{"slug": "the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep", "title": "The Codex feature that works while you sleep", "summary": "OpenAI's Codex /goal command transforms AI from a turn-based assistant into an autonomous agent capable of working for hours on complex tasks without constant prompting. In a 30-minute episode, Claire Vo demonstrates how the feature eliminated thousands of Sentry errors, cleaned 3,900 emails down to 68, and organized hundreds of Linear tasks during unattended runs. The shift represents a fundamental change in how users interact with AI, moving from babysitting the model to managing it as a self-directed worker.", "body_md": "In this 30-minute episode, I walk through my favorite feature in Codex: the /goal command. I show how Goals transform AI from a turn-based assistant that needs constant ‘what’s next?’ prompting into an autonomous agent that can work for hours on complex, multi-step tasks. I share three real examples: eliminating thousands of Sentry errors, cleaning 3,900 emails down to 68, and organizing hundreds of Linear tasks.\n\n**Listen or watch on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts**\n\n### What you’ll learn:\n\nWhat Goals are and how they differ from standard prompts\n\nHow I used /goal to eliminate hundreds of error logs in my codebase over a five-hour autonomous run\n\nThe non-technical use cases that make Goals incredibly powerful: cleaning up 3,900 emails in under four hours and organizing hundreds of project management tasks in Linear\n\nHow to write effective /goal prompts with measurable outcomes, verification methods, and constraints\n\nWhen not to use Goals and what makes a strong versus weak Goal\n\nWhy Goals represent a fundamental shift in how we work with AI, from babysitting the model to managing it\n\n### Brought to you by:\n\n** Mercury**—Radically different banking loved by over 300K entrepreneurs\n\n### In this episode, we cover:\n\n([00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA)) Introduction\n\n([01:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=110s)) What is /goal and when should you use it?\n\n([02:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=165s)) The difference between prompts and Goal-based loops\n\n([04:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=246s)) Claire’s first five-hour 45-minute autonomous coding task\n\n([05:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=305s)) How to manage a Goal lifecycle: view, pause, resume, and clear\n\n([06:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=366s)) How to write strong goals: outcomes vs. outputs\n\n([07:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=454s)) The six components of effective Goals\n\n([08:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=537s)) Example: Reducing P95 checkout latency with /goal\n\n([09:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=576s)) Demo: Using /goal to eliminate Sentry errors in ChatPRD\n\n([13:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=798s)) Demo: Burning down Vercel API errors\n\n([17:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=1048s)) Non-technical use case: Cleaning 3,900 emails with /goal\n\n([21:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=1284s)) Demo: Using /goal to clean up Linear project tasks\n\n([24:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=1481s)) When *not* to use /goal\n\n([26:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wLJl9A2CnA&t=1570s)) Why /goal changes everything\n\n### Tools referenced:\n\n• Codex: [https://openai.com/codex/](https://openai.com/codex/)\n\n• Sentry: [https://sentry.io/](https://sentry.io/)\n\n• Vercel: [https://vercel.com/](https://vercel.com/)\n\n• Linear: [https://linear.app/](https://linear.app/)\n\n### Other reference:\n\n• OpenAI blog post “Using Goals in Codex”: [https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/codex/using_goals_in_codex](https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/codex/using_goals_in_codex)\n\n### Where to find Claire Vo:\n\nChatPRD: [https://www.chatprd.ai/](https://www.chatprd.ai/)\n\nWebsite: [https://clairevo.com/](https://clairevo.com/)\n\nLinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairevo/)\n\nProduction and marketing by [https://penname.co/](https://penname.co/). For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [[email protected]](/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep", "canonical_source": "https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-codex-feature-that-works-while", "published_at": "2026-05-27 12:03:47+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-05-27 12:19:42.219234+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-agents", "ai-tools", "ai-products", "generative-ai", "large-language-models"], "entities": ["Codex", "Mercury", "YouTube", "Spotify", "Apple Podcasts", "Linear"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/the-codex-feature-that-works-while-you-sleep.jsonld"}}