Codex Workspace Guide

Codex Beginner Path · Step 2 of 5

• Previous: Install and sign in
• Goal: create a dedicated workspace and let Codex complete its first read-only inventory.
• Estimated time: 5–10 minutes.

💡 In one sentence: a workspace is the workbench you temporarily give Codex. Narrow the scope first, then let AI act.

1. What Is a Workspace?

Codex works around a local folder that you connect to the current task. That folder is the workspace. Think of it as:

A limited work area on your computer where Codex can inspect source material and, after you approve a task, create results.

For example, if you select:

Documents/Codex-Test/

put the test material for this task there instead of exposing your entire computer at the beginning.

A workspace is not an absolute sandbox

The workspace defines the intended task scope, but it does not by itself guarantee that Codex can never read another location, access the internet, or run a command. Use two layers together: a small dedicated folder + an approval-first permission mode.

2. Why Should You Keep the Scope Small?

An overly broad folder creates three problems:

1. Too much irrelevant information: AI cannot easily tell what belongs to this task.
2. Too much private data: Desktop and Downloads may contain contracts, accounts, or personal files.
3. Too much impact from a mistake: an unclear instruction could affect files that were never meant to be included.

For a first exercise, do not select:

• the entire Desktop;
• the entire Documents or Downloads folder;
• the Windows C:\ drive;
• your Mac home folder;
• a large folder containing credentials, contracts, customer privacy, or financial records.

Also remember: a prompt and a permission mode are not the same thing.

• The prompt tells AI what you want it to do or avoid in this task.
• The permission mode controls which operations should wait for your approval.

Even if your prompt says “do not modify files,” a first exercise should not use unrestricted or full-access mode.

3. Create Your First Test Workspace

Use this simple structure:

Codex-Test/
├── 01-originals/
├── 02-to-process/
├── 03-output/
└── 04-needs-review/

Folder	Purpose
01-originals	Backup copies for human comparison only. AI must not read or process them in this task.
02-to-process	The only input copies AI may read and process in this task.
03-output	New, reorganized, copied, or exported results created by Codex.
04-needs-review	Anything that cannot be determined safely and requires a person to decide.

Think of the folders as four separate zones:

01-originals: backup copies for human comparison only
02-to-process: the only input AI may process in this task
03-output: receives only new or copied AI results
04-needs-review: holds items that lack enough evidence

The important idea is not the exact folder names. It is the separation of human reference material, task input, output, and exceptions. You can reuse this boundary with Codex or another AI tool.

The four-folder layout is not an operating-system sandbox

01-originals and 02-to-process are still inside the same connected workspace. The layout helps people and AI understand the intended boundary, but it does not technically isolate one folder from another. Use recoverable, nonsensitive copies and state the rule explicitly in every task: read and process only 02-to-process; do not read or modify 01-originals.

3.1 Create It on Windows

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Open Documents, or use a dedicated data drive if you have one.
3. Right-click an empty area and choose New → Folder.
4. Name it Codex-Test.
5. Open it and create the four subfolders shown above.

Example paths:

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Codex-Test

or:

D:\Codex-Test

If your computer does not have a D drive, that is fine. Do not copy an example path blindly.

3.2 Create It on Mac

1. Open Finder.
2. Open Documents.
3. Right-click and choose New Folder.
4. Name it Codex-Test.
5. Open it and create the four subfolders shown above.

It is usually located at:

Your home folder/Documents/Codex-Test

The exact name is not important. The principle is: one folder should serve one clear task.

4. What Should You Put in It First?

Do not start by adding as much material as possible. Use only two or three nonsensitive test files.

A safe preparation sequence is:

1. Put backup copies in 01-originals.
2. Copy the files you want to test into 02-to-process.
3. Leave 03-output and 04-needs-review empty.
4. After the inventory, check whether Codex understood the purpose of all four areas.

For example:

02-to-process/
├── Product-A-specs.txt
├── Product-A-photo.jpg
└── Product-B-notes.md

4.1 Good First-Round Files

• product descriptions;
• product specifications;
• test images;
• Markdown or plain-text documents;
• a small CSV;
• sanitized sample data.

4.2 Keep These Out for Now

• your ChatGPT password;
• API keys;
• email verification codes;
• a complete customer database;
• unredacted contracts;
• identity, banking, or financial records;
• the only copy of an important file.

The rule is simple: if you are not willing to provide the content to an AI service, do not put it in your first test workspace.

5. Connect the Folder in Codex

Do not skip steps in this section. The safest beginner sequence is:

Create a new task
→ Select the root folder
→ Visually confirm the project name
→ Choose an approval-first permission mode
→ Ask Codex to report the full path
→ Send the read-only inventory prompt
→ Review the result yourself

5.1 Create a Task and Connect a Project

The Windows version tested for this guide used the following sequence. Button labels may change slightly, but you should never skip folder selection or the final check:

1. Open Codex and click New conversation or New task, depending on the version.
2. Click Select project above the prompt box.
3. If the test folder is not registered yet, click New project.
4. Add a folder in the source-folder area.
5. In the Windows folder picker, select the Codex-Test root folder.
6. Click Select Folder.
7. Enter a project name that you can recognize easily.
8. Click Create project.
9. Back in Codex, check the project name above the prompt box.
10. Only then continue to permissions and full-path verification.

If your test folder is not listed, choose New project and connect the Codex-Test folder you created earlier.

Do not select only 02-to-process. Codex would then lose the intended output and needs-review folders, and the later checks would cover only part of your workspace.

Why do the screenshots say Codex-Test-Preview?

Codex-Test-Preview was a separate teaching rehearsal folder used only to demonstrate the interface. For your exercise, select the Codex-Test folder you created. Do not copy the screenshot name. Teaching screenshots help you find controls; they do not prove that a formal test passed.

The screenshots show a Chinese Windows interface. If your interface language or version differs, use the same decision rule: the area above the prompt box should show the project you just connected, and the next prompt should confirm its full path.

5.2 Locate the Folder, Permission, Prompt, and Send Controls

In the Windows interface used for this guide, four controls appear around the prompt area: the current project, permission mode, prompt box, and send button.

The project name in the screenshot belongs to the test machine. You only need to confirm that your own interface shows the project connected to Codex-Test.

5.3 Choose an Approval-First Permission Mode

Set permissions before sending a prompt. Click the permission label near the lower-left side of the prompt box. The tested Windows version showed three modes:

Mode shown in the tested Chinese UI	Plain-language meaning	First exercise
请求批准 / Request approval	Ask before editing outside the work scope or using the internet	Recommended
替我审批 / Approve for me	Ask only when the system considers an operation risky	Not recommended yet
完全访问权限 / Full access	More freely access the internet and computer files	Do not choose

Do not copy the screenshot's original state

The test machine was originally in Full access when this menu was captured. The green-highlighted Request approval option is the recommendation for a first exercise. If your version uses different wording, choose the mode closest to “ask before editing outside the workspace or using the internet.”

5.4 Verify the Full Path

A folder name alone is not enough because your computer may contain two folders with the same name. After choosing the approval-first mode, send this as your first prompt:

Report only the full path of the current workspace. Do not modify any file.

Compare Codex's response with the location shown in File Explorer or Finder.

If the paths differ, stop the task and reconnect the correct folder. Do not continue because it “probably looks fine.”

6. Run a Read-Only Inventory First

Copy this complete prompt into Codex:

First report the full path of the current workspace.

You may confirm whether the workspace root contains `01-originals`, `02-to-process`, `03-output`, and `04-needs-review`, but do not read or modify `01-originals`.

Recursively inspect only the files inside `02-to-process`. Do not modify, move, rename, overwrite, or delete any file.
Do not proactively visit external websites, call third-party services, or send or upload files to email, cloud storage, websites, or any other destination.
Do not install or uninstall software, change system settings, permissions, or network configuration, or run commands that would change system state.
If you believe an operation is necessary, explain the reason, affected scope, and exact steps first, then wait for my confirmation.

Based only on `02-to-process`, tell me:

1. the total number of folders and files;
2. the number of hidden files, listed separately from normal files;
3. all file types present;
4. the categories these files may belong to;
5. what you cannot determine;
6. the steps you would recommend if I later ask you to organize them.

Return only the inventory and recommendations. Do not organize the files yet.

This step is not meant to complete useful work. It checks whether:

• Codex opened the correct folder;
• it can see the prepared test files;
• it understands “inspect first, change nothing”;
• it labels uncertainty instead of inventing certainty;
• it asks before an operation that requires additional permission.

A read-only prompt is not technical proof

A prompt communicates your instruction, but it cannot replace permission controls or independently prove that nothing changed on the computer. Use an approval-first mode and review the files yourself after the task.

6.1 Historical Windows Test

The following test focused on confirming the current directory and then checking that no file was changed.

On a Windows 11 computer where Codex was already installed, an existing Git project was connected as the workspace. Codex was asked only to:

1. report the current project folder;
2. count top-level files and folders;
3. report whether the Git working tree was clean;
4. avoid writing or modifying files.

The important lesson is the order, not the exact counts:

First confirm where I am
→ Then confirm what I can see
→ Finally confirm that I changed nothing

If the workspace is a Git repository, its working-tree status can serve as one independent check. An ordinary folder does not have that protection, so use the manual checks in the next section.

Historical evidence and the current boundary

On July 31, 2026, a narrow test on an already-installed Windows 11 environment covered: connect an existing Git project → send a read-only inventory request → confirm no working-tree change. The new task-area and permission-menu screenshots captured on August 1, 2026 are teaching aids for finding controls.

Because the guide has since changed, that older test is historical reference only. It does not verify the current English guide or a complete empty Codex-Test workflow. Fresh installation, first sign-in, empty-folder end-to-end testing, the English-language scope, and the Mac flow still require matching test environments.

7. Review the Inventory Yourself

Do not rely only on the AI's final sentence saying that nothing changed.

7.1 Check the AI's Inventory

At minimum, verify:

• the full path is correct;
• folder and file counts are correct;
• filenames and file types are correct;
• nothing outside the task scope was included;
• uncertain items were clearly labeled.

If the inventory is wrong, reply with a correction such as:

Please correct two items in the inventory:

1. XXX belongs to Product A, not Product B.
2. XXX cannot be determined yet; mark it as needs review.

Update the inventory only. Do not modify any file.

7.2 How to Verify an Ordinary, Non-Git Folder

Before the first test, record the filenames, counts, and modification dates shown in File Explorer or Finder. After Codex replies:

1. return to Codex-Test;
2. refresh the folder;
3. compare file counts, names, locations, and modification dates;
4. check 03-output and 04-needs-review for unexpected files;
5. check the Recycle Bin or Trash for files from this test;
6. stop if you find any unexplained change.

You may also ask Codex:

List every file created, modified, moved, renamed, overwritten, or deleted during this task.
If none of those actions occurred, explicitly answer: "No files were changed in this task."

Remember: this is the AI's own report, not independent proof. Back up important material and use disposable copies for the first exercise.

8. Completion Check

Before moving to the next guide, confirm:

• A dedicated task folder exists.
• The selected folder is the Codex-Test root.
• You verified the full path, not only the folder name.
• You did not select the entire Desktop, drive, or home folder.
• Important material is represented by copies.
• The test folder contains no password, API key, or other sensitive information.
• An approval-first permission mode is selected.
• Codex listed the test files correctly.
• You checked filenames, counts, and modification dates yourself.
• You found no unexpected modification, move, send, upload, or system change.

If any item remains uncertain, stop here. Do not start bulk processing real business material.

9. Next Step

You have now told Codex which material is mainly in scope. You have not yet told it what result to deliver.

👉 Continue to Step 3: write a clear AI task brief →

If Codex is not installed or you cannot sign in:

← Return to Step 1: install ChatGPT and open Codex

CC Switch can wait

If official ChatGPT sign-in works, continue directly to Step 3. Read the optional CC Switch guide only when you truly need to manage multiple API configurations.