How I Got Claude to Consult Codex (and When I Use It)

Up until recently, getting Claude to collaborate with other agents was…functional, but clunky.

My regular workflow looked like this: I’d ask Claude to write a file listing open questions, what we're doing, trying or considering, then hand that file off to another agent and request a response. It worked well for pulling in extra perspectives, but it was slow and inefficient.

I’ve tried a few different approaches including various MCP servers and landed on a skill that allows Claude to directly consult Codex when "we’re" stuck or when I want a second opinion.

The Shift: Claude as Lead, Codex as Counsel

Instead of bouncing artifacts between agents, Claude stays in charge of the conversation. When progress stalls—or when I want parallel work—I just ask Claude to consult /codex.

How to Install the Codex Skill

1. Go to your home directory
2. Press Cmd + Shift + . (to show hidden files)
3. Find the .claude folder and inside that create a folder called skills
4. Clone or copy this repo inside it (make sure the skill.md and references are present)

Once Claude sees the skill, you’re good. You can test it by typing /skills and should see confirmation.

You can now:

• Use /codex directly while prompting with Claude
• Or ask Claude to delegate something to /codex on your behalf

Somewhere I stumbled on someone suggesting using it in a ralph-loop or a CLAUDE.md and they shared this snippet:

CODEX DELEGATION (OPTIONAL):
- Use /codex <task> or codex exec --full-auto <task> for parallel work.
- Good candidates for Codex delegation:
  - Writing tests for code you just wrote
  - Implementing a component while you work on another
  - Code review of completed work items
- Do NOT delegate to Codex when:
  - The task depends on something you're currently building
  - Multiple agents would edit the same file
  - The task requires your current conversation context
- When delegating, run Codex in background and continue your work.
- Check Codex output before marking work item complete.

Working Example