| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Operating systems | macOS 12+, Ubuntu 20.04+/Debian 10+, or Windows 11 via WSL2 |
| Git (optional, recommended) | 2.23+ for built-in PR helpers |
| RAM | 4-GB minimum (8-GB recommended) |
The GitHub Release also contains a DotSlash file for the Codex CLI named codex. Using a DotSlash file makes it possible to make a lightweight commit to source control to ensure all contributors use the same version of an executable, regardless of what platform they use for development.
# Clone the repository and navigate to the root of the Cargo workspace.
git clone https://github.com/openai/codex.git
cd codex/codex-rs
# Install the Rust toolchain, if necessary.
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
rustup component add rustfmt
rustup component add clippy
> ⚠️ **Use the rustup-managed toolchain.**
> Some system packages (for example Homebrew’s `cargo` 1.83 on macOS) are too old to compile the workspace because several crates depend on the 2024 edition. Make sure the `cargo` that runs the build is the one installed by rustup (`$HOME/.cargo/bin/cargo`). You can either export `PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"` before building or invoke it explicitly:
>
> ```bash
> ~/.cargo/bin/cargo build --release --bin codex --bin codex-responses-api-proxy
> ```
# Build Codex.
cargo build
# Launch the TUI with a sample prompt.
cargo run --bin codex -- "explain this codebase to me"
# After making changes, ensure the code is clean.
cargo fmt -- --config imports_granularity=Item
cargo clippy --tests
# Run the tests.
cargo test