Openai Upgrades Codex To Automate Your Workflows - And Compete Better With Claude Code

OpenAI / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Codex plugins purpose to standardize repeatable AI workflows.
• Marketplace plans awesome a broader ecosystem and sharing strategy.
• OpenAI moves to compete much straight pinch Claude Code.

OpenAI is introducing plugins for its Codex improvement tool. This move is important because it gives Codex immoderate features that person already been disposable to Claude Code users for a while.

Also: I sewage 4 years of merchandise improvement done successful 4 days for $200, and I'm still stunned

I person utilized some Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex to augment my package improvement efforts. These devices person been astonishing productivity boosters. 

While some person subtly different personalities and capabilities, I can't mostly opportunity I for illustration 1 complete nan other. Both are coagulated members of my improvement team. It's not for illustration I'd for illustration hanging retired aft activity pinch 1 and not nan other.

Also: Claude Code made an astonishing $1B successful 6 months - and my ain AI-coded iPhone app shows why

I suppose I do somewhat for illustration Claude Code, but that's because I tin get my activity done connected nan $100/month Max plan, whereas Codex originates astatine $200/month. 

There is 1 different factor, though, and I'm judge OpenAI feels it. Every programmer I talk to uses Claude Code. So far, of each nan programmers I've talked to successful nan wide programming populace, not 1 has said they're a Codex user.

In fact, a fewer times erstwhile I've mentioned I usage Codex, I've gotten pushback that I should usage Claude. The reality is that I usage Claude for Apple development and Codex for WordPress development. I request to constitute astir both. Dividing them by task type makes it easier to manage.

What's been announced

Skills, successful some Claude Code and Codex, are fundamentally prompts pinch names. Think of them almost arsenic batch commands. You pre-write a bid of instructions, and you telephone those instructions by a fixed name, nan sanction of nan skill. Codex introduced skills arsenic a feature back successful December.

Also: OpenAI's caller GPT-5.3-Codex is 25% faster and goes measurement beyond coding now - what's new

Plugins are much in-depth solutions, disposable to a wider audience. While you tin stock skills, galore developers usage them locally and creation them conscionable for their ain use. Plugins are afloat solutions pinch skills, resources, and connectors successful a shareable package.

I deliberation nan sanction "plugin" is confusing. Historically, plugins person been add-on pieces of codification that widen nan capabilities of nan guidelines product. Anthropic started packaging solutions kits (like AI for HR folks aliases AI for wealthiness management) utilizing nan sanction "plugins." OpenAI, intelligibly successful a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses push, decided to telephone their packaged solutions "plugins" arsenic well.

Expanding Codex

In immoderate case, OpenAI's plugins package skills and integrations together truthful that various solutions activity arsenic turnkey capabilities. This attack helps OpenAI position Codex arsenic thing that goes beyond specified coding. It expands Codex arsenic nan agentic unit down planning, research, coordination, and post-development workflows.

Also: I did 24 days of coding successful 12 hours pinch a $20 AI instrumentality - but there's 1 large pitfall

The cardinal thought is that plugins thief make Codex much useful crossed a broader scope of real-world tasks. The plugin architecture utilized by Codex bundles repeatable workflows pinch app integrations, providing a much complete workflow solution wrong nan Codex environment.

OpenAI differentiates betwixt nan times to usage skills aliases plugins:

OpenAI recommends, "Start local, past package nan workflow arsenic a plugin erstwhile you are fresh to stock it."

Standardizing really activity gets done

According to OpenAI, "Users tin instal nan workflow they really want, alternatively of stitching together abstracted integrations and capabilities themselves." Developers tin widen Codex for individual use, for their teams, aliases for nationalist sharing. Those extended offerings tin thief supply a much unified experience, particularly among improvement teams.

I tin spot nan worth successful this attack for larger teams, and moreover for solo developers for illustration myself. One of nan gotchas pinch AI is nan imaginable for advertisement hoc outputs, because AIs nutrient results based connected conclusion alternatively than an algorithm. That process intends that AI-powered solutions aren't arsenic repeatable aliases predictable arsenic galore of america need.

Also: 10 ChatGPT Codex secrets I only learned aft 60 hours of brace programming pinch it

By packaging solutions pinch a operation of skills and integrations, OpenAI and Anthropic are now offering a amended measurement to standardize high-value processes without having to rebuild individual setups 1 astatine a clip -- and without guessing whether what worked erstwhile will ever activity again.

The marketplace paradigm

In OpenAI's announcement blog post, nan institution mentions nan connection "marketplace" 41 times. That's because OpenAI considers a marketplace to beryllium immoderate cataloged relationship of plugins, whether they're installed locally connected your computer, connected a server utilized by your team, aliases successful a much charismatic app store-style marketplace tally by OpenAI.

OpenAI said, "Adding plugins to nan charismatic Plugin Directory is coming soon." It's not clear whether nan charismatic Plugin Directory will beryllium an hold of nan ChatGPT apps directory or thing altogether different.

According to OpenAI, "Plugins are discoverable successful nan directory successful nan Codex app, wherever builders tin browse and instal a curated group of plugins. There are presently much than 20 plugins disposable successful nan Codex app, CLI, and VS Code extension, including Figma, Notion, Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, and more."

Also: I utilized GPT-5.2-Codex to find a enigma bug and hosting nightmare - it was beyond fast

When I opened my Codex app while penning this article, I did not find a abstracted plugins directory. There is simply a Skill section, but erstwhile I searched it for Slack, I didn't find an entry. I'm guessing much integrated plugin find will beryllium added to nan Codex app successful nan coming days. I've reached retired to nan institution for much details. I'll update this article erstwhile they get backmost to me.

Platform ambitions return style

OpenAI has intelligibly taken announcement of really Claude Code has go much than conscionable a coding instrumentality -- it's becoming an wide agentic workhorse crossed aggregate disciplines. With plugins, OpenAI is moving Codex distant from being solely a developer instrumentality to becoming a broader activity level that integrates devices and workflows.

Additionally, OpenAI is strengthening its squad and endeavor offerings by incorporating Codex into a semipermanent ecosystem strategy built astir agents, discovery, and reuse.

What astir you? Have you tried utilizing AI coding devices for illustration Codex aliases Claude Code? If so, really do they fresh into your workflow? Do you spot worth successful packaging repeatable workflows arsenic plugins, aliases do you for illustration keeping things much elastic and advertisement hoc? How important is simply a marketplace of shared devices and integrations to you? Would you spot workflows created by others? Finally, do you deliberation devices for illustration Codex are evolving beyond coding into afloat activity platforms, aliases is that a measurement excessively far? Let america cognize successful nan comments below.

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