; you need to upload files manually.

4.2 Desktop App (Recommended for most users)

macOS Installation

  • Open the App Store, search for “ChatGPT”

  • Click Get / Install ChatGPT

  • Open it and log in with your ChatGPT account

  • Select Codex mode within the app

macOS users: The app requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Windows Installation

  • Open https://chatgpt.com/download

  • Download the Windows installer

  • Double-click to install, follow the prompts

  • Open it and log in with your ChatGPT account

Windows users: Requires Windows 10 or later.

Open the app, log in. If you see the Codex entry, installation was successful.

4.3 CLI (Command Line): Use in the Terminal

macOS and Linux Installation

Open the terminal and paste this command.

curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh

You can also install using a package manager.

npm (Node.js required)

npm install -g @openai/codex

Homebrew (macOS only)

brew install codex

Windows Installation

Open PowerShell and paste this command.

npm install -g @openai/codex

Type this in the terminal.

codex

If a login screen appears, installation was successful.

The first time you run it, you will be prompted to log in. Select “Sign in with ChatGPT”, your browser will open automatically, confirm authorization, and you’re done.

The CLI can also be used with an API Key. But beginners can just use the ChatGPT account login; no need to mess with the API.

4.4 IDE Plugin: Use in an Editor

VS Code Installation

  • Open VS Code

  • Open the Extensions panel (sidebar icon with four squares, or Ctrl+Shift+X)

  • Search for “Codex” or “OpenAI Codex”

  • Click Install

5. Complete Guide to Desktop App Page Functions

This chapter explains the interface as you will actually see it. The desktop app has four main navigation areas on the left: New Conversation, Search, Scheduled, and Plugins. The center is for conversations or feature pages, and the bottom is for account and permissions.

Below are 8 diagrams explaining each area. It’s recommended to go through them all after installing the app.

5.1 Main Conversation Page: Your Daily Workspace

  • Number: 2; Area: Project Area; What it does: Organizes conversations by project, one folder corresponds to one type of work; How to use: Create a project first, then start a conversation, e.g., “Old Wang’s Win Library”, “Research Short Link Scheme”; Conversations in the same project share context

  • Number: 4; Area: Conversation Title; What it does: Name of the current conversation; How to use: Displayed at the top, useful for identification; Recommended to rename it to the task name, don’t leave it as the default “New Conversation”

  • Number: 6; Area: Content Area; What it does: Codex’s response body; How to use: Read what it wrote, changed, or commands it ran; Scroll up for long responses

  • Number: 7; Area: Links; What it does: Clickable URLs in responses; How to use: For example, a local preview address like http://127.0.0.1:8788/, click it to open in a browser

  • Number: 9; Area: Attachment List; What it does: File cards involved in this change; How to use: Shows log.md, README.md, etc.; Click the file name or use “Open with” to open in the system’s default editor

  • Number: 10; Area: Message Actions; What it does: Copy, Like/Dislike, Regenerate; How to use: Click Regenerate if the response is unsatisfactory; Copy good responses for archiving

  • Number: 12; Area: Permissions and Model Area; What it does: Current account, permission level, model selection; How to use: See section 5.4 Account Menu; For programming, enable “Full Access”; Model default is usually fine

  • New Project: Left project area → Select or create a project → Click “New Conversation” → Change conversation title → Describe your requirement in the input box.

  • After Codex modifies files, first check the key points list (8) and attachment list (9) to confirm which files were changed, then open and review them one by one.

  • When a local service starts, click link (7) directly to preview; no need to guess the port.

5.2 Plugin Page: Integrate External Tools with Codex

  • Number: 2; Area: Page Tab; What it does: Switch between “Plugins” and “Skills”; How to use: Plugins handle external integrations; Skills handle built-in capability packs; Don’t mix them up

  • Number: 3; Area: Page Title; What it does: Currently “Plugin Marketplace”; How to use: Subtitle “Use Codex in your common tools”

  • Number: 5; Area: Installed Plugins; What it does: Row of currently enabled plugin icons; How to use: Gear icon on the right takes you to plugin settings; Installed plugins appear here

  • Number: 6; Area: Source Filter; What it does: Filter by provider; How to use: OpenAI Official / Workspace / Personal; Find plugins from your desired source

  • Number: 8; Area: Plugin Card; What it does: Description of a single plugin; How to use: Look at the icon, name, and one-line description to decide if you want it

  • Number: 9; Area: Try in chat; What it does: Quick entry for installed plugins; How to use: Click it to start a conversation with the plugin context already loaded

  • Number: 11; Area: More Integrations Hint; What it does: Collapsed list of more plugins at the bottom; How to use: Click “View Notion, Outlook…” to expand the full list

Practical Advice

  • Commonly used for coding: GitHub (read/write repositories), Chrome (browser actions). Install Figma, Cloudflare, etc. based on your actual stack.

  • After installation, check area 5 (Installed Plugins) to see if the icon appears; if not, installation failed; retry or check your network.

  • To test immediately: Click “Try in chat” (9); don’t go back to the conversation page and guess whether the plugin is active.

5.3 Scheduled Page: Timed Tasks and Reminders

  • Number: 2; Area: Page Tab; What it does: Tasks / Templates; How to use: Tasks shows created ones; Templates allows quick creation from presets

  • Number: 3; Area: Page Title; What it does: Current module name “Scheduled”; How to use: —

  • Number: 5; Area: Learn More; What it does: Link to official help documentation; How to use: Click if you’re unsure what you can do

  • Number: 6; Area: Create via Chat; What it does: Main action button in the top right; How to use: Click dropdown to choose creation method, or go back to conversation and use natural language to create tasks

  • Number: 8; Area: Create your first scheduled task; What it does: Empty state guidance text; How to use: Encourages you to create one

  • Number: 9; Area: Quick Templates; What it does: One-click apply common task types; How to use: Daily Briefing / Weekly Review / Project Monitoring; Click one and fill in parameters as prompted

  • Beginners: Click “Daily Briefing” (9) or “Weekly Review” first to get a feel for automated output.

  • You can also go back to the conversation page and say: “Give me a summary of yesterday’s GitHub commits at 9 AM every day.” It will add it to Scheduled.

  • After a task is created, area 7 will become a list where you can pause, edit, or delete tasks.

5.4 Account Menu: Usage and Settings Entry

Click your avatar in the bottom left to open the account panel. Manage login info, settings, usage quota, and upgrades.

  • Number: 1; Area: Avatar and Account Entry; What it does: Fixed entry point at the bottom left; How to use: Shows nickname and plan badge (Plus/Pro); Click to open the menu

  • Number: 2; Area: Account Menu Panel; What it does: Account-related functions; How to use: Click outside or click the avatar again to close

  • Number: 4; Area: Personal Account; What it does: Account type label; How to use: Distinguishes between personal and team plans

  • Number: 5; Area: Profile; What it does: Change nickname, avatar, etc.; How to use: Update as needed

  • Number: 7; Area: Invite Friends; What it does: Generate an invitation link; How to use: Use if you have invitation credits

  • Number: 8; Area: Remaining Usage; What it does: Quota overview title; How to use: Two progress bars below show details

  • Number: 10; Area: Upgrade to Pro; What it does: Subscription upgrade entry; How to use: Consider if Plus isn’t enough

  • Number: 11; Area: Learn More; What it does: Usage rule explanation; How to use: Click if you’re confused about rate limits

  • If it feels slow or you hit a limit: First check which bar is full in area 9.

  • To change permissions, install MCP, remote connection: All done via Settings (area 6); don’t try random commands in the conversation.

5.5 Settings · General: Work Mode and Permissions

Ctrl+, or Account Menu → Settings, select “General” on the left. This determines Codex’s communication style, file permissions, and terminal environment.

  • Number: 1; Area: Return to App; What it does: Exit settings and return to main interface; How to use: Arrow in the top left

  • Number: 3; Area: Left Settings Navigation; What it does: Divides into Personal / Integrations / Coding / Archived categories; How to use: Permissions are spread across multiple places; for coding, focus on “General”, “MCP Server”, “Connections”

  • Number: 4; Area: Page Title; What it does: Currently in “General”; How to use: —

  • Number: 7; Area: Default Permissions; What it does: Read/write files within the workspace; How to use: Basic permission; generally keep it enabled

  • Number: 8; Area: Auto-approve; What it does: Automatically approve additional access requests; How to use: Convenient but carries a risk of misoperation; Beginners should turn it off initially, then enable after getting familiar

  • Number: 10; Area: General Options; What it does: File opening method, Shell, Language, Terminal position; How to use: On Windows, set Shell to PowerShell; choose terminal position at the bottom or right based on preference

Practical Advice

  • First time use: Set work mode to “Coding”, enable “Default Permissions”. “Full Access” depends on your risk tolerance (generally needed for local project work).

  • Keep “Auto-approve” off, at least for the first two weeks. Review each approved command so you know what it’s doing.

  • If commands fail to run: Check if Shell in area 10 is set to PowerShell (or appropriate for your system).

5.6 Settings · MCP Server: Connect External Data Sources

  • Number: 2; Area: Search Settings; What it does: Search for MCP-related items; How to use: Useful when there are many servers

  • Number: 3; Area: Left Navigation; What it does: Currently in the “Integrations” group; How to use: MCP / Browser / Computer Control are all here

  • Number: 5; Area: Learn More; What it does: Official MCP documentation; How to use: Refer to it when writing your own MCP Server

  • Number: 6; Area: Add Server; What it does: Create a new MCP configuration; How to use: Click + to add a server, enter name, startup command or URL

  • Number: 8; Area: Server Name; What it does: Configuration identifier; How to use: e.g., node_repl, unityMCP; Codex will call it by this name in conversations

  • Number: 9; Area: Settings Icon; What it does: Edit this server’s configuration; How to use: Click gear to change command, environment variables, parameters

Practical Advice

  • After installing a third-party MCP: There should be an entry in the list → Toggle it on → Go back to the conversation and try: “List available MCP tools.”

  • If an MCP reports an error: First toggle it off in area 10 to confirm it’s the cause, then edit the configuration via area 9.

  • This tutorial’s earlier stages can leave this empty. Install MCPs when you need to integrate with Unity, databases, or custom APIs.

5.7 Settings · Connections: Control This Computer from Your Phone

Settings → Coding → Connections. Use your phone or another device to remotely control this computer via Codex.

  • Number: 1; Area: Return to App; What it does: Go back to main interface; How to use: —

  • Number: 3; Area: Settings Navigation; What it does: Currently in “Coding” → “Connections”; How to use: Same group includes Hooks, Git, Environment, Worktree

  • Number: 4; Area: Page Title; What it does: Connection configuration; How to use: Manages remote control

  • Number: 6; Area: Devices that can control this computer; What it does: List of authorized devices; How to use: See which devices have connected

  • Number: 7; Area: Refresh Device List; What it does: Update the list; How to use: Click after a new device is authorized

  • Number: 9; Area: Add Device; What it does: Authorize a new device; How to use: Follow prompts to scan a QR code or confirm on the mobile Codex/ChatGPT App

  • Number: 10; Area: Other Settings; What it does: Auxiliary options; How to use: —

Practical Advice

  • If you don’t need remote control from your phone: Toggle off area 8 directly to reduce the attack surface.

  • To use it: Enable area 8 → Add device via area 9 → Confirm on the mobile device → Refresh area 7 to see if it appears.

  • To run remotely with the lid closed: Enable the option (if available, based on area 11) and ensure the computer is connected to power.

5.8 Settings · Pets: Companion on the Interface

Settings → Personal → Pets. Choose a small desktop companion. Pure bonus feature, doesn’t affect functionality.

  • Number: 1; Area: Left Settings Navigation; What it does: Switch to “Pets”; How to use: In the “Personal” group

  • Number: 3; Area: Create Your Own Pet; What it does: Custom companions; How to use: Click if you want to play around; usually pre-made ones are enough

  • Number: 4; Area: Refresh; What it does: Reload the pet list; How to use: Click if the list seems off

  • Number: 6; Area: Pet List; What it does: All selectable pets; How to use: Scroll down to see the full set

  • Number: 7; Area: Pet Card; What it does: Pet name + personality description; How to use: e.g., Fireball “Hot path energy for fast iteration”

  • Number: 9; Area: Selected Status; What it does: Currently active item; How to use: Button turns grey “Selected”; only one pet active at a time

  • Number: 10; Area: Floating Pet Icon; What it does: Animated icon in the bottom right corner; How to use: Visible while working; If distracting, disable it in settings or switch back to Codex default

Practical Advice

  • Purely for fun, doesn’t affect coding. If distracting, select Codex default or Null Signal (minimalist).

  • If the bottom right icon (10) blocks buttons: Switch to a smaller one, or disable the floating display (check if the option exists in your version).

6. CLI Command Line Introduction

If you installed the CLI version, type codex in the terminal.

6.1 Basic Usage

# Enter interactive mode
codex

# Start in a specific directory
codex --workspace /path/to/your/project

# Send an instruction directly (one-shot mode)
codex 帮我创建一个 React 项目

6.2 Common CLI Commands

  • /clear: Clear current session context

  • /model: Switch model

  • /permissions: Manage permissions

  • /cost: View usage for this session

The CLI is suitable for operating on remote servers, running batch automation scripts, or for users who prefer a pure keyboard workflow.

7. Permissions and Security Settings (Must Read)

Codex can operate your files and run commands, so permission settings are very important.

7.1 Working Directory Permissions

Codex can only access the working directory you specify by default. The folder selected in the desktop app or the path specified by --workspace in the CLI is its active range. It cannot randomly read other files on your computer.

️ Do not use --workspace ~/ to allow Codex to access your entire home directory. Create a separate folder for each project.

7.2 Command Execution Permissions

  • Mode: Auto-execute; Description: Runs commands directly without asking; Recommended: Only for experienced developers

  • Mode: Disallow execute; Description: Prevents Codex from running any commands; Recommended: Too restrictive, basically unusable

Beginners should use “Ask every time”. See what command it wants to run before approving. Loosen restrictions once you’re familiar.

7.3 Network Permissions

  • Allow or disallow Codex from accessing the network

  • Set a whitelist of allowed domains

7.4 Git Safety

Several principles when Codex works on your project.

  • Don’t let it git push directly, unless you are monitoring it

  • It’s recommended to git commit to save changes before letting Codex work, so you can revert if something goes wrong

  • It’s safer to let Codex work on a separate branch

8. First Use: Complete Example

Scenario: Let Codex create a web calculator from scratch.

Step 1: Start Codex

  • Desktop App: Open the ChatGPT App, switch to Codex mode, create a new conversation

  • CLI: Type codex in the terminal

  • Web: Open chatgpt.com/codex

Step 2: Specify the Project Directory

Create a new empty folder, for example, ~/projects/my-calculator/, and select it.

Step 3: Issue the Command

Type in the input box:

帮我做一个网页计算器,要求是:
- 界面好看,现代简约风格
- 支持键盘输入
- 直接生成一个 index.html 文件

Step 4: Watch Codex Work

Codex will proceed as follows:

  • Analyze the requirement and tell you its plan

  • Create the index.html file

  • Write HTML, CSS, and JS code inside

  • Show the diff (since it’s a new file, all green additions)

Step 5: Review and Accept

  • Check if the code in the diff looks reasonable

  • Click “Accept” to apply the changes

  • The file is created

Step 6: Preview

Codex might proactively say: “Do you want me to open the browser to preview?” or “File created. You can open index.html in your browser to see the result.”

If it doesn’t, you can ask:

帮我在浏览器里打开 index.html 预览一下

Step 7: Iterate and Modify

Not satisfied with the result? Just make more requests:

把计算器改成深色主题,按钮换成圆角的

9. Daily Usage Tips

9.1 Write a Good AGENTS.md, Like Karpathy

Andrej Karpathy, former Tesla AI Director and OpenAI co-founder, has a signature approach when using AI to code: place a very detailed CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md in Codex’s case) in the project root.

His core idea is to treat this file as an onboarding document for a genius new colleague who doesn’t know your project.

Here is a reference example:

# AGENTS.md

> Before each new conversation, context restoration, or starting a new task, the AI Agent must first read this file.
> If a subdirectory has a more specific AGENTS.md, continue reading it after reading this file; sub-rules can be more detailed but cannot violate the red lines in this section.

---

## 1. What is the project

- **Name**: (Project Name)
- **Type**: (Website / Script / Knowledge Base / Mini Program / Other)
- **Tech Stack**: (e.g., Next.js + TypeScript + Supabase)
- **One-liner**: What problem does this project solve?

---

## 2. Red Lines (Must Ask Human First)

The following operations cannot be executed automatically; explicit approval from the person in charge is required:

- Deleting files, directories, or git history
- `git push`, `git rebase`, `git reset --hard`, force pushes
- Modifying `.env`, secrets, tokens, CI/CD configuration
- Database schema changes, data migrations, data deletion
- Production deployment, `npm publish`, public release of content
- Installing global dependencies, modifying system-level configurations

Temporary scripts, preview files, cache, and other process artifacts should be cleaned up after verification is complete.

---

## 3. Directory Structure

(Example based on actual project) src/ Business code app/ Pages or API routes tests/ Tests docs/ Documentation scripts/ Utility scripts


## 9.2 Be Specific with Instructions

- "Fix this bug: The page freezes when clicking the login button. Check the LoginButton component for me."

- "Optimize performance: The homepage takes 5 seconds to load. Help me check which API is slow."

## 9.3 Step-by-Step, Don't Overwhelm with Too Much at Once

## 9.4 Use Screenshots and Images

Encounter an error but don't know how to describe it? Take a screenshot and upload it to Codex. It can read the error message in the image.

## 9.5 Ask When You're Stuck

Not sure what to do next? Just ask Codex:

接下来我应该做什么?


Codex will analyze the current project state and give you suggestions.

## 9.6 Use Commands

The CLI has many shortcut commands; you don't need to type full sentences every time.

/help # View help /clear # Clear context /permissions # Adjust permissions /cost # View usage cost


## 10. Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What's the difference between Codex and Cursor?**

Cursor is an AI editor; you must use its editor. Codex is an agent that can be used anywhere: terminal, web, app, or even inside Cursor.

**Q: What's the difference between Codex and Claude Code?**

Both are coding agents. Codex is tied to your ChatGPT account and the OpenAI ecosystem; Claude Code is tied to your Anthropic account. It depends on which service you subscribe to and which toolchain you're comfortable with.

**Q: Is the Codex quota on the Plus plan sufficient?**

For daily development of a few hours, it's generally enough. If you use it heavily for 8+ hours continuously, you might hit rate limits. Try Plus for a month; upgrade if needed.

**Q: Can code generated by Codex be used in production?**

Simple CRUD, pages, and scripts are close to production-ready. Complex business logic requires your review and adjustments. Codex is an accelerator, not a replacement for your thinking.

**Q: Can Codex be used in China?**

Yes. For registration and subscription, follow the Gmail + Google Play process in this article. Using Codex requires stable access to OpenAI services. The desktop app and CLI run locally; the network is mainly used to communicate with the model.

**Q: What if Codex messes up my code?**

Three safety nets: 1) `git commit` before changes; if something goes wrong, use `git checkout` to revert. 2) Codex's changes require manual acceptance; if you see something unreasonable, click "Reject". 3) In the conversation, you can say: "Undo the last changes."

**Q: Can I let Codex connect to my database?**

Yes. Provide the database connection information. It's recommended to use environment variables (`.env`), not type them directly into the conversation. It can help write SQL, create tables, and query data. But be very careful with production database operations.

**Q: Should I use the web or app interface?**

Beginners should try the web interface first (zero installation). For actual projects modifying local files, install the desktop app. CLI is for developers and server scenarios. All four entry points share the same account; choose the one that feels best.

## 11. Final Words

By following this article, you should be able to: register Gmail/OpenAI accounts, subscribe to Plus, install at least one Codex entry point, identify all parts of the desktop app pages, and successfully run a complete demo for the first time.

For more articles, follow the WeChat official account: **老王霸 AI Lab**

Similar Articles

@Saccc_c: https://x.com/Saccc_c/status/2058057029810594206

X AI KOLs Following

The article provides a detailed introduction to OpenAI's AI Agent desktop application, Codex App, covering its core features (local file read/write, web search, software control, automation, etc.), installation steps, usage tips, and differences from ChatGPT, helping users get started quickly.

@php_martin: https://x.com/php_martin/status/2064975977860440439

X AI KOLs Timeline

This article provides a comprehensive introduction to the features and usage of the OpenAI Codex desktop application, including project management, skill/plugin system, automation, and multi-task parallel development strategies. It also offers practical cases and risk warnings, aiming to help users efficiently utilize AI agents for parallel development.

@AmberTreelet: https://x.com/AmberTreelet/status/2057096445610881349

X AI KOLs Timeline

This is a comprehensive Chinese tutorial on OpenAI Codex, detailing its core features as a digital employee, installation steps, interface instructions, and practical use cases from generating web pages to data analysis, suitable for users with zero prior experience.

@xiaohu: https://x.com/xiaohu/status/2062004505915670997

X AI KOLs Timeline

OpenAI has made a major update to Codex, launching six role-specific plugins, the Sites web application generation feature, and Annotations precise annotation editing, expanding Codex from a coding assistant to a complete workflow tool for office workers.

@xilo2991: https://x.com/xilo2991/status/2070051136187621452

X AI KOLs Timeline

A comprehensive beginner's guide to the AI tool Codex (similar to Cursor), covering its interface, shortcut commands, project management, automation tasks, and how to use it to create efficient workflows (e.g., e-commerce video editing) to help zero-basic users quickly get started.