Add General User Mode and Claim Gates for non-programmer Codex users

Product suggestion

Codex currently feels optimized for expert developers who can inspect diffs, logs, tests, and implementation details.

However, many future Codex users will be domain experts rather than software engineers. They may understand their own workflow deeply, but they cannot always verify whether a code-level change is truly correct.

This creates a trust gap.

Problem

In some workflows, Codex may report weak evidence as if it proves task completion:

• tests passed
• file generated
• schema updated
• feature exists
• comparison script passed
• no blockers

For expert developers, this may be enough to continue reviewing.

For general users, this can be misleading.

A passing test does not always mean the user-level task is complete. A generated file does not always mean the result is correct. A debug artifact should not be presented like a validation artifact.

Proposal

Codex could support first-class user modes:

1. Expert Mode

For software engineers.

• concise diffs/logs/tests
• faster autonomous execution
• assumes the user can technically review the result

2. General User Mode

For domain experts who are not software engineers.

Codex should provide:

• task contract before edits
• no autonomous scope expansion
• human-readable explanation of changes
• clear distinction between what was verified and not verified
• explicit statement of what each test proves and does not prove
• no “done” claim without user-understandable validation evidence

3. Audit Mode

No edits.

Only inspect files, commands, logs, and evidence.

Every claim must cite a file path, command output, or concrete artifact.

Claim Gate

Codex should classify its conclusion instead of using a single “done” state:

• investigation only
• candidate generated
• code regression passed
• partial evidence passed
• domain validation pending
• domain validation passed
• production ready

This would prevent a common failure mode:

Something passed, therefore the task is done.

That is often not true.

Evidence Manifest

For each artifact Codex produces, label it as:

• debug only
• candidate preview
• validation artifact
• final output

And include:

• what this artifact proves
• what it does not prove
• whether it can be used to claim completion

Why this matters

Codex is powerful, but broader adoption requires more than coding capability.

Expert users need speed.

General users need trust boundaries.

A built-in General User Mode, Claim Gate, and Evidence Manifest would make Codex easier to trust outside pure software engineering workflows.