LBYL Setup

This repository tracks two related things:

• look-before-you-leap/: the upstream Claude-oriented source tree, kept in sync with ~/Projects/claude-code-setup
• codex-skills/: the Codex port, adapted for Codex CLI and GPT-5.4

The goal is the same in both environments: make the model behave like a disciplined engineer instead of a fast but sloppy one. The Codex port keeps the upstream exploration, planning, verification, and blast-radius rules, but rewrites Claude-only concepts such as hook enforcement and plan mode into Codex-native instructions, helper scripts, and Orbit-backed review flow.

Why this exists

The discipline targets the recurring failure modes that show up in real coding sessions:

• silent scope cuts
• shared-code changes without consumer checks
• type-safety shortcuts
• missing verification
• shallow exploration
• compaction without a recoverable plan

GPT-5.4 is stronger at following explicit long-horizon instructions than earlier models, so the Codex version leans on clear contracts: exact skills, exact plan files, exact acceptance criteria, and concise progress updates.

Repository layout

look-before-you-leap/   upstream Claude source and hooks
codex-skills/           Codex-native skill pack
scripts/                install helpers for Codex

Install the repo skills

bash scripts/install-codex-skills.sh

This installs the full Codex-native pack plus the upstream skills from:

• codex-skills/
• look-before-you-leap/skills/

into ~/.codex/skills/, except the upstream frontend-design skill. That source stays in the repo for sync, but installed Codex sessions use lbyl-frontend-design as the single standard frontend design skill. immersive-frontend remains available for motion-heavy frontend work. The lbyl-* skills remain the Codex-native defaults for coding work.

If a local Orbit repo is available at ~/Projects/orbit or ~/projects/orbit, the installer also:

• builds the local Orbit MCP server when needed
• packages and installs the local VS Code extension when code is available
• registers a global Codex MCP server named orbit

That makes Orbit tools available automatically in future Codex sessions at startup via ~/.codex/config.toml.

To skip Orbit during a skill install:

SKIP_ORBIT_INSTALL=1 bash scripts/install-codex-skills.sh

To bootstrap Orbit separately or point at a non-default checkout:

bash scripts/install-orbit-codex-integration.sh
ORBIT_DIR=/absolute/path/to/orbit bash scripts/install-orbit-codex-integration.sh

Use in Codex

Mention the skills explicitly or rely on project AGENTS.md defaults. Typical prompts:

• Use lbyl-conductor and lbyl-engineering-discipline for this task.
• Use lbyl-writing-plans, then execute with lbyl-persistent-plans.
• Use lbyl-systematic-debugging for this failure.
• Use immersive-frontend for this motion-heavy landing page.

For coding work, the expected default is:

• explore first
• write .temp/plan-mode/active/<plan-name>/plan.json and masterPlan.md before source edits
• update the plan every 2-3 file edits
• run relevant verification before declaring done

By default, the Codex skill pack presents new plans through Orbit for review with orbit_await_review before execution starts unless the user explicitly skips that review.

Sync policy

When the Claude repo evolves:

1. sync the shared upstream source into look-before-you-leap/
2. port the relevant changes into codex-skills/
3. adapt for Codex instead of copying Claude-specific runtime assumptions

That adaptation layer is the important part. This repo is intentionally not a literal mirror.