How I Build Apps With Codex (Without Opening Xcode)

Hey Reader,

What workflow is best for Codex and Xcode?

There are a lot of tools you can configure to work with Xcode, but they might be costing you context (or wasting time).

Last year, I started using Makefiles with my agents. A Makefile is a script that can be used to build or run anything (like xcodebuild).

I love that you can extend Makefile targets to support variables to hyper focus testing with agents.

It's better for Codex to make one tool call that does exactly what you need, rather than multiple tool calls. You'll save context and you reduce the risk of running dangerous commands accidentally.

Read my latest article: How I Build Apps With Codex Without Opening Xcode

Read the article above and learn:

How to make Xcode projects agents friendly
The only build command I use
Why you need runtime logs
Must have AGENTS.md rules
How agents write better code

The benefit of the Makefile is that you and the agent can use the same command. So your agent is productive and you are able to double-check their work.

2 Tactics You Can Steal

#1 I don't let my agents use rm (remove)

But I do let my agents use rm in a Makefile. Grab my AppCreator skill so your agent can setup Xcode builds safely.

Need to clean build artifacts? Have agents use: make clean.

Don't let your agents use dangerous commands accidentally. Instead wrap them safely using this skill.

#2 App Store Keywords Tip

Your App Store keyword field is 100 characters. Do not put spaces between the commas; you should only have spaces between words.

Include one or more keywords that describe your app. Keywords make App Store search results more accurate. Separate keywords with an English comma, Chinese comma, or a mix of both.

You're losing out on 1-3 additional keywords when you format your keyword list incorrectly.

5 Links and Resources

Supercharge Codex with NEW Plugins: Codex Plugins Just Dropped: Skills, Apps, and MCP in One Place
Write better code with both Claude and Codex. OpenAI launched a new Plugin for Claude: Codex can code review Claude from within Claude Code.
New to Codex + apps? Start with these 7 beginner tips for apps with Codex.
Marketing your app? Follow a plan from a full-time indie developer: How I Promote My Apps – My Personal Secret Sauce
Need to work with App Store Connect? Give your agent a new tool to take the pain away from publishing. Use App Store Connect CLI (1.0.1 Release)

From the Community

Do you use Plan mode? I discuss this in the article today.

Sometimes plan mode is useful to get a quick prototype, but I find it will do things I don't want (and it creates a huge wall of text to read). If you don't read it and push back, you risk wasting a lot of time and tokens.

Short, concise plans designed from discussion have always felt better to me. Talk through a feature, poke holes in it, and work step-by-step with an AI agent.

Peter Steinberger 🦞

@steipete

I never use plan mode. 
The main reason this was added to codex is for claude-pilled people who struggle with changing their habits.
just talk with your agent. https://twitter.com/kr0der/status/2039340816980660556