Openai Docs

If MCP server is missing

If MCP tools fail or no OpenAI docs resources are available:

1. Run the install command yourself: codex mcp add openaiDeveloperDocs --url https://developers.openai.com/mcp
2. If it fails due to permissions/sandboxing, immediately retry the same command with escalated permissions and include a 1-sentence justification for approval. Do not ask the user to run it yet.
3. Only if the escalated attempt fails, ask the user to run the install command.
4. Ask the user to restart Codex.
5. Re-run the doc search/fetch after restart.

Workflow

1. Clarify the product scope (Codex, OpenAI API, or ChatGPT Apps SDK) and the task.
2. Search docs with a precise query.
3. Fetch the best page and the specific section needed (use anchor when possible).
4. Answer with concise guidance and cite the doc source.
5. Provide code snippets only when the docs support them.

Quality rules

• Treat OpenAI docs as the source of truth; avoid speculation.
• Keep quotes short and within policy limits; prefer paraphrase with citations.
• If multiple pages differ, call out the difference and cite both.
• If docs do not cover the user’s need, say so and offer next steps.

Tooling notes

• Always use MCP doc tools before any web search for OpenAI-related questions.
• If the MCP server is installed but returns no meaningful results, then use web search as a fallback.
• When falling back to web search, restrict to official OpenAI domains (developers.openai.com, platform.openai.com) and cite sources.