Record & Replay is available on macOS. Initial availability excludes the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Computer Use must also be available and enabled.
Record & Replay lets you demonstrate a workflow on your Mac and turn it into a reusable skill. Use it when the workflow is repetitive, depends on your preferences, or is easier to show than to describe in a prompt.
For example, you might record how you file an expense, book a parking space, create a correctly configured issue, publish a video, or download a recurring report. Codex can package the pattern into a skill that you can use again with Computer Use, browser actions, connected plugins, or a combination of them.
Before you start
Pick a workflow that you already know how to complete. Record & Replay works best when the steps are stable and the success criteria are clear.
Start a recording
- Open Plugins in the Codex app.
- Open the + menu.
- Select Record a skill.
- Review the suggested prompt, give Codex any helpful context, and submit it.
- When Codex asks for permission to record your actions, approve the request once you are ready to demonstrate the workflow.
- Perform the workflow on your Mac.
- When you are done, stop recording from the menu bar, overlay, or tell Codex that you are done.
During recording, Codex observes the actions and window content needed to learn the workflow. Recording continues until you stop it. Keep the recording focused on the task you want Codex to learn.
After you stop recording, Codex inspects the captured workflow and drafts a skill. The skill explains when to use the workflow, what inputs it needs, what steps to follow, and how to verify the result. You can also ask Codex to refine the skill further.
Replay the workflow
Start a new thread and ask Codex to use the generated skill. Give it the values that are different this time, such as the file to upload, the issue to create, or the date range for the report.
Codex uses the skill as reusable context for the task. It can then complete the workflow with the tools available in the current environment, including Computer Use, browser actions, and installed plugins.
Tips for better recordings
- Keep the demonstration short and complete.
- Let Codex know your goal and any specific inputs that might vary between skill uses before you start recording.
- Use realistic inputs, but avoid secrets and sensitive data.
- Refine the skill after recording to call out hidden preferences that matter, such as naming conventions, field defaults, or decision points.
- Stop recording when the workflow is complete instead of continuing into unrelated cleanup.
When to build another plugin
Record & Replay is a fast way to create a skill from a demonstrated workflow. If you want to distribute a separate stable package across a team, bundle multiple skills, include app integrations, add MCP servers, or manage install metadata, package that workflow as its own plugin. See Build plugins.
Troubleshooting
I don’t see Record & Replay
If your organization manages Codex with requirements.toml, the
[features].computer_use requirement controls Record & Replay too. Setting
computer_use = false makes both features unavailable.