Use bash (with optional background mode) for all coding agent work. Simple and effective.
For Codex, Pi, and OpenCode, PTY is still required (interactive terminal apps):
# β
Correct for Codex/Pi/OpenCode
bash pty:true command:"codex exec 'Your prompt'"
For Claude Code (claude CLI), use --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions instead.
--dangerously-skip-permissions with PTY can exit after the confirmation dialog.
--print mode keeps full tool access and avoids interactive confirmation:
# β
Correct for Claude Code (no PTY needed)
cd /path/to/project && claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'
For background execution: use background:true on the exec tool
β Wrong for Claude Code
bash pty:true command:"claude --dangerously-skip-permissions 'task'"
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
command | string | The shell command to run |
pty | boolean | Use for coding agents! Allocates a pseudo-terminal for interactive CLIs |
workdir | string | Working directory (agent sees only this folder's context) |
background | boolean | Run in background, returns sessionId for monitoring |
timeout | number | Timeout in seconds (kills process on expiry) |
elevated | boolean | Run on host instead of sandbox (if allowed) |
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
list | List all running/recent sessions |
poll | Check if session is still running |
log | Get session output (with optional offset/limit) |
write | Send raw data to stdin |
submit | Send data + newline (like typing and pressing Enter) |
send-keys | Send key tokens or hex bytes |
paste | Paste text (with optional bracketed mode) |
kill | Terminate the session |
---
For quick prompts/chats, create a temp git repo and run:
# Quick chat (Codex needs a git repo!)
SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d) && cd $SCRATCH && git init && codex exec "Your prompt here"
Or in a real project - with PTY!
bash pty:true workdir:~/Projects/myproject command:"codex exec 'Add error handling to the API calls'"
---
For longer tasks, use background mode with PTY:
# Start agent in target directory (with PTY!)
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a snake game'"
Returns sessionId for tracking
Monitor progress
process action:log sessionId:XXX
Check if done
process action:poll sessionId:XXX
Send input (if agent asks a question)
process action:write sessionId:XXX data:"y"
Submit with Enter (like typing "yes" and pressing Enter)
process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"
Kill if needed
process action:kill sessionId:XXX
---
gpt-5.2-codex is the default (set in ~/.codex/config.toml)
| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
exec "prompt" | One-shot execution, exits when done |
--full-auto | Sandboxed but auto-approves in workspace |
--yolo | NO sandbox, NO approvals (fastest, most dangerous) |
# Quick one-shot (auto-approves) - remember PTY!
bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a dark mode toggle'"
Background for longer work
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Refactor the auth module'"
Clone to temp folder or use git worktree.
# Clone to temp for safe review
REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW_DIR
cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130
bash pty:true workdir:$REVIEW_DIR command:"codex review --base origin/main"
Clean up after: trash $REVIEW_DIR
Or use git worktree (keeps main intact)
git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branch
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review command:"codex review --base main"
# Fetch all PR refs first
git fetch origin '+refs/pull//head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/'
Deploy the army - one Codex per PR (all with PTY!)
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"
Monitor all
process action:list
Post results to GitHub
gh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"
---
# Foreground
bash workdir:~/project command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"
Background
bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"claude --permission-mode bypassPermissions --print 'Your task'"
---
bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"opencode run 'Your task'"---
# Install: npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent
bash pty:true workdir:~/project command:"pi 'Your task'"
Non-interactive mode (PTY still recommended)
bash pty:true command:"pi -p 'Summarize src/'"
Different provider/model
bash pty:true command:"pi --provider openai --model gpt-4o-mini -p 'Your task'"
---
For fixing multiple issues in parallel, use git worktrees:
# 1. Create worktrees for each issue
git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main
git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main
2. Launch Codex in each (background + PTY!)
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'"
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"pnpm install && codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99 from the approved ticket summary. Implement only the in-scope edits and commit after review.'"
3. Monitor progress
process action:list
process action:log sessionId:XXX
4. Create PRs after fixes
cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78
gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..."
5. Cleanup
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99
---
pty:true
- Claude Code: --print --permission-mode bypassPermissions (no PTY required)
- If an agent fails/hangs, respawn it or ask the user for direction, but don't silently take over.
---
When you spawn coding agents in the background, keep the user in the loop.
- the agent asks a question / needs input
- you hit an error or need user action
- the agent finishes (include what changed + where)
This prevents the user from seeing only "Agent failed before reply" and having no idea what happened.
---
For long-running background tasks, append a wake trigger to your prompt so OpenClaw gets notified immediately when the agent finishes (instead of waiting for the next heartbeat):
... your task here.
When completely finished, run this command to notify me:
openclaw system event --text "Done: [brief summary of what was built]" --mode now
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Build a REST API for todos.
When completely finished, run: openclaw system event --text \"Done: Built todos REST API with CRUD endpoints\" --mode now'"
This triggers an immediate wake event β Skippy gets pinged in seconds, not 10 minutes.
---
pty:true, output breaks or agent hangs.mktemp -d && git init for scratch work.codex exec "prompt" runs and exits cleanly - perfect for one-shots.submit to send input + Enter, write for raw data without newline.