Collaborating with Claude Code (Codex)

Collaborating with Claude Code (Codex)

Use Claude Code CLI as a collaborator while keeping Codex as the primary implementer.

This skill provides a lightweight bridge script (scripts/claude_bridge.py) that returns structured JSON and supports multi-turn sessions via SESSION_ID.

When to use

• You want a second opinion (design tradeoffs, edge cases, missing tests).
• You want Claude to propose or review a unified diff (Claude does not edit files).
• You want multi-turn back-and-forth while you implement locally.

When not to use

• The task is trivial or one-shot (do it directly in Codex).
• You need authoritative facts that require browsing/citations (Claude may guess).
• You might paste sensitive data (secrets, private keys, prod logs).

Core rules

• Claude is a collaborator; you own the final result and must verify changes locally.
• Do not invoke claude directly; always use the bridge script (scripts/claude_bridge.py) so output/session handling stays consistent.
• Prefer file/line references over pasting snippets. Run the bridge with --cd set to the repo root (it sets the claude process working directory); use --add-dir when Claude needs access to additional directories.
• For code changes, request Unified Diff Patch ONLY and forbid direct file modification.
• Always run the bridge script with --help first if you are unsure of parameters.
• Always capture SESSION_ID and reuse it for follow-ups to keep the collaboration conversation-aware.
• For automation, prefer --SESSION_ID (resume). Session selectors are mutually exclusive: choose one of --SESSION_ID, --continue, or --session-id.
• Keep a short Collaboration State Capsule updated while this skill is active.
• Default timeout: when invoking via the Codex command runner, set timeout_ms to 600000 (10 minutes) unless a shorter/longer timeout is explicitly required.
• Default model: prefer sonnet for routine work; use opus only for complex tasks or when explicitly requested.
• Ensure Claude Code is logged in before running headless commands (run claude and /login once if needed).
• Streamed JSON requires --verbose; the bridge enables this automatically.

Model selection

Claude Code supports model aliases, so you can use --model sonnet / --model opus instead of hard-coding versioned model IDs.

• If you omit --model, Claude Code uses its configured default (typically from ~/.claude/settings.json, optionally overridden by .claude/settings.json and .claude/settings.local.json).
• If you need strict reproducibility, pass a full model name via --model <full-name>.

Quick start (shell-safe)

⚠️ If your prompt contains Markdown backticks (`like/this`), do not pass it directly via --PROMPT "..." (your shell may treat backticks as command substitution). Use a heredoc instead; see references/shell-quoting.md.