OpenAI Codex Deprecates Custom Prompts in Favor of Skills

OpenAI has deprecated Codex custom prompts and recommends migrating to skills — reusable instructions Codex can invoke explicitly or implicitly. Existing projects using custom prompts should plan to adopt skills for tighter model integration and repeatable behavior.

OpenAI Codex Deprecates Custom Prompts in Favor of Skills

TL;DR

  • Custom prompts deprecated; adopt skills as replacement.
  • Skills are reusable instructions Codex can invoke explicitly or implicitly, enabling integrated repeatable behavior.
  • Custom prompts previously turned Markdown files into reusable prompts and supported slash commands in Codex CLI and Codex IDE extension.
  • Existing projects that relied on custom prompts should plan to transition to skills.
  • Official note: https://developers.openai.com/codex/custom-prompts/

Deprecation notice and the replacement

OpenAI has deprecated custom prompts and directs developers toward skills as the replacement. Skills serve as reusable instructions that Codex can invoke explicitly or implicitly, providing a more integrated mechanism for embedding repeatable behavior into the Codex workflow.

This transition mirrors the same shift implemented by amp last week.

What custom prompts provided

Historically, custom prompts allowed Markdown files to be turned into reusable prompts. These could be invoked as slash commands in both the Codex CLI and the Codex IDE extension, enabling quick access to predefined prompts from within those tools.

Implications for projects

  • Existing projects that relied on custom prompts should plan to transition to skills, since the older mechanism is deprecated.

For any further details, refer to the official note on custom prompts deprecation: https://developers.openai.com/codex/custom-prompts/

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