zero2codex
OpenAI Codex workflow course

Course goal: ship your personal brand site

Build a personal brand site with Codex

Keep improving one project from an empty folder to a responsive one-page site with an introduction, projects, and contact details. Every lesson adds a visible result or a check toward that finish line.

Curriculum

Personal brand site build path

01

Start With Codex

Set up Codex and build the hero section of your personal brand site.

0/4
00｜Install And Open CodexInstall the desktop app, sign in, open the site project folder, and send a safe first message.
8 minReady

00｜Install And Open Codex

Finish the setup and know where to start a local Codex task.

desktop appChatGPT sign-inlocal folder
8-minute lab

Hands-on lab

Install and open the desktop app, sign in, attach an empty practice folder, and send one read-only message to confirm the setup works.

Before you start

  • Have your ChatGPT account ready. Create one first if you do not have one yet.
  • Create an empty folder named my-brand-site anywhere on your computer.

Do it now

Good prompt

Codex, before we begin, confirm the name of the current folder and list the files you can see. Do not create, edit, rename, or delete anything yet.

What success looks like

  • The desktop app is open and signed in to your account.
  • The task is using my-brand-site as its local folder.
  • Codex says the folder is empty and makes no file changes.
Stuck? Try this
  • If you cannot find Codex, open the ChatGPT dropdown in the task composer and select Codex.
  • If Codex cannot see the folder, start a task or use the folder picker again and select my-brand-site.

Plain-language explanation

Before the first coding exercise, get the desktop app ready. Install it, sign in with your ChatGPT account, and open one folder that Codex is allowed to read.

You do not need to understand every button yet. For now, find the Codex task, the message box, and the folder attached to the task. That is enough to begin.

Why it matters

The next lesson asks Codex to create a real file. Doing this setup first means you can focus on the exercise instead of wondering whether Codex can see the right folder.

Common beginner mistake

Starting a task before checking the selected folder. Codex may then have no project context or may be looking at a different folder.

Step-by-step

  1. Download the desktop app for your operating system from the official quickstart.
  2. Install it, open it, and sign in with your ChatGPT account.
  3. Create or select the empty my-brand-site folder.
  4. Start a task and select Codex from the ChatGPT dropdown.
  5. Send the read-only setup check below.
  6. Confirm Codex can see the folder and did not change any files.

Try this

Find the task sidebar, message box, current folder, and changed-files view. You only need to know where they are; do not change any settings yet.

Completion checklist

  • The desktop app is installed, open, and signed in.
  • A Codex task can see my-brand-site and no files were changed.

Sources

What Codex Is ForBuild the first version of your site with a name, introduction, projects, contact details, and one working button.Choose A Codex SurfaceEdit the site's Projects button locally, then verify its text and behavior in a browser.Your First Useful PromptTurn “add an About section” into a concrete request with content, constraints, and browser checks.
08

Finish And Deliver The Site

Polish independent tasks in parallel, then complete one final acceptance review.

0/3
Complete The Site GoalTurn the finished personal site into one measurable goal with content, layout, interaction, and evidence checks.Polish Copy And Accessibility In ParallelUse isolated worktrees only when copy polish and accessibility review can avoid editing the same lines.Run The Final Three ReviewsRun separate content, link, and accessibility reviews, then compare all evidence against the same launch checklist.

Practice lab

Copyable Codex prompts

Plan before coding

Codex, inspect the relevant files first, then propose a plan. Do not edit until the plan names tests and verification steps.

Verification checklist

  • Relevant files are named before edits begin.
  • The plan includes tests and verification commands.

Verify a UI change

Codex, start the dev server, open the route in the browser, check desktop and mobile layouts, then report the exact evidence.

Verification checklist

  • Desktop and mobile states are checked in the browser.
  • The final note includes exact evidence.

Review focused risk

Codex, review the uncommitted diff. Focus on behavioral regressions, missing tests, and accessibility issues. Do not modify files.

Verification checklist

  • Findings lead with severity and file references.
  • Unchanged files are left untouched.
Every good Codex request says what to change, what to preserve, and how to prove it worked.

Reference

Codex concepts to keep nearby