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.

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00｜Install And Open CodexInstall the desktop app, sign in, open the site project folder, and send a safe first message.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.
03

Work Safely

Add site interactions while keeping every edit safe and easy to undo.

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Local Thread BoundariesAdd Back to top while keeping the task limited to one file and one visible outcome.Sandbox And ApprovalsServe the personal site locally and review every command before approving it.Network Access RiskAudit fonts, images, scripts, and links to decide whether the site needs network access.
9 minReady

Network Access Risk

Balance current information needs against supply-chain and privacy risk.

network accesspackage installationsource trust
10-minute lab

Hands-on lab

Run a read-only network-needs audit on the personal brand site. The goal is to prove whether this local static project needs internet access at all.

Before you start

  • Keep my-brand-site as the active local project after the server-verification lesson.
  • Start a separate task named Audit network needs and keep network access off.

Do it now

Good prompt

Codex, perform a read-only network-needs audit of index.html. Inspect all script, stylesheet, image, font, fetch, and form references. Do not edit files, browse, install packages, or make external requests. Report which resources are local, identify any exact external URLs without opening them, and conclude whether this page needs internet access to work when served locally.

What success looks like

  • No file changes, package installs, browsing, or external requests occur.
  • The report identifies whether every asset and behavior is contained in index.html.
  • Codex concludes that external internet access is unnecessary unless the file contains a specific external reference.
Stuck? Try this
  • If Codex asks to browse, reply: “The answer is in index.html. Continue locally and name the missing fact if you disagree.”
  • If an external URL is found, ask Codex to report it without opening it or changing the file.

Plain-language explanation

Network access is useful when Codex needs current documentation, packages, or external context. It is unnecessary when the answer is already in the repo or in stable local files.

A good request tells Codex when browsing is allowed and what sources should count as trustworthy.

Why it matters

Network boundaries reduce supply-chain and privacy risk while still letting Codex use current official information when that matters.

Common beginner mistake

Beginners sometimes let Codex search the open web for stable local facts or install packages before checking what the project already uses.

Step-by-step

  1. Ask whether the task truly needs current external information.
  2. Name official sources when browsing is allowed.
  3. Require Codex to explain why a package or network call is needed.
  4. Prefer local evidence when the repo already contains the answer.

Try this

Pick one task and write a sentence that says whether Codex may use the network and which sources are allowed.

Completion checklist

  • The request names when browsing is allowed.
  • The response prefers official documentation for current technical facts.

Sources

08

Finish And Deliver The Site

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

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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