All Codex Commands Explained – 2026 Edition

Basic Startup Commands

codex init

– Initializes the project environment, creates a Codex configuration and generates project context (similar to CLAUDE.md). Typical scenario: integrating AI programming into a new project. codex start – Starts an interactive AI coding session, functioning like a REPL. codex chat – Opens conversational mode, enabling natural‑language‑driven code generation with multi‑turn context.

Configuration Commands

codex config

– Adjusts Codex behavior, e.g., setting model version, temperature, or output style.

Code Generation Commands

codex generate

– Core command that generates functions, classes, or modules in multiple languages. Example: codex generate "写一个Spring Boot接口". codex complete – Provides IDE‑like code completion based on the current context. codex explain – Explains code, shows call‑chain analysis and potential issues. Example: codex explain userService.java. codex refactor – Refactors code to improve structure, readability, and reduce complexity.

Debugging and Analysis Commands

codex debug

– Automatically locates bugs, analyzes exception stacks, and suggests fixes. codex test – Generates test cases for frameworks such as JUnit, pytest, or integration testing. codex trace – Tracks execution paths and variable changes. codex analyze – Produces code‑structure analysis, dependency graphs, and performance‑bottleneck reports.

Collaboration Commands

codex diff

– Compares code before and after changes and can auto‑generate change descriptions. codex review – Performs code review, checking style, identifying security issues, and offering optimization suggestions. codex commit – Generates standardized Git commit messages with automatic classification (feat/fix/refactor). codex doc – Generates documentation such as API docs, README files, or architecture overviews.