Coding Agent (bash-first)
Use bash (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work. Simple and effective.
⚠️ PTY Mode: Codex/Pi/OpenCode yes, Claude Code no
For Codex, Pi, and OpenCode, PTY is still required (interactive terminal apps):
bash# ✅ Correct for Codex/Pi/OpenCode bash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"
For Claude Code (claude CLI), use --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions instead.
--dangerously-skip-permissions with PTY can exit after the confirmation dialog.
--print mode keeps full tool access and avoids interactive confirmation:
bash# ✅ Correct for Claude Code (no PTY needed) cd /path/to/project && claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task' # For background execution: use background:true on the exec tool # ❌ Wrong for Claude Code bash pty:true command:"claude --dangerously-skip-permissions 'task'"
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:
bash# Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!) SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here" # Or in a real project - with PTY! bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'"
Why git init? Codex refuses to run outside a trusted git directory. Creating a temp repo solves this for scratch work.
The Pattern: workdir + background + pty
For longer tasks, use background mode with PTY:
bash# Start agent in target directory (with PTY!) bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a snake game'" # Returns sessionId for tracking # Monitor progress process action:log sessionId:XXX # Check if done process action:poll sessionId:XXX # Send input (if agent asks a question) process action:write sessionId:XXX data:"y" # Submit with Enter (like typing "yes" and pressing Enter) process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes" # Kill if needed process action:kill sessionId:XXX
Why workdir matters: Agent wakes up in a focused directory, doesn't wander off reading unrelated files (like your soul.md 😅).
Codex CLI
Model: gpt-5.2-codex is the default (set in ~/.codex/config.toml)
Flags
| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
exec "prompt" | One-shot execution, exits when done |
--full-auto | Sandboxed but auto-approves in workspace |
--yolo | NO sandbox, NO approvals (fastest, most dangerous) |
Building/Creating
bash# Quick one-shot (auto-approves) - remember PTY! bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'" # Background for longer work bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Refactor the auth module'"
Reviewing PRs
⚠️ CRITICAL: Never review PRs in OpenClaw's own project folder! Clone to temp folder or use git worktree.
bash# Clone to temp for safe review REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d) git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIR cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130 bash pty:true workdir:$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-branch bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review --base main"
Batch PR Reviews (parallel army!)
bash# Fetch all PR refs first git 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 all process action:list # Post results to GitHub gh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"
Claude Code
bash# Foreground bash workdir:~/project command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'" # Background bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"
OpenCode
bashbash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'"
Pi Coding Agent
bash# Install: npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'" # Non-interactive mode (PTY still recommended) bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'" # Different provider/model bash 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:
bash# 1. Create worktrees for each issue git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main git 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 from the approved ticket summary. Implement only the in-scope edits and commit after review.'" # 3. Monitor progress process action:list process action:log sessionId:XXX # 4. Create PRs after fixes cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78 gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..." # 5. Cleanup git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78 git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99
⚠️ Rules
- Use the right execution mode per agent:
- Codex/Pi/OpenCode:
pty:true - Claude Code:
--print --permission-mode bypassPermissions(no PTY required)
- Codex/Pi/OpenCode:
- 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 ~/.openclaw/ - 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 system event --text "Done: [brief summary of what was built]" --mode now
Example:
bashbash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos. When completely finished, run: openclaw system event --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 initfor scratch work. - exec is your friend:
codex exec "prompt"runs and exits cleanly - perfect for one-shots. - submit vs write: Use
submitto send input + Enter,writefor 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" 🦞
