Instruction provenance misreported

[joriki]

What version of Codex CLI is running?

codex-cli 0.131.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Plus

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.5

What platform is your computer?

Darwin 24.3.0 arm64 arm

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

No response

Codex doctor report

{
  "schemaVersion": 1,
  "generatedAt": "1779164614s since unix epoch",
  "overallStatus": "ok",
  "codexVersion": "0.131.0",
  "checks": {
    "app_server.status": {
      "id": "app_server.status",
      "category": "app-server",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "background server is not running",
      "details": {
        "control socket": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-control/app-server-control.sock",
        "daemon state dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon",
        "mode": "ephemeral",
        "pid file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server.pid (missing)",
        "settings": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/settings.json (missing)",
        "status": "not running",
        "update-loop pid file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/app-server-daemon/app-server-updater.pid (missing)"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "auth.credentials": {
      "id": "auth.credentials",
      "category": "auth",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "auth is configured",
      "details": {
        "auth env vars present": "OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "auth file": "/Users/joriki/.codex/auth.json",
        "auth storage mode": "File",
        "stored API key": "true",
        "stored ChatGPT tokens": "false",
        "stored agent identity": "false",
        "stored auth mode": "api_key"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "config.load": {
      "id": "config.load",
      "category": "config",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "config loaded",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/joriki/.codex",
        "config.toml": "/Users/joriki/.codex/config.toml",
        "config.toml parse": "ok",
        "cwd": "/Users/joriki/work/anadyr/north-star-engine",
        "enabled feature flags": "shell_tool, unified_exec, shell_snapshot, terminal_resize_reflow, sqlite, hooks, enable_request_compression, multi_agent, apps, tool_search, tool_suggest, plugins, plugin_hooks, in_app_browser, browser_use, browser_use_external, computer_use, plugin_sharing, image_generation, skill_mcp_dependency_install, steer, guardian_approval, collaboration_modes, tool_call_mcp_elicitation, personality, fast_mode, tui_app_server, workspace_dependencies",
        "feature flag overrides": "none",
        "feature flags enabled": "28",
        "log dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/log",
        "mcp servers": "1",
        "model": "gpt-5.5",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/joriki/.codex"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "installation": {
      "id": "installation",
      "category": "install",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "installation looks consistent",
      "details": {
        "PATH codex #1": "/opt/homebrew/bin/codex",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/node_modules/@openai/codex-darwin-arm64/vendor/aarch64-apple-darwin/codex/codex",
        "install context": "npm",
        "managed by bun": "false",
        "managed by npm": "true",
        "managed package root": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex",
        "npm update target": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 68
    },
    "mcp.config": {
      "id": "mcp.config",
      "category": "mcp",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "MCP configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
        "configured servers": "1",
        "disabled servers": "0",
        "streamable_http servers": "1"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 3276
    },
    "network.env": {
      "id": "network.env",
      "category": "network",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "network-related environment looks readable",
      "details": {
        "proxy env vars": "none"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "network.provider_reachability": {
      "id": "network.provider_reachability",
      "category": "reachability",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "active provider endpoints are reachable over HTTP",
      "details": {
        "openai API base URL": "https://api.openai.com/v1 reachable (HTTP 404)",
        "openai API route probe": "https://api.openai.com/v1/<redacted> route exists (HTTP 401)",
        "reachability mode": "API key auth"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 583
    },
    "network.websocket_reachability": {
      "id": "network.websocket_reachability",
      "category": "websocket",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "Responses WebSocket handshake succeeded",
      "details": {
        "DNS": "2 IPv4, 0 IPv6, first IPv4",
        "auth mode": "api_key",
        "connect timeout": "15000 ms",
        "endpoint": "wss://api.openai.com/v1/<redacted>",
        "handshake result": "HTTP 101 Switching Protocols",
        "model provider": "openai",
        "models etag present": "false",
        "provider name": "OpenAI",
        "proxy env vars": "none",
        "reasoning header": "false",
        "server model present": "false",
        "supports websockets": "true",
        "wire API": "responses"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 952
    },
    "runtime.provenance": {
      "id": "runtime.provenance",
      "category": "runtime",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "running npm on macos-aarch64",
      "details": {
        "commit": "unknown",
        "current executable": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex/node_modules/@openai/codex-darwin-arm64/vendor/aarch64-apple-darwin/codex/codex",
        "install method": "npm",
        "platform": "macos-aarch64",
        "version": "0.131.0"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "runtime.search": {
      "id": "runtime.search",
      "category": "search",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "search is OK (system)",
      "details": {
        "search command": "rg",
        "search command readiness": "ripgrep 15.1.0 (rev af60c2de9d)",
        "search provider": "system"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 1
    },
    "sandbox.helpers": {
      "id": "sandbox.helpers",
      "category": "sandbox",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "sandbox configuration is readable",
      "details": {
        "approval policy": "OnRequest",
        "codex-linux-sandbox helper": "none",
        "execve wrapper helper": "/Users/joriki/.codex/tmp/arg0/codex-arg07miCaC/codex-execve-wrapper",
        "filesystem sandbox": "restricted",
        "network sandbox": "restricted"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "state.paths": {
      "id": "state.paths",
      "category": "state",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "state paths and databases are inspectable",
      "details": {
        "CODEX_HOME": "/Users/joriki/.codex (dir)",
        "active rollout files": "596 files, 1218556145 total bytes, 2044557 average bytes",
        "archived rollout files": "2 files, 58832 total bytes, 29416 average bytes",
        "log DB": "/Users/joriki/.codex/logs_2.sqlite (file)",
        "log DB integrity": "ok",
        "log dir": "/Users/joriki/.codex/log (dir)",
        "sqlite home": "/Users/joriki/.codex (dir)",
        "state DB": "/Users/joriki/.codex/state_5.sqlite (file)",
        "state DB integrity": "ok"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 166
    },
    "terminal.env": {
      "id": "terminal.env",
      "category": "terminal",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "terminal metadata was detected",
      "details": {
        "DISPLAY": "present",
        "TERM_PROGRAM": "Apple_Terminal",
        "color output": "enabled",
        "effective locale": "UTF-8",
        "stderr is terminal": "true",
        "stdin is terminal": "true",
        "stdout is terminal": "true",
        "terminal": "Apple Terminal",
        "terminal size": "245x74",
        "terminal version": "455"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 0
    },
    "updates.status": {
      "id": "updates.status",
      "category": "updates",
      "status": "ok",
      "summary": "update configuration is locally consistent",
      "details": {
        "cached latest version": "0.131.0",
        "check for update on startup": "true",
        "last checked at": "2026-05-19T04:01:18.035953Z",
        "latest version": "0.131.0",
        "latest version status": "current version is not older",
        "npm update target": "/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/@openai/codex",
        "update action": "npm install -g @openai/codex",
        "version cache": "/Users/joriki/.codex/version.json"
      },
      "remediation": null,
      "durationMs": 270
    }
  }
}

What issue are you seeing?

Codex misreports where it loaded its instructions from.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Follow the instructions for setting up AGENTS.md files at https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-md:

• Create an AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex, e.g.: "Please code fail-fast, not defensively. No fallbacks, backward compatibilities, tests for null/None, etc., unless I explicitly ask for them."
• Create an AGENTS.md file in the current directory, e.g.: "Always start searches in Main.java unless I specify another file."
• Run codex --ask-for-approval never "Summarize the current instructions."
  • The instructions from both AGENTS.md files are summarized (so apparently they’re both being loaded).
• Run codex --ask-for-approval never "List the instruction sources you loaded."
  • Various instruction sources are listed, including "User-provided AGENTS.md instructions for <the current directory>", but not mentioning the AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex.
• Run codex --ask-for-approval never "List the instruction files you loaded."
  • The pathname of the AGENTS.md file in the current directory is listed; the AGENTS.md file in ~/.codex is not mentioned
• Ask "Where did you find the instruction to code fail-fast, not defensively?"
  • Response:
    • In the AGENTS.md instructions you provided for this workspace: <working directory>/AGENTS.md
    • The exact instruction was: "<exact quote of the instruction>"

What is the expected behavior?

• Expected behaviour according to https://developers.openai.com/codex/guides/agents-md: "Codex reports the global file first, the repository root AGENTS.md second".
• The specific question where a particular instruction contained in ~/.codex/AGENTS.md was found should have yielded the file in ~/.codex, not the one in the current directory.

Additional information

No response