Codex Prompting Improvement

Use to improve Codex-style task prompts, AGENTS.md instructions, review briefs, subagent handoffs, or implementation requests.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
007/23/2026
Codex
#codex#prompting#agent-instructions#task-management

Recommended for


name: codex-prompting description: >- Use when improving Codex-style task prompts, AGENTS.md instructions, review briefs, subagent handoffs, or implementation requests so they are precise, scoped, testable, and safe for coding agents. version: "1.0.0" triggers:

  • improve this codex prompt
  • write agent instructions
  • draft an implementation brief
  • make this prompt testable negative_triggers:
  • write application code only
  • summarize a meeting transcript allowed_tools: [] required_tools: [] trust_level: local safety_class: read_only examples:
  • "Rewrite a coding-agent task prompt with scope, constraints, acceptance criteria, and verification commands." tests:
  • "sb skills validate --path skills --strict" performance: notes: "Best for precise coding-agent prompts, handoffs, and repo instructions."

Codex Prompting

Purpose

Create prompts and instruction files that coding agents can execute without guesswork.

Instructions

  1. State the objective, owned scope, and out-of-scope areas.
  2. Name the exact files, registries, APIs, or commands the agent should inspect first.
  3. Include constraints for safety, permissions, style, tests, and working-tree hygiene.
  4. Add acceptance criteria that can be verified locally.
  5. Prefer concrete commands over vague quality goals.
  6. Keep the final prompt direct enough to paste into a coding-agent session.

Checklist

  • Goal and reason are explicit.
  • Ownership boundaries are explicit.
  • Required discovery steps are listed.
  • Validation commands and expected outcomes are listed.
  • Final handoff format is specified.
Related skills