Codex Review
Send content to codex for a second opinion. Report the feedback verbatim. Don’t change anything until the user approves.
Process
- Resolve the content. Three modes:
- File path(s) given: Read and concatenate them.
- Content in conversation context: The user has been working on something in-context (e.g., a draft, a plan, a code block). Gather it.
- Nothing clear: Ask the user what to send.
- Build the prompt. Compose a single prompt that includes:
- A direct review request tailored to the content type (prose, code, plan, etc.)
- All the content, clearly delimited.
- Send to codex. Pipe the prompt via stdin to avoid shell quoting issues:
cat <<'PROMPT_EOF' | codex exec -
Review the following. What works, what doesn't, what to cut, what to strengthen. Be direct — no preamble, no praise sandwich.
---
<content here>
PROMPT_EOF
For multiple files, include each with a filename header:
cat <<'PROMPT_EOF' | codex exec -
Review the following files together. What works, what doesn't, what to cut, what to strengthen. Be direct — no preamble, no praise sandwich.
--- file: path/to/first.md ---
<contents>
--- file: path/to/second.md ---
<contents>
PROMPT_EOF
- Report the feedback to the user exactly as codex returns it. Don’t summarize, reframe, or editorialize.
- Wait for the user to say what to act on. Don’t apply changes unprompted.
Rules
- Don’t roleplay in the prompt. No “You are a senior editor.” Just ask directly.
- Don’t add your own review on top. The point is a second opinion, not two opinions stacked.
- If codex flags something with low confidence, research it before dismissing. Structural soundness is not a substitute for evidence.
- Two passes max. If the second pass has no structural notes, the content is ready.
- Always pipe via stdin (
| codex exec -) rather than inline quoting, to avoid shell escaping issues with large content.