docker-codexbox

OpenAI Codex CLI inside an aicodebox container. Minimal and toolchain-loaded images, five ways in: interactive shell, one-shot exec, OpenAI-compatible endpoint, MCP server, Telegram bot, and a cron scheduler that fires codex on whatever schedule you want.

You talk to codexbox. codexbox talks to codex. codex talks to OpenAI — or your ChatGPT subscription. Nobody cares about the middle.

Table of Contents

• Quick start
• Using the codexbox wrapper
• Image variants
• Modes
  • API mode
  • Telegram mode
  • Cron mode
  • MCP mode
• Configuration
• Auth
• Agent integrations
• Development
• Tests
• License

Quick start

Docker installed and running is the only prerequisite.

One-liner install

The installer pulls the selected image, creates the persistent Codex and SSH directories, downloads the wrapper, and installs codexbox on your PATH.

# minimal image — default
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/psyb0t/docker-codexbox/master/install.sh | bash

# full image — every development tool pre-installed
export CODEXBOX_FULL=1 && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/psyb0t/docker-codexbox/master/install.sh | bash

# custom command name
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/psyb0t/docker-codexbox/master/install.sh | bash -s -- codex

Installing with CODEXBOX_FULL=1 bakes latest-full into the wrapper, so the choice persists; you do not need to export it again. CODEXBOX_FULL must be set for bash, not merely for curl, hence the export … && form above.

Local checkout

From a checkout of this repository, build the matching image and install the local wrapper without pulling a published codexbox image:

make install       # minimal image
make install-full  # full image

# install only the local wrapper; do not build or pull
make install-wrapper
CODEXBOX_FULL=1 make install-wrapper  # full image

These targets set CODEXBOX_SRC_LOCAL=true. make install and make install-full build their image first; make install-wrapper only installs the local wrapper.sh against the selected existing image. It fails if that image is absent instead of falling back to docker pull.

The remote installer downloads wrapper.sh from its matching release tag. Automation can set CODEXBOX_INSTALL_DIR, CODEXBOX_BIN_NAME, and AICODEBOX_MANAGED_INSTALL=1 when it installs into a different command directory without prompting to replace an existing SSH key.

Using the codexbox wrapper

The wrapper mounts the current directory as the workspace, persists ~/.codex (so login survives container recreation), forwards auth and configured environment variables, and manages a per-directory container.

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...         # or use a subscription: `codexbox login --device-auth`

codexbox                             # interactive TUI — continues the last session for THIS dir
codexbox --no-continue               # same, but starts a brand-new session instead
codexbox exec "fix the failing test in ./app"   # one-shot codex exec, output to your terminal
echo "summarize README.md" | codexbox exec -     # prompt via stdin
codexbox login --device-auth         # ChatGPT-subscription OAuth login (persists in ~/.codex)
codexbox login status                # which auth mode is active
codexbox --version                   # passthrough to `codex --version`
codexbox stop                        # stop this dir's running container(s)
codexbox clear-session               # drop codex's saved sessions (keeps auth + config)

The wrapper forwards "$@" straight to the image, so any codex subcommand works (codexbox mcp ..., codexbox doctor, etc.). The sandbox-bypass flag is injected inside the container — you never pass it yourself.

The bare interactive TUI defaults to continuing the most recent session for the directory you're in (same idea as claudebox's default) — codex's own resume --last cwd-scopes the lookup and starts a fresh session automatically when there's nothing to resume, so this is safe on a brand-new workspace too. Pass --no-continue to force a fresh session instead.

Install codexbox, claudebox, and pibox in the same command directory, normally /usr/local/bin, when one box needs to launch another. The wrapper finds sibling wrapper files there and mounts them read-only into the container. A sibling wrapper then runs through the host Docker daemon and mounts its own host data directory. Codexbox does not directly mount another agent's home.

Agent use and nested launches

The installed wrapper is the normal interface for people and agents. An agent should run codexbox from the requested workspace instead of assembling a new docker run command. The wrapper preserves the workspace path, Codex state, SSH state, image choice, and per-workspace container lifecycle.

codexbox exec "inspect this workspace and report the failing tests"
CODEXBOX_FULL=1 codexbox exec "run the full test suite"
printf '%s\n' "summarize README.md" | codexbox exec -

When one box needs another, install codexbox, claudebox, and pibox in the same command directory. A running box can call the sibling command directly. The parent wrapper passes the host launch context and mounts only the sibling wrapper file. Do not set AICODEBOX_HOST_*, copy a wrapper, or manually mount another box's state directory.

Manual Docker use

Use raw Docker only for an explicitly requested container deployment. The wrapper is the normal route for interactive, one-shot, and local service use. The Modes section has the relevant deployment commands and configuration.

Image variants

• psyb0t/codexbox:latest is the default minimal image: Codex, Node.js, Python, uv, Docker, Git, jq, and curl.
• psyb0t/codexbox:latest-full starts from the immutable aicodebox:v0.15.1-full base, then adds Codexbox's adapter, entrypoint, auth, and config.

CODEXBOX_FULL is binary: unset or 0 selects minimal; 1 selects full. Any other value fails. The installer writes the resolved image into the installed wrapper, so the choice persists without exporting the variable on every run. A runtime CODEXBOX_FULL=0 or CODEXBOX_FULL=1 temporarily forces a variant; CODEXBOX_IMAGE remains the highest-priority explicit override.

The full image adds:

• Go 1.26.8 with gopls, Delve, golangci-lint, staticcheck, gofumpt, and test/code-generation helpers
• Python 3.14.7 with pytest, Black, Flake8, mypy, Pyright, Poetry, Pipenv, and common HTTP/parsing libraries
• JavaScript and TypeScript linting, formatting, process, framework, API-test, static-server, Lighthouse, and Storybook CLIs
• GitHub CLI, Terraform, kubectl, and Helm
• Build tools, CMake, ClangFormat, Valgrind, GDB, strace, and ltrace
• PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Redis clients
• Vim, Nano, tmux, htop, archive tools, network diagnostics, ripgrep, fd, bat, eza, shellcheck, and shfmt

The full variant is pinned to the released Aicodebox full manifest. Aicodebox owns the shared toolchain pins, locks, and supply-chain checks. Codexbox adds only its agent package and startup layer.

Licensing note: the minimal image is clean — just Apache-2.0 Codex on top of the aicodebox base. The full image additionally bundles HashiCorp Terraform, which is BUSL-1.1 (source-available, non-compete), not OSI-approved open source. If that matters to your use case, stick to the minimal image or review the BUSL-1.1 terms yourself before using latest-full. Full breakdown in THIRD_PARTY.md.

Wrapper environment variables

Set these on the host before running codexbox:

AICODEBOX_HOST_* is the versioned nested-launch context used by sibling wrappers. It records host bind-source paths and is set automatically by a wrapper. Do not set it for an ordinary host launch.

CODEXBOX_MODE_CRON=1 + CODEXBOX_MODE_CRON_FILE=/path/cron.yaml codexbox starts the cron scheduler as a long-running background container instead.

Prefer no host install? Everything the wrapper does is plain docker run; see Manual Docker use and Modes.

Modes

Foreground modes (API / Telegram / Cron) are mutually exclusive — except CODEXBOX_TELEGRAM_MODE=1 + CODEXBOX_CRON_MODE=1, which run together (cron in-thread inside telegram). API wins if set alongside anything else.

MCP mode (CODEXBOX_MCP_MODE=1) is independent — it coexists with whatever foreground mode is running. In API mode it's mounted at /mcp on the API port; in other modes it runs as a sidecar uvicorn on its own port.

Each mode has its own page with full setup, env vars, and examples.

API Mode →

Long-lived FastAPI server on :8080. Agent runs (sync, async with run-id polling, cancellable), workspace file upload/download/list/delete with traversal checking, and an OpenAI-compatible chat/completions endpoint with streaming and client-executed tool calling. Codex's native --output-schema backs jsonSchema, so schema-conforming output needs no retries.

environment:
  - CODEXBOX_API_MODE=1
  - CODEXBOX_API_MODE_TOKEN=your-secret
  - CODEXBOX_AVAILABLE_MODELS=gpt-5.1-codex,gpt-5.1-codex-mini

Telegram Mode →

Talk to codex from Telegram. Per-chat isolated workspaces, allowed-chats and per-chat allowed-users gating, file ingestion, [SEND_FILE: path] to get files back, and per-chat /model, /effort, /system_prompt, /append_system_prompt overrides that persist across restarts.

environment:
  - CODEXBOX_TELEGRAM_MODE=1
  - CODEXBOX_TELEGRAM_MODE_TOKEN=123456:ABC

Cron Mode →

YAML-defined scheduled jobs on 6-field croniter schedules. Per-run history dirs with meta.json, stdout.log, stderr.log, result.txt, and a "prior run" hint so a job can reference its own history.

environment:
  - CODEXBOX_CRON_MODE=1
  - CODEXBOX_CRON_MODE_FILE=/home/aicode/.aicodebox/cron.yaml

MCP Mode →

Exposes run_prompt plus workspace-confined file tools over streamable HTTP, so other agents can drive codex as a tool. Coexists with any foreground mode — mounted at /mcp on the API port in API mode, a sidecar on its own port everywhere else. Distinct from codex's own MCP client/server support, which codexbox does not wire up.

environment:
  - CODEXBOX_MCP_MODE=1
  - CODEXBOX_MCP_MODE_TOKEN=your-secret

Configuration

Naming convention: CODEXBOX_<MODE>_MODE=1 is the on/off flag, CODEXBOX_<MODE>_MODE_<KNOB>=... is its config. Non-mode-scoped vars (workspace, container name, available models) are bare.

The image is built on top of aicodebox, so the equivalent AICODEBOX_* names also work — the entrypoint translates CODEXBOX_X to AICODEBOX_X when only the codexbox-prefixed one is set. If you set both, AICODEBOX_* wins.

Mode flags

Each mode's own knobs (ports, tokens, config paths, history dirs) live on that mode's page: api.md, telegram.md, cron.md, mcp.md.

Workspace & runtime

Auth

codex supports two distinct auth modes. Pick one.

1. API key (pay-as-you-go)

Set OPENAI_API_KEY. Optionally OPENAI_BASE_URL to point at an OpenAI-compatible endpoint instead of the default OpenAI API.

docker run --rm \
  -e OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... \
  -v "$PWD/.codex:/home/aicode/.codex" \
  psyb0t/codexbox:latest \
  exec "say HELLO"

The container seeds codex's $CODEX_HOME/auth.json from OPENAI_API_KEY on boot (codex login --with-api-key under the hood, reading the key from stdin — codex does not accept a bare OPENAI_API_KEY env var for codex exec; it needs the login step to actually write auth.json). This seeding is safe to run on every boot: it only writes apikey-mode auth, and never touches an existing ChatGPT-subscription login (see below).

2. ChatGPT subscription (Plus / Pro / Team)

No API key at all — codex bills against your ChatGPT subscription instead. This requires a one-time interactive OAuth login, and you must bind-mount ~/.codex (→ /home/aicode/.codex in the container) so that login survives container recreates:

docker run -it \
  -v "$HOME/.codex:/home/aicode/.codex" \
  psyb0t/codexbox:latest \
  login --device-auth

This prints a URL + a short code. Open the URL in any browser, enter the code, approve — codex writes OAuth tokens to $CODEX_HOME/auth.json (auth_mode is the OAuth/chatgpt variant, not apikey). Every later docker run against that same bind-mounted ~/.codex reuses the login and bills against the subscription, no OPENAI_API_KEY needed:

docker run --rm \
  -v "$HOME/.codex:/home/aicode/.codex" \
  psyb0t/codexbox:latest \
  exec "say HELLO"

This only works if ~/.codex is bind-mounted. Without it, the login lives inside the throwaway container's filesystem and is gone the moment the container is removed — you'd have to re-run the OAuth flow every single time. If OPENAI_API_KEY is also set in the environment once a subscription login exists, it is not used to overwrite it — an existing OAuth login always wins over the API-key seeding step. codex login status (passed straight through) reports which mode is currently active; codex logout clears it.

Model & reasoning effort

Codex has no fixed default model slug — availability is server-driven AND depends on how you authenticated:

• ChatGPT subscription — the GPT-5.6 family: gpt-5.6-luna (fastest + cheapest — good for tests), gpt-5.6-terra (balanced), gpt-5.6-sol (flagship; the account default). The *-codex / *-codex-mini slugs are rejected on a ChatGPT account (400 "not supported").
• API key — the API catalog: gpt-5.1-codex, gpt-5-codex, gpt-5.1-codex-mini (small), etc.

Pass a model with -m / --model (passthrough) or set CODEXBOX_MODEL / the model field on /run and /openai/v1/chat/completions.

Reasoning effort maps to codex's model_reasoning_effort config key (-c model_reasoning_effort=<level>). Levels: none, minimal, low, medium, high, xhigh, max (default medium). Exposed as the thinking field on the API and the /effort command in telegram — same shape as the other aicodebox children.

System prompts & tool control

The canonical /run knobs are honored — codex just exposes them differently than pi/claude:

• systemPrompt → replaces the built-in system prompt (-c instructions=…).
• appendSystemPrompt → appends a developer-role message (-c developer_instructions=…).
• noTools → drops the shell/exec + web-search tools and runs the sandbox read-only, so the agent answers without acting. (codex keeps apply_patch/update_plan tool specs that can't be config-removed, but read-only neuters them — the closest codex has to pi/claude --no-tools.)
• toolsAllowlist → not supported: codex has no name-based built-in tool allowlist (only per-MCP-server enabled_tools). It is ignored with a warning.
• Session: a call with neither resume nor noContinue continues the top-level Codex exec session pinned to that canonical workspace. The first call starts a persistent root session; later calls resume its exact ID, so a newer subagent rollout cannot steal continuation. Existing workspaces migrate their newest top-level exec rollout automatically. resume targets and re-pins a specific session ID; noContinue runs ephemerally without changing the pin.

Agent integrations

The skill works in any agent that reads .agents/skills/, and installs natively in the clients below.

Claude Code

claude plugin marketplace add psyb0t/agents
claude plugin install codexbox@psyb0t

Claude Code prompts for the codexbox URL and, if the API/MCP tokens are set on the server, the matching bearer tokens — sensitive values are stored in your OS keychain.

Codex

codex plugin marketplace add psyb0t/agents
codex plugin add codexbox@psyb0t

Installed via the marketplace, the skill is invoked as $codexbox:codexbox. Codex also picks the skill up automatically, with no install, in any repo containing .agents/skills/ — there it's invoked as plain $codexbox.

OpenClaw

The skill is published to ClawHub on every release:

openclaw skills install @psyb0t/codexbox

For MCP clients that speak local stdio, the @psyb0t/codexbox plugin bridges to a running box's /mcp endpoint:

openclaw plugins install clawhub:@psyb0t/codexbox

Then set CODEXBOX_URL (and CODEXBOX_MCP_MODE_TOKEN if the server was started with it set).

Development

Requires psyb0t/docker-aicodebox checked out next to this repo (../docker-aicodebox).

make help        # list targets
make build-base  # build aicodebox-base from ../docker-aicodebox
make build       # build codexbox:local on top of it
make build-full  # build + tag the full toolchain variant
make build-all   # build both variants
make test        # run the full e2e suite (needs .env.test)
make test-image-select # hermetic installer/wrapper variant regression
make test-full-image   # build full and check every advertised tool
make clean       # remove built images

Tests

End-to-end tests build the image and run it against a real OpenAI/codex endpoint. Telegram tests use psyb0t/telethon-plus as a real MTProto userbot.

cp .env.test.example .env.test
$EDITOR .env.test   # fill in OPENAI_API_KEY and optionally Telegram creds
make test

Telegram tests auto-skip if AICODEBOX_TELEGRAM_MODE_TOKEN is empty. Everything else only needs OPENAI_API_KEY (and a real ChatGPT-subscription login, if you also want the subscription auth path exercised).

make test-image-select needs neither credentials nor a Docker daemon. It proves CODEXBOX_FULL=0|1 selects, pulls, and bakes the same image. make test-full-image builds latest-full and checks its variant marker, Codex, pinned Go/Python versions, and the advertised CLI matrix.

License

WTFPL — see LICENSE. Do what the fuck you want.

Third-party components bundled in the published images (Codex, and — full image only — Terraform, gh, kubectl, Helm, golangci-lint) keep their own licenses; see THIRD_PARTY.md.