How to Use This Guide
Use this as a follow-along prompt companion during the Codex session. The goal is to describe the outcome you want, point Codex at the right materials, set clear boundaries, and define what finished work should look like.
For larger tasks, start in planning mode by pressing `Shift + Tab` or typing `/plan`. Ask Codex to inspect the task and propose a step-by-step plan before it starts making changes.
The Codex Prompt Formula
Strong Codex prompts usually include four parts:
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| The outcome you want, what should change, and why it matters | "Build me a study kit for the next exam." |
| Relevant files, folders, documents, examples, data, or existing patterns | "Use the lecture slides, homework PDFs, and review notes in this folder." |
| Rules Codex should follow, including what to use, avoid, preserve, or verify | "Base everything only on these materials and call out any gaps." |
| The checks Codex should complete before it considers the task finished | "Create four Markdown files and keep the questions close to the course style and difficulty." |
Starter Prompt: Plan Before Building
Use this when you want Codex to scope the work before it starts.
/plan Goal: I want to [describe the outcome]. Context: Use [files, folders, documents, notes, data, examples, or existing work]. Constraints: - Stay focused on [audience, course, project, research question, or workflow]. - Do not [actions or assumptions to avoid]. - Call out missing context or gaps before making major decisions. Done when: You have proposed a step-by-step plan I can review, including the files you will inspect, the outputs you will create, and the checks you will run before finishing.
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Turn Course Materials into a Study Kit
Use this when students or faculty want Codex to turn scattered course materials into review-ready study resources.
I uploaded my lecture slides, homework PDFs, and review notes for this course. Build me a study kit for the next exam. Create a study-guide.md, key-concepts.md, practice-questions.md, and one-week-prep-plan.md. Base everything only on these materials, call out any gaps, and keep the practice questions close to the style and difficulty of the course. |
Expected output:
Follow-up prompt:
Review the study kit from a student perspective. Make the study guide easier to scan, label the hardest concepts, and add a "what to review first" section based only on the source materials.
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Turn a Final Project into a Portfolio App
Use this when a student wants to package academic work into something they can demo, share, or include in a portfolio.
Expected output:
Follow-up prompt:
Now review the app as if you are an internship recruiter seeing it for the first time. Improve the project story, make the demo path obvious, and flag anything that would be confusing or over-scoped. |
