codex-image

Runs Codex CLI non-interactively. Codex calls its built-in image_gen tool (GPT Image 2) and the script copies the result to the path you choose. Each call takes roughly 30–90 seconds.

The script is gen.sh in this skill's base directory (shown when the skill loads), referred to below as <skill-dir>.

Command

<skill-dir>/gen.sh -o <out.png> [options] "<prompt>"

Option	Meaning
-o PATH	Output file (required). Put project assets inside the project; otherwise use a temp/scratch folder.
-n N	1–4 variants → out-1.png, out-2.png, …
-r FILE	Reference image for style/composition (repeatable)
-e FILE	Image to edit — only what the prompt asks changes
-t	Transparent background
-a square|portrait|landscape	Aspect ratio

Prints the saved absolute path(s). Never overwrites: an existing name gets a time suffix. Give the Bash call a timeout of at least 300000 ms (600000 for -n 3 or -n 4). For several different images, run separate commands in parallel instead of describing them all in one prompt — parallel runs are safe.

Workflow

1. Turn the request into a clear prompt: subject, style/medium, composition, lighting, palette, exact text in quotes, and what to avoid. Keep the user's specifics; add detail only when the ask is vague.
2. Run gen.sh.
3. Look at the output image and check it matches (subject, spelling of any text, framing). If it's off, rerun with one targeted prompt change, or use -e on the result for a small fix.
4. Report the saved path(s) and the final prompt. If the image is for a project, reference it from the code.

Troubleshooting

• codex CLI not found → the user needs npm i -g @openai/codex.
• Codex is not logged in → the user runs codex login and signs in with ChatGPT.
• No image was generated → the ChatGPT plan's image limit may be used up, or the prompt was refused. Say so; don't retry in a loop.
• -t output can have semi-transparent blotches. Check it; if dirty, regenerate on a plain white background without -t and remove the background separately.