OpenAI Codex Goals Best Practices

When to Apply

• Deciding whether a task warrants a

  /goal

  or a normal prompt
• Drafting or strengthening a

  /goal

  invocation
• Reviewing a Goal someone else wrote before activating it
• Debugging a Goal that completed against the wrong verification surface
• Setting up a research Goal where exact proof may not be available
• Managing Goal lifecycle (pause, resume, clear) across thread sessions
• Writing the iteration policy or blocked stop condition for a long-running Goal
• Diagnosing a Goal that hit its budget without completing

Rule Categories by Priority

fit-

outcome-

verify-

bound-

life-

evidence-

craft-

research-

Quick Reference

1. Goal Fit Decisions (CRITICAL)

• fit-when-to-use

  — Use a Goal When the Finish Line Is Clear but the Path Is Uncertain

• fit-three-required-properties

  — Require Three Properties Before Setting a Goal — Durable Objective, Evidence Finish Line, Multi-Turn Path

• fit-prompt-vs-goal

  — Choose a Prompt for Single-Turn Work, a Goal for Outcome-Driven Continuation

• fit-skip-for-vague-targets

  — Skip a Goal When the Finish Line Is Vague

2. Outcome Definition (CRITICAL)

• outcome-measurable-end-state

  — State the Outcome as a Measurable End State, Not an Activity

• outcome-quantify-thresholds

  — Pin Thresholds with Numbers, Not Relative Comparatives

• outcome-narrow-but-discoverable

  — Make the Outcome Narrow Enough to Audit, Broad Enough to Allow Discovery

• outcome-name-the-artifact

  — For Generated Artifacts, Name the Artifact and Its Validity Conditions

3. Verification Surface (CRITICAL)

• verify-name-the-surface

  — Always Name the Verification Surface Inside the Goal

• verify-include-constraints

  — Include Constraints That Must Not Regress Alongside the Primary Metric

• verify-multiple-checks-when-needed

  — Use Multiple Verification Surfaces When a Single Check Is Insufficient

• verify-surface-must-be-runnable

  — The Verification Surface Must Be Something Codex Can Actually Run or Inspect

4. Boundaries & Iteration (HIGH)

• bound-tools-and-files

  — Bound the Files, Tools, and Repositories Codex May Use

• bound-iteration-policy

  — Define an Iteration Policy — How Codex Chooses the Next Experiment Between Turns

• bound-blocked-stop-condition

  — Define a Blocked Stop Condition — What to Report When No Defensible Path Remains

• bound-respect-budget

  — Treat the Budget Limit as Halt-and-Summarize, Not Extend

5. Lifecycle Commands (HIGH)

• life-set-with-slash-goal

  — Set a Goal with

  /goal <text>

  — Available from Codex 0.128.0

• life-pause-during-detours

  — Pause the Goal Before Unrelated Detours, Resume When Returning

• life-clear-stale-goals

  — Clear Stale Goals on Resumed Threads

• life-inspect-with-slash-goal

  — Use Bare

  /goal

  to Inspect Current Objective and State Before Continuation

6. Evidence-Based Completion (HIGH)

• evidence-audit-before-completion

  — Audit the Objective Against Concrete Evidence Before Marking a Goal Complete

• evidence-budget-is-not-completion

  — Reaching the Budget Limit Is Not the Same as Completing the Objective

• evidence-honest-blockers

  — Surface Blockers Explicitly — Never Substitute a Proxy for the Asked Claim

7. Crafting Strong Goals (MEDIUM)

• craft-six-components

  — Define Six Components in Every Strong Goal — Outcome, Verification, Constraints, Boundaries, Iteration Policy, Blocked Stop

• craft-template-pattern

  — Use the Canonical "verified by … while preserving … Use … Between iterations … If blocked …" Pattern

• craft-let-codex-draft-it

  — Ask Codex to Draft the Goal from a Plain-Language Description, Then Tighten

• craft-strengthen-weak-goals

  — Strengthen a Weak Goal by Naming the End State, Verification Surface, and Constraints

8. Research Goals & Anti-Patterns (MEDIUM)

• research-define-evidence-standard-first

  — For Research Goals, Define the Evidence Standard Before Investigation Begins

• research-build-claim-inventory

  — Decompose Research Goals into a Claim Inventory Mapped to Evidence Channels

• research-preserve-epistemic-ledger

  — Final Report Must Preserve Epistemic Levels Per Claim — Use a Structured Ledger Entry

• research-anti-patterns

  — Avoid the Three Common Goal Anti-Patterns — Keep-Going Wishes, Hidden Uncertainty, Overclaim on Proxy

How to Use

• Section definitions — Category structure and impact levels
• Rule template — Template for adding new rules

• A 2-4 sentence explanation of WHY the rule matters
• An "Incorrect" example of a weak Goal or anti-pattern
• A "Correct" example showing how to strengthen it
• Reference back to the cookbook section it derives from

Reference Files

build-agents-md.js