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already have Codex running? skip this page and go straight to set up API with your AI agent to paste the prompt.
use the Codex that runs on your computer, not the one inside chatgpt.com. the browser version runs in OpenAI’s cloud and can’t touch your files or your edgeful key. the desktop app and the terminal app below both run locally, which is what you need.
first, the one thing you must have: a paid ChatGPT plan — Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, or Enterprise, the same login you use for chatgpt.com. your plan covers Codex, so you don’t need a separate API key. Codex is free to install. there are two ways to run Codex on your machine. the desktop app is easiest if you’ve never touched a terminal. the terminal app is there if you’d rather work that way. pick one, you don’t need both.

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the easy way: the Codex desktop app

1

download and open it

  1. go to developers.openai.com/codex/app and download the app for your computer (Mac or Windows).
  2. on Mac: open the downloaded file and drag Codex into your Applications folder, then open it. on Windows: the download goes through the Microsoft Store, click Get, then launch Codex from the Start menu.
2

sign in with ChatGPT

when the app opens, choose Sign in with ChatGPT. your browser opens — log in with your paid ChatGPT account, approve, and you’re sent back. no API key needed.
3

open your project folder

choose Local mode (so Codex works on your computer, not in the cloud), then pick or create an empty folder to work in — name it edgeful. that’s it, skip ahead to “you’re ready” below.

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prefer the terminal? the Codex app for your terminal

skip this whole section if you used the desktop app above. otherwise, this installs Codex into your terminal.
1

install Codex

on Mac — open Terminal (press Cmd+Space, type Terminal, hit Enter) and paste:
terminal — macOS
on Windows — open PowerShell (search PowerShell in the Start menu) and paste:
terminal — Windows
check that it worked — you should see a version number:
terminal
installing a different way? the official package on npm is @openai/codex (a recent version of Node, v22+, is recommended). never install plain codex, that’s an unrelated, dead package and the most common mistake.
2

start it and sign in

make a folder and start Codex inside it. on Mac:
terminal — macOS
on Windows (in PowerShell):
terminal — Windows
on first run, choose Sign in with ChatGPT, log in in the browser, and you’re sent back. Codex only works inside the folder you start it in.
already use VS Code, Cursor, or a JetBrains editor? there’s an official Codex extension too — open Extensions, search Codex, and install the one published by OpenAI.

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one thing to expect

Codex asks permission before it runs a command or changes a file — you’ll see an approval prompt. that’s normal, and it’s there to keep you in control. just approve it to let Codex continue.

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you’re ready

Codex is now running on your machine. head to set up API with your AI agent and paste the prompt — it connects the edgeful API, installs the dashboard skill, and makes a verified first call. the setup prompt includes both macOS/Linux shell commands and Windows PowerShell commands.