Open Steps skill for Codex
Plain-language agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI: honest session reports, straight verdicts, steps you can follow. MIT.
How to install Open Steps in Codex
In Codex, ask the built-in skill installer for it:
$skill-installer install https://github.com/kharmanskyi/open-steps/tree/main/skills/<skill>Type this in Codex and replace <skill> with a folder name from 'What it contains'. $skill-installer is the skill installer built into Codex, and it downloads the skill from GitHub. Restart Codex if the skill doesn't show up. Check the repo README for any setup it needs. Source: Codex skills docs.
Or copy the skill folder (the one with SKILL.md) into ~/.agents/skills to use it in every project, or into .agents/skills in a repo to share it with that repo. Codex picks up new skills automatically. (where Codex loads skills)
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What it contains
Skills (8)
os-ask-simple— ALWAYS invoke this skill before asking the user any technical question or offering options, and whenever they ask to be asked in plain words - "ask simple", "ask me simply", "ask me in plain words" - in any language. ALWAYS invoke it too when the user asks…os-big-picture— ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks where the project as a whole stands - "where are we", "what's the big picture", "what have we built", "what is in this project", "map the project", "what does this thing even do", "what is stale", "what can we…os-check-work— ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks about work done outside this session - "check work", "check the others", "check other sessions" - or to accept one: "the session is done, check it", "can we merge it" - in any language. You are the receiving party…os-done-or-not— ALWAYS invoke this skill when work wraps up or the user asks how it went - "done or not", "are we done", "what happened", "report", "what's the status of this ticket" - in any language, and when a Stop hook asks for a session report. Produces a ten-line…os-say-simple— ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks for simpler or shorter about something said or written - "say it simply", "what does this mean", "I don't understand your answer", "too long", "wait, what?", "bro" - in any language, about any text: your own…os-step-by-step— ALWAYS invoke this skill when you need the user to act - run a command, paste a secret, click, approve - and whenever they ask how to do something or say they do not know what to do: "step by step", "walk me through it", "what do I do", "what should I do"…os-what-could-go-wrong— ALWAYS invoke this skill before anything hard to undo gets agreed to - a contract, a purchase, a migration, a launch, a price change, a reorganisation - and whenever the user asks "what could go wrong", "what are we missing", "poke holes in this", or for a…os-whats-next— ALWAYS invoke this skill when the user asks what to do next, what is left, or what is blocked - "what's next", "what now", "what should we work on", "anything I can do" - in any language. This skill picks the next piece of work; when the user asks HOW to do…
About this listing
Open Steps is a community collection of agent skills on GitHub by kharmanskyi: folders with a SKILL.md file, the format Codex loads skills from. Its README mentions Codex. It passed the CodexStacks quality filter for skills (at least 100 stars, pushed in the last 90 days, not a fork or a list, and at least one SKILL.md with a name and description). OpenAI hasn't reviewed it, but it passed our Codex install check on Oct 25, 2026 (an install and load check, not a code review). From its files we found 8 skills. It's one of 441 listings in the Developer Tools category (category assigned by CodexStacks from the repo's topics and description).
Open Steps FAQ
How do I install Open Steps in Codex?
In Codex, type $skill-installer install https://github.com/kharmanskyi/open-steps/tree/main/skills/<skill>. $skill-installer is the skill installer built into Codex (Codex skills docs). Or copy the skill folder (the one with SKILL.md) into ~/.agents/skills to use it in every project, or into .agents/skills in a repo to share it with that repo. Codex picks up new skills automatically.
Is Open Steps an official Codex skill?
No. Open Steps is a community repo on GitHub by kharmanskyi. It passed the CodexStacks quality filter, but OpenAI hasn't reviewed it, but it passed our Codex install check on Oct 25, 2026 (an install and load check, not a code review), so read the code before you install it.
What does Open Steps include?
From its manifest and repo files, Open Steps includes 8 skills: os-ask-simple, os-big-picture, os-check-work, os-done-or-not, os-say-simple, os-step-by-step….
Details
- Type
- Skill
- Category
- Developer Tools (assigned by us)
- Source
- Community
- Author
- kharmanskyi
- License
- MIT
- GitHub stars
- 1,259 (at last sync)
- Last push
- 2026-10-05
- GitHub topics
- agent-skill, ai-agents, claude-code, claude-code-plugin, claude-code-skills, claude-skill, codex-cli, coding-agents, cursor, cursor-cli, gemini-cli, plain-language
- Source
- https://github.com/kharmanskyi/open-steps
- Website
- https://opensteps.ai
- Listed via
- GitHub search: Codex skills (SKILL.md)
- Install check by CodexStacks
- Passed on Oct 25, 2026 with Codex CLI 0.163.0: Codex loaded its skills. proof · how we check
Something wrong or missing? Submit or improve this listing. Listings also refresh automatically every night.
For maintainers: badge and embeds
Maintain Open Steps? Add the badge; it links to this page.
Markdown
[](https://codexstacks.com/p/open-steps/)HTML
<a href="https://codexstacks.com/p/open-steps/"><img src="https://codexstacks.com/badge.svg" alt="Listed on CodexStacks" width="172" height="28"></a>Embed card (static HTML and inline CSS, no JavaScript). Preview:
<a href="https://codexstacks.com/p/open-steps/" style="display:block;max-width:380px;box-sizing:border-box;padding:14px 16px;border:1px solid #3a2c26;border-radius:12px;background:#0d0b0a;color:#f3ece6;font:14px/1.45 -apple-system,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;text-decoration:none"><span style="display:block;font-size:16px;font-weight:700;color:#f3ece6">Open Steps</span><span style="display:block;margin:2px 0 8px;font-size:12px;color:#b5a9a1">Community Codex skill · 8 skills</span><span style="display:block;margin:0 0 10px;color:#ddd3cc">Plain-language agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI: honest session reports, straight verdicts…</span><span style="font-size:12px;font-weight:600;color:#ffb347">View on CodexStacks →</span></a>Markdown summary
**[Open Steps on CodexStacks](https://codexstacks.com/p/open-steps/)**: Community Codex skill with 8 skills.More on badges, embeds and keeping your listing up to date: CodexStacks for plugin authors.
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