Guides Codex published jun 29, 2026
In this guide, you will learn how to automate any repetitive work task that you do on your computer. OpenAI's new "Record & Replay" tool allows you to teach their Codex agent how to do anything simply by recording your screen while you do the task.
You will set up the Record & Replay plugin in Codex, record your screen while you complete one repeatable task, and let Codex turn that recording into a skill.
That skill can reopen the same apps, follow the same browser or desktop steps, and automate the work you recorded.
In the video, the example workflow exports a Google Search Console report, applies a country filter, downloads a CSV, and moves the file into the right client folder. Your version could be a monthly analytics export, a YouTube upload checklist, a file-packaging workflow, a CRM cleanup task, or any other repeatable process you normally do by hand.
Once the skill works, turn it into a recurring automation.
You can do this manually from the Codex schedule menu by creating a new automation, choosing the project, and writing an instruction that invokes the skill.
The easier path is to stay in the same Codex thread and ask for it directly:
Create an automation that runs this skill every [SCHEDULE] for [CLIENT_OR_WORKFLOW].
Use the same project and inputs we just tested.
After it runs, summarize what changed and tell me if anything needs review.For a reporting workflow, that might run every Sunday or on the last day of each month. For a creator workflow, it might prepare an upload folder every Friday. For operations, it might export records, clean up files, or prepare a status packet on a recurring schedule.
You can also ask Codex to audit or edit the automation from the same thread:
Review the automation you just created.
Make sure it invokes the correct skill, uses the right schedule, and stops for review if the output is missing or the site changes.Start with one useful workflow. Record it cleanly, supervise the first replay, improve the skill, and only then schedule it.
Download and open the Codex desktop app. If you already use Codex, check for updates before recording.
Before you start, set up a clean place for the workflow:
This works best when the task is short, repeatable, and easy to verify. If the steps are mostly the same each time, but the client, date range, folder, or output name changes, it is a good candidate.
Pro tip Start with the most boring version of the workflow. Once the simple version works, you can teach Codex the extra edge cases.
Before Record & Replay can watch and replay a desktop workflow, Codex needs Computer Use.
Open Codex, go to Plugins, find Computer Use, and install it. When macOS prompts you, approve the permissions Codex needs to see and operate your screen, including Screen Recording and Accessibility.
Computer Use is what lets Codex move the mouse, click buttons, type into fields, use Finder, and operate a browser. Record & Replay uses that capability to turn your demonstration into a skill.
Pro tip Close private tabs, email, Slack, password managers, customer data, and anything else you do not want captured before you start recording.
In Codex, open Plugins, search for Record & Replay, and install the plugin.
Depending on the app version, you may start from Plugins > + > Record a skill, or you may invoke the installed plugin directly in a thread with /record and replay.
Use a prompt like this:
Record me doing this task and turn it into a reusable skill.If you already know the task name, add it:
Use Record & Replay to turn this [TASK_NAME] workflow into a reusable skill.For the Search Console demo, that task was a recurring reporting workflow. For your own version, replace it with the real job: exporting a report, uploading a video, moving files, updating a dashboard, or packaging a client deliverable.
When recording starts, do the task exactly as you normally would.
Move slowly enough for Codex to see the path. Open apps from the dock if that is how you normally start. Paste the website URL into a fresh browser tab if the site matters. Navigate through the menus, choose the right filters, export the file, rename it, move it, and verify the final result.
In the video example, the workflow was:
That same shape works for many other tasks. You could record yourself uploading a YouTube video, exporting monthly financial reports, saving invoices into a client folder, pulling CRM records, or moving finished assets into a delivery folder.
When the result is complete, hit the red stop button. Codex will automatically send the completion message, so you do not need to type "I'm done recording" yourself.
Pro tip If something goes wrong during the recording, restart. In the video, Safari glitched during the first attempt, so the recording was discarded with the trash can button and started again. Do the same if you click the wrong thing, expose the wrong data, or take an extra path you do not want the skill to learn.
After you stop recording, Codex inspects the actions and drafts a reusable skill. It may identify the key choices you made, like the report path, filter, export type, naming convention, or destination folder.
Review the skill before trusting it. Check that it captured:
If the skill is too specific, ask Codex to generalize it. If it is too broad, ask Codex to narrow it.
Use this prompt:
Improve this skill based on the recording.
Make it reusable for the same kind of task with new inputs.
Keep the steps narrow and practical.
Include success checks.
Do not include accidental clicks, glitches, or one-off detours from the recording.Run the skill on a new input before you turn it loose.
In a new thread, type / and select the skill Codex created. Give it the next version of the task: a new client, date range, file, upload, folder, report, or web app.
Then watch it work. Codex may move the mouse around your browser or desktop, click the export button, download a file, open Finder, or move files into place. This is the replay part.
Babysit the first run closely. In the video, Codex completed the workflow but was not fully sure it had succeeded. When that happens, tell it what you can see:
You succeeded. The output is in the correct folder and the file name is right.
Use what you learned from this test run to improve the skill and make it less fragile.You can also steer the implementation:
Use Computer Use where possible instead of relying on fragile scripts, unless a script is clearly safer for this step.The first test run is where the skill gets better. Watch whether Codex repeats the clicks correctly, then teach it what success looks like.
Keep going
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