Codex dynamic tools

Which OpenClaw dynamic tools reach a Codex turn, and how they are loaded. Part of the Codex harness reference; Where each section moved lists every section.

Dynamic tools

Codex dynamic tools default to searchable loading, exposed under the openclaw namespace with deferLoading: true. OpenClaw normally does not expose dynamic tools that duplicate Codex-native workspace operations or Codex's own tool-search surface:

• read
• write
• edit
• apply_patch
• exec
• process
• tool_call
• tool_describe
• tool_search
• tool_search_code

progress_card is not filtered with those native workspace tools. It remains available through the OpenClaw dynamic-tool bridge as the durable session status surface.

When a finite runtime allowlist disables native Code Mode, OpenClaw sends an empty execution-environment selection. In that direct, unsandboxed case, OpenClaw keeps its policy-filtered exec and process tools as the shell fallback. Runtime allowlists and codexDynamicToolsExclude still apply.

Most remaining OpenClaw integration tools, such as messaging, media, cron, browser, nodes, gateway, heartbeat_respond, and web_search, are available through Codex tool search under that namespace. This keeps the initial model context smaller. A small set of tools stay directly callable regardless of codexDynamicToolsLoading, because Codex tool search can be unavailable or resolve a connector-only universe: agents_list, sessions_spawn, and sessions_yield. Developer instructions still steer normal Codex subagents toward native spawn_agent for Codex-native subagent work, while sessions_spawn remains available for explicit OpenClaw or ACP delegation. Message-tool-only source replies also stay direct, since that is a turn-control contract.

Codex Code Mode projects generic OpenClaw dynamic-tool results as text. Parse a JSON result before reading fields. Nested dynamic calls are serialized by the Codex runtime, so Promise.all does not submit them concurrently; use a bounded sequential launch loop when starting collector children.

Tools marked catalogMode: "direct-only", including the OpenClaw computer tool and regular-agent openclaw delegation, are grouped under openclaw_direct. OpenClaw adds that namespace to Codex's features.code_mode.direct_only_tool_namespaces list without replacing operator-supplied entries. Codex therefore exposes those tools as DirectModelOnly in normal and code-mode-only threads instead of routing them through nested Code Mode tools.* calls. This preserves image-bearing results, which nested Code Mode otherwise flattens to text. It also keeps delegated human approval on the direct model call: a yielded script cell must not let the model finish its turn while that approval is still waiting.

Set codexDynamicToolsLoading: "direct" only when connecting to a custom Codex app-server that cannot search deferred dynamic tools or when debugging the full tool payload.