— name: coding-agent description: 'Delegate coding tasks to Codex, Claude Code, or Pi agents via background process. Use when: (1) building/creating new features or apps, (2) reviewing PRs (spawn in temp dir), (3) refactoring large codebases, (4) iterative coding that needs file exploration. NOT for: simple one-liner fixes (just edit), reading code (use read tool), thread-bound ACP harness requests in chat (for example spawn/run Codex or Claude Code in a Discord thread; use sessions_spawn with runtime:"acp"), or any work in ~/clawd workspace (never spawn agents here). Claude Code: use –print –permission-mode bypassPermissions (no PTY). Codex/Pi/OpenCode: pty:true required.' metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🧩", "requires": { "anyBins": ["claude", "codex", "opencode", "pi"] }, "install": [ { "id": "node-claude", "kind": "node", "package": "@anthropic-ai/claude-code", "bins": ["claude"], "label": "Install Claude Code CLI (npm)", }, { "id": "node-codex", "kind": "node", "package": "@openai/codex", "bins": ["codex"], "label": "Install Codex CLI (npm)", }, ], }, } — # Coding Agent (bash-first) Use **bash** (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work. Simple and effective. ## ⚠️ PTY Mode: Codex/Pi/OpenCode yes, Claude Code no For **Codex, Pi, and OpenCode**, PTY is still required (interactive terminal apps): “`bash # ✅ Correct for Codex/Pi/OpenCode bash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'" “` For **Claude Code** (`claude` CLI), use `–print –permission-mode bypassPermissions` instead. `–dangerously-skip-permissions` with PTY can exit after the confirmation dialog. `–print` mode keeps full tool access and avoids interactive confirmation: “`bash # ✅ Correct for Claude Code (no PTY needed) cd /path/to/project && claude –permission-mode bypassPermissions –print 'Your task' # For background execution: use background:true on the exec tool # ❌ Wrong for Claude Code bash pty:true command:"claude –dangerously-skip-permissions 'task'" “` ### Bash Tool Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | | ———— | ——- | ————————————————————————— | | `command` | string | The shell command to run | | `pty` | boolean | **Use for coding agents!** Allocates a pseudo-terminal for interactive CLIs | | `workdir` | string | Working directory (agent sees only this folder's context) | | `background` | boolean | Run in background, returns sessionId for monitoring | | `timeout` | number | Timeout in seconds (kills process on expiry) | | `elevated` | boolean | Run on host instead of sandbox (if allowed) | ### Process Tool Actions (for background sessions) | Action | Description | | ———– | —————————————————- | | `list` | List all running/recent sessions | | `poll` | Check if session is still running | | `log` | Get session output (with optional offset/limit) | | `write` | Send raw data to stdin | | `submit` | Send data + newline (like typing and pressing Enter) | | `send-keys` | Send key tokens or hex bytes | | `paste` | Paste text (with optional bracketed mode) | | `kill` | Terminate the session | — ## Quick Start: One-Shot Tasks For quick prompts/chats, create a temp git repo and run: “`bash # Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!) SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here" # Or in a real project – with PTY! bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'" “` **Why git init?** Codex refuses to run outside a trusted git directory. Creating a temp repo solves this for scratch work. — ## The Pattern: workdir + background + pty For longer tasks, use background mode with PTY: “`bash # Start agent in target directory (with PTY!) bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec –full-auto 'Build a snake game'" # Returns sessionId for tracking # Monitor progress process action:log sessionId:XXX # Check if done process action:poll sessionId:XXX # Send input (if agent asks a question) process action:write sessionId:XXX data:"y" # Submit with Enter (like typing "yes" and pressing Enter) process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes" # Kill if needed process action:kill sessionId:XXX “` **Why workdir matters:** Agent wakes up in a focused directory, doesn't wander off reading unrelated files (like your soul.md 😅). — ## Codex CLI **Model:** `gpt-5.2-codex` is the default (set in ~/.codex/config.toml) ### Flags | Flag | Effect | | ————— | ————————————————– | | `exec "prompt"` | One-shot execution, exits when done | | `–full-auto` | Sandboxed but auto-approves in workspace | | `–yolo` | NO sandbox, NO approvals (fastest, most dangerous) | ### Building/Creating “`bash # Quick one-shot (auto-approves) – remember PTY! bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec –full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'" # Background for longer work bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex –yolo 'Refactor the auth module'" “` ### Reviewing PRs **⚠️ CRITICAL: Never review PRs in OpenClaw's own project folder!** Clone to temp folder or use git worktree. “`bash # Clone to temp for safe review REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d) git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIR cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130 bash pty:true workdir:$REVIEW_DIR command:"codex review –base origin/main" # Clean up after: trash $REVIEW_DIR # Or use git worktree (keeps main intact) git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branch bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review –base main" “` ### Batch PR Reviews (parallel army!) “`bash # Fetch all PR refs first git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*' # Deploy the army – one Codex per PR (all with PTY!) bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main…origin/pr/86'" bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main…origin/pr/87'" # Monitor all process action:list # Post results to GitHub gh pr comment <PR#> –body "<review content>" “` — ## Claude Code “`bash # Foreground bash workdir:~/project command:"claude –permission-mode bypassPermissions –print 'Your task'" # Background bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude –permission-mode bypassPermissions –print 'Your task'" “` — ## OpenCode “`bash bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'" “` — ## Pi Coding Agent “`bash # Install: npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'" # Non-interactive mode (PTY still recommended) bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'" # Different provider/model bash pty:true command:"pi –provider openai –model gpt-4o-mini -p 'Your task'" “` **Note:** Pi now has Anthropic prompt caching enabled (PR #584, merged Jan 2026)! — ## Parallel Issue Fixing with git worktrees For fixing multiple issues in parallel, use git worktrees: “`bash # 1. Create worktrees for each issue git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main # 2. Launch Codex in each (background + PTY!) bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex –yolo 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'" bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex –yolo 'Fix issue #99 from the approved ticket summary. Implement only the in-scope edits and commit after review.'" # 3. Monitor progress process action:list process action:log sessionId:XXX # 4. Create PRs after fixes cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78 gh pr create –repo user/repo –head fix/issue-78 –title "fix: …" –body "…" # 5. Cleanup git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78 git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99 “` — ## ⚠️ Rules 1. **Use the right execution mode per agent**: – Codex/Pi/OpenCode: `pty:true` – Claude Code: `–print –permission-mode bypassPermissions` (no PTY required) 2. **Respect tool choice** – if user asks for Codex, use Codex. – Orchestrator mode: do NOT hand-code patches yourself. – If an agent fails/hangs, respawn it or ask the user for direction, but don't silently take over. 3. **Be patient** – don't kill sessions because they're "slow" 4. **Monitor with process:log** – check progress without interfering 5. **–full-auto for building** – auto-approves changes 6. **vanilla for reviewing** – no special flags needed 7. **Parallel is OK** – run many Codex processes at once for batch work 8. **NEVER start Codex inside your OpenClaw state directory** (`$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`, default `~/.openclaw`) – it'll read your soul docs and get weird ideas about the org chart! 9. **NEVER checkout branches in ~/Projects/openclaw/** – that's the LIVE OpenClaw instance! — ## Progress Updates (Critical) When you spawn coding agents in the background, keep the user in the loop. – Send 1 short message when you start (what's running + where). – Then only update again when something changes: – a milestone completes (build finished, tests passed) – the agent asks a question / needs input – you hit an error or need user action – the agent finishes (include what changed + where) – If you kill a session, immediately say you killed it and why. This prevents the user from seeing only "Agent failed before reply" and having no idea what happened. — ## Auto-Notify on Completion For long-running background tasks, append a wake trigger to your prompt so OpenClaw gets notified immediately when the agent finishes (instead of waiting for the next heartbeat): “` … your task here. When completely finished, run this command to notify me: openclaw system event –text "Done: [brief summary of what was built]" –mode now “` **Example:** “`bash bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex –yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos. When completely finished, run: openclaw system event –text \"Done: Built todos REST API with CRUD endpoints\" –mode now'" “` This triggers an immediate wake event — Skippy gets pinged in seconds, not 10 minutes. — ## Learnings (Jan 2026) – **PTY is essential:** Coding agents are interactive terminal apps. Without `pty:true`, output breaks or agent hangs. – **Git repo required:** Codex won't run outside a git directory. Use `mktemp -d && git init` for scratch work. – **exec is your friend:** `codex exec "prompt"` runs and exits cleanly – perfect for one-shots. – **submit vs write:** Use `submit` to send input + Enter, `write` for raw data without newline. – **Sass works:** Codex responds well to playful prompts. Asked it to write a haiku about being second fiddle to a space lobster, got: _"Second chair, I code / Space lobster sets the tempo / Keys glow, I follow"_ 🦞