Updates

Send concise user-visible status updates during long-running work, especially /goals, without ending the current turn.

Use updates for:

• Reporting major, meaningful progress.
• Completing a major phase.
• Needing user input.
• Hitting a blocker.
• Risky, expensive, or long-running work.
• During active long work when useful, while avoiding routine updates more often than every 30 minutes.

When using this skill for a long task:

• Keep track of the task start time.
• Keep track of the last update time.
• Before sending the first routine email, wait for the requested update interval to elapse; do not email as soon as the task starts.
• When Codex regains control after a substantial step or tool call, check elapsed time before deciding whether to send a routine update.

Choose the update channel:

1. If Gmail is available, send updates by Gmail to the authenticated account itself.
2. Otherwise, tell the user they need to connect Gmail in Codex to receive updates.

For Gmail:

• Use gmail._get_profile to get the connected account email.
• Send only to that same email address.
• Use only gmail._send_email.
• Do not use Gmail search, read, archive, delete, label, forward, attachment, or mailbox-management tools.
• Do not attach files.
• Do not include secrets, raw logs, file contents, or large command output.
• Keep the email short: subject under 80 characters and body under 1,500 characters.
• Use the current project name in the subject. Prefer the git repository name from git remote get-url origin when available; otherwise use the basename of git rev-parse --show-toplevel; otherwise use the current workspace folder name.
• Include the exact current thread name at the top of the body. In Codex Desktop, resolve it from CODEX_THREAD_ID and $CODEX_HOME/session_index.jsonl or ~/.codex/session_index.jsonl when needed.
• If the exact project name cannot be resolved, do not invent one; use Codex update without a suffix.
• If the exact thread name cannot be resolved, omit the Thread: line.

Suggested subject format:

Codex update: <exact project name>

Suggested body format:

Thread: <exact thread name>
Status: <info | blocked | input needed | done>

<2-5 short plain-language sentences. Split longer updates across multiple lines, roughly one line every 1-2 sentences. Use single line breaks inside this update text, not blank lines between sentences.>

Next: <what Codex is doing next or what is needed from the user>

Avoid routine update spam. Do not send more than one routine update every 30 minutes unless the user specifically requested it, but send blocker or input-needed updates immediately.