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Choose the Codex edition when your product work already happens in Codex.
Release status: Live. This is the established Design Arc adapter for regular use.
Install the Live Codex edition from the OpenAI Plugin Directory.
GitHub remains the public source and fallback Codex marketplace. If you need that route, ask Codex:
Install the Design Arc plugin from https://github.com/friedbeef1/design-arc
Then open the product project and say:
Use Design Arc to help me improve our onboarding.
That ordinary-language request is the recommended start. If you prefer a shortcut, use $design-arc; the paired Claude Code form is /design-arc:design-arc.
- A pinned project home, created only with your approval, so Design Arc is easy to find later.
- Static screen images and complete journey boards directly in Codex by default.
- An upfront choice between Codex, Stitch, or both, with both recommended for direct comparison.
- Codex-specific preferences and review records under
.codex/.
GitHub marketplace installs include the Stitch connection definition. OpenAI Plugin Directory installs currently omit it, so Design Arc checks instead of assuming. Either route guides you to the same result; you do not need to search for an MCP.
When you choose Stitch or both, Codex verifies https://stitch.googleapis.com/mcp with a read-only project-list request. If the Directory package omitted the connection, Design Arc offers Connect Stitch now — recommended, asks before configuring the endpoint and secure key reference in Codex, and then requests only the secure key-entry step.
To create a key, open Google Stitch, then go to Profile Picture → Stitch settings → API key → Create key. You can also say: “Connect Stitch for Design Arc.”
Never paste a Stitch API key into chat. Enter it only in Codex's secure credential prompt. Design Arc does not read it, put it in project files, save it in preferences, or include it in the plugin.
Codex then verifies the connection again and resumes at the pending visual-workspace choice. A failed connection never blocks the normal Codex board; Design Arc reports the blocker and keeps Stitch optional.
When you choose Guidelines + Benchmarks without verified access, Design Arc explains: Mobbin lets Design Arc inspect complete real-product journeys—not merely isolated screenshots. It offers Connect Mobbin now — recommended, Guidelines only for this review, or cancel.
Use Mobbin signup and the live Mobbin plans page. Pro is recommended for an individual because it includes the complete library and browsing flows. Team is for multiple collaborators and includes Pro capabilities. Design Arc never requests your password; it uses separately authorized browser access and verifies access by inspecting a relevant complete journey.
Codex owns .codex/design-arc.yaml, its review records, and its graph records. The optional pinned project home remains a Codex-owned return path. This state stays separate from Claude Code state even when both editions are used for the same product.
With your approval, Codex can create one pinned project home for this saved product. It is a launchpad for plain-language starters: each starter opens a clean local task in the same project. Use $design-arc home only when you want to inspect, create, recover, or repin that Codex-only return path.
Claude Code has no project home. Its separate, optional return aid is an approved CLAUDE.md reminder; see Design Arc for Claude Code.
Every shared setting has matching Codex and Claude Code syntax in Advanced controls. For example, use $design-arc evidence guidelines in Codex or /design-arc:design-arc evidence guidelines in Claude Code. These shortcuts are optional: “Use official guidelines only” means the same thing for the current review.
Ask Codex to upgrade Design Arc safely through its configured marketplace. Before the change, verify the installed version, requested version, source, and route; afterward, verify the installed result.
The upgrade preserves .codex/design-arc.yaml, the optional pinned project home, review records, graph records, product files, and active tasks byte-for-byte. It does not rerun setup, recreate homes, or change an active review. After verifying the installed version and preservation result, start the next review in a clean Codex task.
Codex does not synchronize, merge, import, or mutate Claude Code state.
The objective confirmation, credible-source grounding, evidence modes, approval gates, complete-state validation, graph-assisted reasoning, optional Stitch workflow, three-round correction loop, and implementation boundaries are the same Design Arc methodology used by the Claude Code edition.
The pinned project home is a return shortcut, not a second product or a separate copy of your application. See Projects and AI coding platforms in the FAQ for the plain-language explanation.
Commands are optional and live in Advanced controls.