Instruction provenance misreported
Open 💬 0 comments Opened May 19, 2026 by joriki
What version of Codex CLI is running?
codex-cli 0.131.0
What subscription do you have?
ChatGPT Plus
Which model were you using?
gpt-5.5
What platform is your computer?
Darwin 24.3.0 arm64 arm
What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?
_No response_
Codex doctor report
{
"schemaVersion": 1,
"generatedAt": "1779164614s since unix epoch",
"overallStatus": "ok",
"codexVersion": "0.131.0",
"checks": {
"app_server.status": {
"id": "app_server.status",
"category": "app-server",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "background server is not running",
"details": {
"control socket": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock",
"daemon state dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon",
"mode": "ephemeral",
"pid file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server.pid (missing)",
"settings": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/settings.json (missing)",
"status": "not running",
"update-loop pid file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server-updater.pid (missing)"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"auth.credentials": {
"id": "auth.credentials",
"category": "auth",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "auth is configured",
"details": {
"auth env vars present": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
"auth file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/auth.json",
"auth storage mode": "File",
"stored API key": "true",
"stored ChatGPT tokens": "false",
"stored agent identity": "false",
"stored auth mode": "api_key"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"config.load": {
"id": "config.load",
"category": "config",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "config loaded",
"details": {
"CODEX_HOME": "/Users/joriki/.codex",
"config.toml": "/Users/joriki/.codex/config.toml",
"config.toml parse": "ok",
"cwd": "/Users/joriki/work/anadyr/north-star-engine",
"enabled feature flags": "shell_tool, unified_exec, shell_snapshot, terminal_resize_reflow, sqlite, hooks, enable_request_compression, multi_agent, apps, tool_search, tool_suggest, plugins, plugin_hooks, in_app_browser, browser_use, browser_use_external, computer_use, plugin_sharing, image_generation, skill_mcp_dependency_install, steer, guardian_approval, collaboration_modes, tool_call_mcp_elicitation, personality, fast_mode, tui_app_server, workspace_dependencies",
"feature flag overrides": "none",
"feature flags enabled": "28",
"log dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/log",
"mcp servers": "1",
"model": "gpt-5.5",
"model provider": "openai",
"sqlite home": "/Users/joriki/.codex"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"installation": {
"id": "installation",
"category": "install",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "installation looks consistent",
"details": {
"PATH codex #1": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
"current executable": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/node_modules/@openai/codex-darwin-arm64/vendor/aarch64-apple-darwin/codex/codex",
"install context": "npm",
"managed by bun": "false",
"managed by npm": "true",
"managed package root": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex",
"npm update target": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 68
},
"mcp.config": {
"id": "mcp.config",
"category": "mcp",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "MCP configuration is locally consistent",
"details": {
"configured servers": "1",
"disabled servers": "0",
"streamable_http servers": "1"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 3276
},
"network.env": {
"id": "network.env",
"category": "network",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "network-related environment looks readable",
"details": {
"proxy env vars": "none"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"network.provider_reachability": {
"id": "network.provider_reachability",
"category": "reachability",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP",
"details": {
"openai API base URL": "https://api.openai.com/v1 reachable (HTTP 404)",
"openai API route probe": "https://api.openai.com/v1/<redacted> route exists (HTTP 401)",
"reachability mode": "API key auth"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 583
},
"network.websocket_reachability": {
"id": "network.websocket_reachability",
"category": "websocket",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "Responses WebSocket handshake succeeded",
"details": {
"DNS": "2 IPv4, 0 IPv6, first IPv4",
"auth mode": "api_key",
"connect timeout": "15000 ms",
"endpoint": "wss://api.openai.com/v1/<redacted>",
"handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols",
"model provider": "openai",
"models etag present": "false",
"provider name": "OpenAI",
"proxy env vars": "none",
"reasoning header": "false",
"server model present": "false",
"supports websockets": "true",
"wire API": "responses"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 952
},
"runtime.provenance": {
"id": "runtime.provenance",
"category": "runtime",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "running npm on macos-aarch64",
"details": {
"commit": "unknown",
"current executable": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/node_modules/@openai/codex-darwin-arm64/vendor/aarch64-apple-darwin/codex/codex",
"install method": "npm",
"platform": "macos-aarch64",
"version": "0.131.0"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"runtime.search": {
"id": "runtime.search",
"category": "search",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "search is OK (system)",
"details": {
"search command": "rg",
"search command readiness": "ripgrep 15.1.0 (rev af60c2de9d)",
"search provider": "system"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 1
},
"sandbox.helpers": {
"id": "sandbox.helpers",
"category": "sandbox",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "sandbox configuration is readable",
"details": {
"approval policy": "OnRequest",
"codex-linux-sandbox helper": "none",
"execve wrapper helper": "/Users/joriki/.codex/tmp/arg0/codex-arg07miCaC/codex-execve-wrapper",
"filesystem sandbox": "restricted",
"network sandbox": "restricted"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"state.paths": {
"id": "state.paths",
"category": "state",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "state paths and databases are inspectable",
"details": {
"CODEX_HOME": "/Users/joriki/.codex (dir)",
"active rollout files": "596 files, 1218556145 total bytes, 2044557 average bytes",
"archived rollout files": "2 files, 58832 total bytes, 29416 average bytes",
"log DB": "/Users/joriki/.codex/logs_2.sqlite (file)",
"log DB integrity": "ok",
"log dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/log (dir)",
"sqlite home": "/Users/joriki/.codex (dir)",
"state DB": "/Users/joriki/.codex/state_5.sqlite (file)",
"state DB integrity": "ok"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 166
},
"terminal.env": {
"id": "terminal.env",
"category": "terminal",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "terminal metadata was detected",
"details": {
"DISPLAY": "present",
"TERM_PROGRAM": "Apple_Terminal",
"color output": "enabled",
"effective locale": "UTF-8",
"stderr is terminal": "true",
"stdin is terminal": "true",
"stdout is terminal": "true",
"terminal": "Apple Terminal",
"terminal size": "245x74",
"terminal version": "455"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 0
},
"updates.status": {
"id": "updates.status",
"category": "updates",
"status": "ok",
"summary": "update configuration is locally consistent",
"details": {
"cached latest version": "0.131.0",
"check for update on startup": "true",
"last checked at": "2026-05-19T04:01:18.035953Z",
"latest version": "0.131.0",
"latest version status": "current version is not older",
"npm update target": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex",
"update action": "npm install -g @openai/codex",
"version cache": "/Users/joriki/.codex/version.json"
},
"remediation": null,
"durationMs": 270
}
}
}What issue are you seeing?
Codex misreports where it loaded its instructions from.
What steps can reproduce the bug?
Follow the instructions for setting up AGENTS.md files at https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-md:
- Create an AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex, e.g.: "Please code fail-fast, not defensively. No fallbacks, backward compatibilities, tests for null/None, etc., unless I explicitly ask for them."
- Create an AGENTS.md file in the current directory, e.g.: "Always start searches in Main.java unless I specify another file."
- Run
codex --ask-for-approval never "Summarize the current instructions." - The instructions from both AGENTS.md files are summarized (so apparently they’re both being loaded).
- Run
codex --ask-for-approval never "List the instruction sources you loaded." - Various instruction sources are listed, including "User-provided AGENTS.md instructions for \<the current directory\>", but not mentioning the AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex.
- Run
codex --ask-for-approval never "List the instruction files you loaded." - The pathname of the AGENTS.md file in the current directory is listed; the AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex is not mentioned
- Ask "Where did you find the instruction to code fail-fast, not defensively?"
- Response:
- In the AGENTS.md instructions you provided for this workspace: \<working directory\>/AGENTS.md
- The exact instruction was: "\<exact quote of the instruction\>"
What is the expected behavior?
- Expected behaviour according to https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-md: "Codex reports the global file first, the repository root AGENTS.md second".
- The specific question where a particular instruction contained in ~/.codex/AGENTS.md was found should have yielded the file in ~/.codex, not the one in the current directory.
Additional information
_No response_