Coding Agent (bash-first)

Use bash (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work. Simple and effective.

⚠️ PTY Mode Required!

Coding agents (Codex, Claude Code, Pi) are interactive terminal applications that need a pseudo-terminal (PTY) to work correctly. Without PTY, you'll get broken output, missing colors, or the agent may hang.

Always usepty:true when running coding agents:

# ✅ Correct - with PTYbash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"# ❌ Wrong - no PTY, agent may breakbash command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"

Bash Tool Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
`command`	string	The shell command to run
`pty`	boolean	Use for coding agents! Allocates a pseudo-terminal for interactive CLIs
`workdir`	string	Working directory (agent sees only this folder's context)
`background`	boolean	Run in background, returns sessionId for monitoring
`timeout`	number	Timeout in seconds (kills process on expiry)
`elevated`	boolean	Run on host instead of sandbox (if allowed)

Process Tool Actions (for background sessions)

Action	Description
`list`	List all running/recent sessions
`poll`	Check if session is still running
`log`	Get session output (with optional offset/limit)
`write`	Send raw data to stdin
`submit`	Send data + newline (like typing and pressing Enter)
`send-keys`	Send key tokens or hex bytes
`paste`	Paste text (with optional bracketed mode)
`kill`	Terminate the session

Quick Start: One-Shot Tasks

For quick prompts/chats, create a temp git repo and run:

# Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!)SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here"# Or in a real project - with PTY!bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'"

Why git init? Codex refuses to run outside a trusted git directory. Creating a temp repo solves this for scratch work.

The Pattern: workdir + background + pty

For longer tasks, use background mode with PTY:

# Start agent in target directory (with PTY!)bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a snake game'"# Returns sessionId for tracking# Monitor progressprocess action:log sessionId:XXX# Check if doneprocess action:poll sessionId:XXX# Send input (if agent asks a question)process action:write sessionId:XXX data:"y"# Submit with Enter (like typing "yes" and pressing Enter)process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"# Kill if neededprocess action:kill sessionId:XXX

Why workdir matters: Agent wakes up in a focused directory, doesn't wander off reading unrelated files (like your soul.md 😅).

Codex CLI

Model: gpt-5.2-codex is the default (set in ~/.codex/config.toml)

Flags

Flag	Effect
`exec "prompt"`	One-shot execution, exits when done
`--full-auto`	Sandboxed but auto-approves in workspace
`--yolo`	NO sandbox, NO approvals (fastest, most dangerous)

Building/Creating

# Quick one-shot (auto-approves) - remember PTY!bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'"# Background for longer workbash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Refactor the auth module'"

Reviewing PRs

⚠️ CRITICAL: Never review PRs in OpenClaw's own project folder! Clone to temp folder or use git worktree.

# Clone to temp for safe reviewREVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d)git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIRcd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130bash pty:true workdir:$REVIEW_DIR command:"codex review --base origin/main"# Clean up after: trash $REVIEW_DIR# Or use git worktree (keeps main intact)git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branchbash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review --base main"

Batch PR Reviews (parallel army!)

# Fetch all PR refs firstgit fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*'# Deploy the army - one Codex per PR (all with PTY!)bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"# Monitor allprocess action:list# Post results to GitHubgh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"

Claude Code

# With PTY for proper terminal outputbash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"claude 'Your task'"# Backgroundbash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude 'Your task'"

OpenCode

bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'"

Pi Coding Agent

# Install: npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agentbash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'"# Non-interactive mode (PTY still recommended)bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'"# Different provider/modelbash pty:true command:"pi --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini -p 'Your task'"

Note: Pi now has Anthropic prompt caching enabled (PR #584, merged Jan 2026)!

Parallel Issue Fixing with git worktrees

For fixing multiple issues in parallel, use git worktrees:

# 1. Create worktrees for each issuegit worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 maingit worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main# 2. Launch Codex in each (background + PTY!)bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'"bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99: <description>. Commit and push.'"# 3. Monitor progressprocess action:listprocess action:log sessionId:XXX# 4. Create PRs after fixescd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..."# 5. Cleanupgit worktree remove /tmp/issue-78git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99

⚠️ Rules

Always use pty:true - coding agents need a terminal!
Respect tool choice - if user asks for Codex, use Codex.
- Orchestrator mode: do NOT hand-code patches yourself.
- If an agent fails/hangs, respawn it or ask the user for direction, but don't silently take over.
Be patient - don't kill sessions because they're "slow"
Monitor with process:log - check progress without interfering
--full-auto for building - auto-approves changes
vanilla for reviewing - no special flags needed
Parallel is OK - run many Codex processes at once for batch work
NEVER start Codex in ~/clawd/ - it'll read your soul docs and get weird ideas about the org chart!
NEVER checkout branches in ~/Projects/openclaw/ - that's the LIVE OpenClaw instance!

Progress Updates (Critical)

When you spawn coding agents in the background, keep the user in the loop.

Send 1 short message when you start (what's running + where).
Then only update again when something changes:
- a milestone completes (build finished, tests passed)
- the agent asks a question / needs input
- you hit an error or need user action
- the agent finishes (include what changed + where)
If you kill a session, immediately say you killed it and why.

This prevents the user from seeing only "Agent failed before reply" and having no idea what happened.

Auto-Notify on Completion

For long-running background tasks, append a wake trigger to your prompt so OpenClaw gets notified immediately when the agent finishes (instead of waiting for the next heartbeat):

... your task here.When completely finished, run this command to notify me:openclaw gateway wake --text "Done: [brief summary of what was built]" --mode now

Example:

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos.When completely finished, run: openclaw gateway wake --text \"Done: Built todos REST API with CRUD endpoints\" --mode now'"

This triggers an immediate wake event — Skippy gets pinged in seconds, not 10 minutes.

Learnings (Jan 2026)

PTY is essential: Coding agents are interactive terminal apps. Without pty:true, output breaks or agent hangs.
Git repo required: Codex won't run outside a git directory. Use mktemp -d && git init for scratch work.
exec is your friend: codex exec "prompt" runs and exits cleanly - perfect for one-shots.
submit vs write: Use submit to send input + Enter, write for raw data without newline.
Sass works: Codex responds well to playful prompts. Asked it to write a haiku about being second fiddle to a space lobster, got: "Second chair, I code / Space lobster sets the tempo / Keys glow, I follow" 🦞