Codex replies and final answers

How final assistant text reaches the source conversation, and what happens when a Codex turn settles without one. Part of the Codex harness runtime guide; Where each section moved lists every section.

Visible replies and heartbeats

Direct/source chat turns through the Codex harness default to automatic final assistant delivery for internal WebChat surfaces, matching the Pi harness contract: the agent replies normally and OpenClaw posts the final text to the source conversation. Set messages.visibleReplies: "message_tool" to keep final assistant text private unless the agent calls message(action="send").

Codex heartbeat turns get heartbeat_respond in the searchable OpenClaw tool catalog by default so the agent can record whether the wake should stay quiet or notify. Heartbeat turns use the same Codex Default collaboration mode as ordinary chat turns. The heartbeat monitor's cron scratch is appended to the scheduled heartbeat user message when present.

Final answers after settled tool work

For ordinary host-authenticated Codex turns that finish tool work without a visible answer, OpenClaw can request a bounded final-answer turn in a private temporary home. It uses the completed thread's model selection and the original host auth route or resolved profile, rather than selecting a model from outer request metadata. The existing environment, dynamic-tool, MCP, and native-hook restrictions remain. Completed actions are transcript evidence, not instructions to replay. Preserving a native model does not, by itself, disable host-authenticated finalization.

Recovery reserves its existing limits for the complete current turn, then keeps the nearest whole earlier exchanges that fit. Older exchanges can be omitted, including a whole exchange that is too large. A notice identifies missing history when space permits; the finalizer is always instructed to state uncertainty about missing facts. Current evidence that exceeds the limits, invalid tool pairs, or unsupported content still makes recovery unavailable. Existing conversation history stays intact, and completed actions are never repeated.

A Chat created through Codex Sessions is different: its private supervision connection owns native authentication. Stock Codex does not expose a generic tool-free summary operation that preserves that connection's account. OpenClaw marks this finalization context unavailable instead of choosing host credentials, copying native credentials, or starting another native turn. If a final reply is required, the host delivers its existing fallback:

The tool run finished, but no final summary was produced. I did not repeat any completed actions.

The original completed outcome, native binding, and tool receipts remain intact. Native turns that return a final answer are delivered normally. The ordinary homeScope: "user" opt-in retains its documented private host-auth finalization; see Auth and environment isolation.