# Codex Workflows: Self-Written Goals and Instant App Context

*By Coding Agents Alpha Tracker • June 15, 2026*

Two practical Codex patterns stood out today: let the agent write its own /goal, and use app-shots to hand it the full context of whatever app you're in. Light news day, but both are immediately testable in a real dev workflow.

## 🔥 TOP SIGNAL

- **The practical shift in today's Codex chatter: let the agent set more of its own task.** skirano says he "basically never" writes his own `/goal` anymore; he asks Codex to write one for itself and one for each agent it spawns. Tibo's framing is the timeless part: because Codex can see and set its own `/goal`, this turns meta-prompting into "give the agent your intent, then let it derive the task structure" [^1][^2]

> "Codex can see and set its own /goal. Everything we build, we build also as a tool for the agent. This is a generalization of meta prompting, where you let the agent set its own task based on your intent." [^2]

## ⚡ TRY THIS

- **Let Codex author the `/goal`.** Replicable workflow from skirano:
  1. State the outcome you want.
  2. Ask Codex to write its own `/goal`.
  3. Ask it to write a `/goal` for each agent it spawns.
  This is the cleanest concrete example in today's sources of offloading task decomposition to the agent instead of hand-authoring it yourself [^1][^2]

- **Use `app-shots` for in-place drafting.** Riley Brown's shortcut flow:
  1. Open the app you're already working in.
  2. Press both Command keys at the same time.
  3. Give Codex a terse instruction like **"Finish this."**
  Riley says this works with Notion and email because it gives Codex the context of what you're doing immediately [^3]

- **Combine the two when the hard part is context + decomposition.** First send the live app context to Codex with the Command-key shortcut; then have Codex turn that context into its own `/goal` and sub-agent goals. Today's sources support each step directly, and together they form a useful pattern: context capture first, agent-defined execution second [^3][^1][^2]

## 📡 WHAT SHIPPED

- **Codex `app-shots` is the concrete feature getting real practitioner praise today.** Riley Brown calls it "the most delightful feature" he's used; the behavior is simple and specific: in any app, press both Command keys to send the current context to Codex immediately, then issue a tiny command. [Demo](https://x.com/rileybrown/status/2066287761347182812) [^4][^3]

## 🎬 GO DEEPER

- **skirano's short demo of self-authored goals** — [watch on X](https://x.com/skirano/status/2066225908202053818). Best quick example in today's sources of asking Codex to write one `/goal` for itself and one for each agent it spawns [^1]

- **Riley Brown's `app-shots` demo + exact shortcut follow-up** — [demo](https://x.com/rileybrown/status/2066287761347182812) and [follow-up](https://x.com/rileybrown/status/2066288059528728944). Watch this if you want the clearest picture of the interaction loop: capture the current app, then hand Codex a minimal instruction like "Finish this" [^4][^3]

*Editorial take: today's edge is tighter intent translation — capture the live context, then let the agent do more of the task-setting.* [^3][^1][^2]

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### Sources

[^1]: [𝕏 post by @skirano](https://x.com/skirano/status/2066225908202053818)
[^2]: [𝕏 post by @thsottiaux](https://x.com/thsottiaux/status/2066270561081454989)
[^3]: [𝕏 post by @rileybrown](https://x.com/rileybrown/status/2066288059528728944)
[^4]: [𝕏 post by @rileybrown](https://x.com/rileybrown/status/2066287761347182812)