Plugins for Codex

Install one plugin, connect it if needed, and prove that Codex can use it for a small task. Plugins package reusable instructions and tools; some work locally, while others need access to a separate service.

Before you start

• An updated ChatGPT desktop app with Codex access. This guide uses the desktop Plugins tab; current documentation does not support plugins in the Codex IDE extension.
• One task and a plugin listed in your available directory that supports it. Choose a read-only first task with a result you can check.
• If the plugin connects to a service: permission to use that service, the intended account or workspace, and a harmless item you can already open there.

Want to do it yourself?

Difficulty

4 out of 10

Estimated completion time

20–45 minutes per plugin

Skills you’ll need: Inspect a plugin, complete its account connection, and test whether it uses the intended source and permissions.

I’ll do it myselfI’d rather get help

How this helps your brand

A verified plugin connection can bring approved source information into your project work. Checking the exact account and item helps you base business content or decisions on material you can trace.

1. 1

   Step 1: Match one plugin to a concrete task

   Open Plugins in the desktop app. Browse or search, then open a plugin’s details. Check what it provides, who publishes it, and whether it needs a connected account. The Installed row shows plugins you already have.

   A plugin may contain skills, which are reusable task instructions, and MCP servers, which connect Codex to tools or information. Installing the bundle does not establish that every external connection is ready. Choose one supported task, such as summarizing one document you can already access, rather than asking the plugin to manage an entire account.

2. 2

   Step 2: Install and finish the required connection

   Select the plus button on the plugin’s details to install it. If it asks you to connect a service, complete that flow using the intended account and review the requested permissions. Some plugins ask during installation; others ask when first used.

   For a team account, check which identity the connection uses and whether your workspace permits the plugin. If you sign in to Codex with an API key, some plugins are unavailable because their connection flows require OAuth support that is not available in that mode.

   Illustrated exampleCheck the bundle and the account separately

   Example pluginDocument helper

   Installed

   Skill

   Instructions for summarizing a document

   Tools

   Read documents from a connected service

   Needs a service?
   Check its connection.

   Connected account

   Workspace

   Northline Studio

   Identity

   [email protected]

   Access test

   Can open “Autumn launch notes” directly

   Bundle installed + required account ready → start a new Codex chat.

3. 3

   Step 3: Start a new Codex chat

   After installation, start a new chat so the bundled skills and tools become available. Type @ to select the plugin or one of its skills explicitly, then paste the prompt below with a specific item and desired result.

   Keep the first request read-only. For a connected document, name its title and location, ask for a short summary, and require the title or source link in the reply. For an instruction-only plugin, choose a task its details describe and check the resulting work against that description.

4. 4

   Step 4: Check that the task used the intended source

   Review the tool activity and response. Open the reported source yourself and compare at least one distinctive detail. A fluent answer without the right item or source is not proof that the plugin connection worked.

   If the plugin can write to a service, save that for a separate, explicit request after this test succeeds. State the destination and exact change, then review the result in the service. Plugin connections retain the service’s own access controls, and data sent through an MCP service is subject to that service’s terms and privacy policy.

   Illustrated exampleMatch a distinctive detail to the original

   Open the original

   Northline Studio / ProjectsAutumn launch notes

   The pilot opens 12 November. Maya owns the launch checklist.

   Example source document

   Codex reply · example

   “The pilot opens 12 November, with Maya responsible for the launch checklist.”

   Source reportedAutumn launch notesNorthline Studio / Projects

   1. 1
      Right item

      Title and workspace match.

   2. 2
      Right detail

      The date matches the original.

   3. 3
      Read-only result

      A summary you can verify.

5. 5

   Step 5: Resolve a missing tool or remove the plugin

   If Codex cannot use the plugin, check Installed, complete any pending authentication, and start a fresh chat. If the requested item is inaccessible, verify that the connected account can open it directly. Report the missing permission or connection rather than supplying invented content.

   To remove a plugin, open it in the supported plugin browser and select Uninstall plugin when offered. Workspace-managed or default plugins may require an administrator. Uninstalling removes the bundle; separately connected MCP integrations remain connected in ChatGPT until you disconnect them there.

   Tip: In Codex CLI, /plugins opens its plugin browser. Install there and start a new session before using the bundled skills or tools.

Use [installed plugin name] for this read-only task: [specific task supported by its details]. The item is [exact title, location, or URL] in [account or workspace]. Give me [desired short output], identify the source you used, and report anything you could not access. Do not create, edit, send, delete, or publish anything. If the plugin is not connected or cannot do this task, explain what is missing instead of answering from a guess.