codex-images
Generates images with Codex (OpenAI's coding agent and its built-in image tool, included in a ChatGPT plan) - YouTube thumbnails, covers, B-roll stills, board images, profile pictures - one Codex job per image, several in parallel, with the creator's photos as reference when the face matters, then copies them into the project with a manifest. Use when the user says generate an image, a thumbnail, a cover, make me a visual, codex images, génère une image, miniature, or when publish or short-editing needs an image.
- Installs
- 299
- Last 24h
- +20
- Trending rank
- #5773
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/melvynx/video-agent-skills --skill codex-images- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads codex-images automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Codex Images
Images made by Codex's built-in image tool, run from the terminal: one codex exec per image, several at once. It uses their ChatGPT plan (Plus or Pro), no API key.
Talk to them in their language. <out> = the output folder: video-agent/edits/<slug>/images/ for a video, else video-agent/images/<name>/.
1. Codex (once)
codex --version
codex login status
- Not installed:
npm i -g @openai/codex(needs Node 20+), orbrew install codexon macOS. - Not logged in: they run
codex loginthemselves (it opens the browser, "Sign in with ChatGPT"). Never ask for an OpenAI key or password in the chat.
2. The brief
One image = one prompt. Never pack several ideas into one job.
Ask only what is missing, in one message:
- What for: thumbnail (1280x720, 16:9), short cover (1080x1920, 9:16), square post (1:1), a still for an image board or B-roll (the video's format).
- How many: 1 by default; 3 variants for a thumbnail (a different idea each, not the same one three times).
- Their face: a thumbnail with them in it needs 1 to 3 clear photos (a frame of a take works:
ffmpeg -v error -y -ss <t> -i <take> -frames:v 1 -q:v 2 <out>/ref-face.jpg). Pass the absolute paths.
Write each prompt in English, concrete: the subject, the framing, the background, the light, the colors, the text on the image (3 words at most, written exactly in quotes, in the video's language), and the format. For a thumbnail: one subject, big readable text, strong contrast, a face with a clear emotion, nothing in the bottom right corner (YouTube puts the duration there). Every claim on the image comes from the video.
Show the prompts in a numbered list and wait for a yes (each image uses some of their Codex usage limit).
3. Generate
One job per prompt, at most 3 at a time, each in the background. Always end with < /dev/null (without it codex exec waits for input forever), and keep the last message in a file:
mkdir -p <out>/logs
codex exec --skip-git-repo-check -s workspace-write -C "$PWD" \
--output-last-message <out>/logs/<n>-<name>.txt \
"Use your built-in image_gen tool to generate exactly one raster image for the prompt below. Do not edit any file. Do not ask questions. No SVG, no HTML, no placeholder.
Reference images (pass them to image_gen as referenced_image_paths): <absolute paths, or none>
When done, reply with exactly these two lines:
ASSET_NAME: <kebab-case-name>
IMAGE_PATH: <absolute path of the generated image>
Image prompt:
<the prompt>" \
< /dev/null > <out>/logs/<n>-<name>.log 2>&1
A job takes about 1 to 3 minutes. When it ends, read its .txt, take IMAGE_PATH and copy the image:
cp "<IMAGE_PATH>" <out>/<n>-<name>.png
No IMAGE_PATH in the answer: the newest file in ~/.codex/generated_images/ (ls -t ~/.codex/generated_images/*/* | head -3) created after the job started. Nothing new there: the job failed, show the end of its .log (often a usage limit, or codex login needed) and run that one again once.
4. Check and hand over
- One image per prompt, and no two identical (
shasum <out>/*.png). - The size:
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight <file>(macOS) orffprobe -v error -show_entries stream=width,height -of csv=p=0 <file>. A thumbnail must be 16:9: crop or scale it to 1280x720 with ffmpeg (-vf "scale=1280:720:force_original_aspect_ratio=increase,crop=1280:720"), under 2 MB as JPG. - Look at each image: the text spelled right, the face like them, nothing odd (hands, extra letters). A wrong one: fix the prompt and run that one again.
Write <out>/manifest.json: one entry per image with file, prompt, refs, date. Show the images, then:
- A thumbnail or cover:
/publishuses<edit>/images/(they pick one, it is copied as<edit>/cover.jpg, the cover and the YouTube thumbnail). - A still for a video:
/short-editingcan place it as animgitem on a board (copy it into the short'sassets/images/).
Delete <out>/logs/ once everything is fine.
Honest limits
- The image tool is OpenAI's, inside Codex: the result depends on it, and it changes. Text on the image can come out misspelled: always check it.
- A face from reference photos looks close, rarely perfect. Real photos of them stay the safest for a thumbnail.
- Each image counts against their ChatGPT plan's Codex limits; a limit reached means waiting or a bigger plan.
- Only use photos of people who agreed, and no logos or characters they don't own.
FAQ
What does the codex-images skill do?
Generates images with Codex (OpenAI's coding agent and its built-in image tool, included in a ChatGPT plan) - YouTube thumbnails, covers, B-roll stills, board images, profile pictures - one Codex job per image, several in parallel, with the creator's photos as reference when the face matters, then copies them into the project with a manifest. Use when the user says generate an image, a thumbnail, a cover, make me a visual, codex images, génère une image, miniature, or when publish or short-editing needs an image.
How do I install codex-images?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/melvynx/video-agent-skills --skill codex-images in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/codex-images/ (personal) or .claude/skills/codex-images/ (project).
Which AI agents can use codex-images?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is codex-images safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains codex-images?
It is published by melvynx in melvynx/video-agent-skills. It has 299 recorded installs.
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