Getting started with codecsCodex is straightforward, and you can have it running inside Visual Studio Code in a few minutes.

The following steps will guide you through installation and initial configuration. The extension integrates Codex into VS Code so it can read, modify, and run your code locally.

Let's start with step one, installing the extension.

First, launch Visual Studio Code or one of its forks: Insiders, Cursor, or Windsurf. Ensure you have the latest version installed.

Next, press CTRL+Shift+X, or CMD+Shift+X on Mac OS, to open the Extensions view. You can also click the square icon and the activity bar.

The Extensions view shows both your installed extensions and the ones available to install.

Then search for Codex. Look for the extension published by Open AI called Codex—Open AI's coding agent.

Now install the extension by selecting Install. VS Code should download the package and install it.

Once completed, the Codex icon appears in the activity bar alongside Explorer, Search, and other icons.

Selecting the Codex icon should bring up a panel on the left sidebar, primary sidebar. Note that you might need to restart VS Code to see the Codex extension on the activity bar or if the Codex panel doesn't show.

As a pro tip for a better developer experience, drag the Codex logo to the right sidebar, secondary sidebar. This way, you can explore your files on the left and interact with Codex on the right.

Let's move on to Step 2, signing in and authenticating.

Once the installation is complete, the codecsCodex panel will require you to authenticate before you can get started. There are two ways to do this.

The recommended way is to sign in to your Chat GPT account. Click Sign in with Chat GPT in the Codex panel.

A browser window will open where you authenticate with your Chat GPT Plus, Pro, Edu, or Enterprise account.

Once authenticated, the Codex panel will guide you through various Codex capabilities as part of the onboarding sequence. Just keep clicking Next until the overview is finished and then you can interact with Codex.

Note that this method includes usage credits as part of your Chat GPT subscription without any additional setup.

It also includes access to the newest models and full access to all Codex features. Due to this, it's the recommended way to use Codex.

The second option is API key login. If you prefer to use API credits from the Open AI platform instead, generate an API key and set it in the extension settings.

Setting up Codex IDE Extension for Visual Studio Code

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