--- sidebar_position: 43 sidebar_label: Codex Security SDK title: OpenAI Codex Security SDK description: Compare Codex Security scans, finding validation, model reasoning, repository coverage, token usage, and estimated cost in Promptfoo evals. --- # OpenAI Codex Security SDK The Codex Security provider runs the `@openai/codex-security` SDK directly as a Promptfoo provider. Use it to compare standard and deep scans, models, reasoning effort, vulnerability recall, finding validation, token usage, and estimated scan cost. | Provider | Best for | Provider ID | | ------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- | | Codex Security SDK | Repository security scans, validated findings, and coverage | `openai:codex-security:` | | [Codex SDK](./openai-codex-sdk.md) | General coding-agent tasks, local skills, and structured output | `openai:codex-sdk` | | [Codex App Server](./openai-codex-app-server.md) | Rich-client protocol events, approvals, and thread lifecycle | `openai:codex-app-server` | | [OpenAI Agents](./openai-agents.md) | Application agents, tools, handoffs, and sessions | `openai:agents:` | ## Installation and authentication The SDK is installed separately when you use this provider. Install Promptfoo and the SDK together so they share the same installation: ```bash npm install promptfoo @openai/codex-security@^0.2.0 ``` The provider requires `@openai/codex-security` version `^0.2.0`. This release includes patched TOML configuration parsing and retains the updated archive extractor, finding validation, and deep-worker usage accounting. Use Node.js `^22.22.0`, `^24.0.0`, or `^26.0.0` to satisfy both Promptfoo and the SDK. Promptfoo loads the SDK only from its own installation; it does not execute SDK packages found in the target repository or evaluation directory. For a global installation, install both packages together with `npm install -g promptfoo @openai/codex-security@^0.2.0`. Use an existing Codex/ChatGPT login, or set `OPENAI_API_KEY` or `CODEX_API_KEY` in the process environment before starting promptfoo. The native SDK does not support provider-scoped API keys or provider environment overrides; credentials must already be present in the Promptfoo process environment. Codex Security access, Trusted Access, and model availability depend on the authenticated account and organization. ## Configure in the web UI Open **Setup**, select **Add Provider**, and search for **Codex Security SDK** or **security**. The provider is listed under **Agent Frameworks** and uses the native `openai:codex-security:` provider ID rather than a Python adapter. Choose a security operation, repository path, model, reasoning effort, authentication method, and optional scan cost limit. Configure advanced deep-scan workers, subagents, discovery limits, and runtime limits in YAML when needed. ## Compare scan depth, models, and reasoning ```yaml title="promptfooconfig.yaml" # yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json description: Compare Codex Security scan depth and reasoning prompts: - Find exploitable authorization, injection, and sensitive-data vulnerabilities. providers: - id: openai:codex-security:gpt-5.6-terra label: standard-terra-medium config: operation: security-scan repository: ./repository model_reasoning_effort: medium max_cost_usd: 1 - id: openai:codex-security:gpt-5.6-sol label: standard-sol-high config: operation: security-scan repository: ./repository model_reasoning_effort: high max_cost_usd: 1 - id: openai:codex-security:gpt-5.6-sol label: deep-sol-high config: operation: deep-security-scan repository: ./repository model_reasoning_effort: high workers: 2 max_discovery_runs: 4 max_cost_usd: 2 defaultTest: assert: - type: is-json - type: javascript value: | const scan = JSON.parse(output); return Array.isArray(scan.findings?.findings); tests: - description: Compare the same repository and security objective vars: {} ``` Provider IDs support both `openai:codex-security` with `config.model` and `openai:codex-security:`. Relative repository, output, plugin, finding, and knowledge-base paths resolve from the config file directory. Run the config without cached results: ```bash npx promptfoo eval -c promptfooconfig.yaml --no-cache npx promptfoo view ``` To start with the included intentionally vulnerable fixture: ```bash npx promptfoo@latest init --example openai-codex-security cd openai-codex-security npm install promptfoo @openai/codex-security@^0.2.0 npx promptfoo eval --no-cache ``` ## Supported operations The `operation` value matches the corresponding Codex Security skill name exactly. | Operation | Execution path | Purpose | | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `security-scan` | Native SDK: `run(..., { mode: 'standard' })` | Single-pass repository or scoped-path scan. Default operation. | | `deep-security-scan` | Native SDK: `run(..., { mode: 'deep' })` | Repeated discovery and validation with worker and stopping controls. | | `security-diff-scan` | Native SDK: `run()` with `DiffTarget` | Scan a committed Git diff or the working tree. | | `validation` | Native SDK: `validate()` | Determine whether a candidate finding is reportable, suppressed, not applicable, or deferred. | All four operations use the native SDK, which bootstraps its bundled security plugin automatically. Remediation, fix verification, and standalone delegated security skills are not supported by this provider. ## Scope repository and diff scans Scan selected paths: ```yaml providers: - id: openai:codex-security config: operation: security-scan repository: ./service paths: - src/auth - src/api ``` Review changes between committed refs: ```yaml providers: - id: openai:codex-security config: operation: security-diff-scan repository: ./service base_ref: origin/main head_ref: HEAD ``` Set `working_tree: true` to review uncommitted changes instead. `head_ref` cannot be combined with `working_tree`, and path-scoped scans cannot be combined with Git diff targets. ## Validate findings Pass a structured finding directly or load it from `finding_file`: ```yaml providers: - id: openai:codex-security:gpt-5.6-sol config: operation: validation repository: ./isolated-checkout finding_file: ./fixtures/sql-injection.json ``` Validation returns JSON containing `disposition`, `report`, `outputDir`, and `threadId`. If `finding` and `finding_file` are omitted, the provider uses a structured `finding` eval-row variable when available; otherwise, it uses the rendered prompt as the finding text. :::warning Managed Codex Security scans run with the access required by the security SDK. Run scans only against repositories you are authorized to assess, and account for sensitive source-code excerpts in generated findings and artifacts. ::: ## Configuration | Setting | Applies to | Description | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | `operation` | All operations | Exact Codex Security skill name. Defaults to `security-scan`. | | `model` | All operations | Codex model; can also be provided in the provider ID. | | `model_reasoning_effort` / `reasoning_effort` | All operations | Model reasoning effort. If both are set, they must match. | | `model_provider` | All operations | Alternative Codex model provider. | | `repository` / `working_dir` | All operations | Repository path. A `repository` eval variable is also accepted. | | `paths` | Repository and deep scans | Repository-relative paths to assess. | | `base_ref`, `head_ref`, `working_tree` | Diff scans | Committed-ref or working-tree target selection. | | `max_cost_usd` | Scans | Hard SDK scan-cost ceiling. | | `workers`, `subagents` | Deep scans | Discovery worker and subagent counts. | | `stop_after_no_new`, `max_discovery_runs`, `max_time_hours` | Deep scans | Variance, coverage, and runtime stopping controls. | | `scan_prompt`, `validation_prompt`, `post_scan_prompt` | Scans | Additional instructions for individual scan phases. | | `output_dir`, `archive_existing` | Scans | Scan artifact location and replacement behavior. | | `knowledge_base_paths` | Scans | Additional repository security context. | | `expected_plugin_version`, `failure_severity` | Scans | Plugin-version and severity policies. | | `auth` | All operations | `auto`, `chatgpt`, or `api-key`. | | `plugin_path`, `python_path`, `codex_overrides` | All operations | Security runtime configuration. | | `finding`, `finding_file` | Validation | Candidate vulnerability text or a structured finding. | ## Results, cost, and assertions Repository scans return `ScanResult.toJSON()` in `output`, including `manifest`, `findings`, `coverage`, artifact paths, and SDK cost data. Promptfoo also normalizes SDK-reported values into: - `tokenUsage.prompt`, `tokenUsage.completion`, `tokenUsage.cached`, and `tokenUsage.total`. - `tokenUsage.completionDetails.reasoning`, `cacheReadInputTokens`, and `cacheCreationInputTokens` when reported. - `cost`, using the security SDK's `estimatedUsd` value. - `metadata.operation`, `metadata.mode`, `metadata.model`, `metadata.reasoningEffort`, `metadata.findingsCount`, `metadata.coverage`, artifact paths, warnings, SDK version, and plugin version. - `metadata.skillCalls` for native scan and finding-validation operation routing. Finding validation does not currently expose reliable token or cost totals, so the provider leaves those fields unset. Use [named assertion metrics](/docs/configuration/expected-outputs#assertion-properties) to compare finding recall, skill routing, scan coverage, latency, and spend in the web UI: ```yaml tests: - description: Finds known application vulnerabilities vars: expectedFindings: command injection,authentication bypass assert: - type: is-json - type: skill-used value: pattern: '*security-scan' metric: SecuritySkill - type: javascript metric: FindingRecall value: | const scan = JSON.parse(output); const findings = scan.findings?.findings ?? []; const found = findings .map((finding) => `${finding.title ?? ''} ${finding.summary ?? ''}`.toLowerCase()) .join(' '); const expected = context.vars.expectedFindings.split(',').map((value) => value.trim()); const matches = expected.filter((value) => found.includes(value.toLowerCase())); const recall = matches.length / expected.length; return { pass: recall >= 0.5, score: recall, reason: `Found ${matches.length} of ${expected.length} expected vulnerability classes`, }; - type: javascript metric: CompleteCoverage value: context.providerResponse?.metadata?.coverage?.completeness === 'complete' - type: cost threshold: 2 metric: ScanCost - type: latency threshold: 3600000 metric: ScanLatency ``` `cost` assertions require a native scan that reports estimated spend; do not use them for finding validation when the SDK omits usage. Finding output and stored artifacts may include sensitive source-code excerpts. The provider retains credential masking for SDK diagnostic errors and warnings, but SDK 0.2.0 saves its own diagnostic artifacts without masking. Review artifacts before sharing and configure Promptfoo retention accordingly. ## Troubleshooting - **Zero findings with partial coverage:** Inspect `metadata.warnings`, `metadata.coverage.deferred`, and `coverage.json`. Discarded findings or malformed evidence references indicate an incomplete scan, not a clean repository. - **Deep scan cost appears too low:** Install SDK version `^0.2.0`. SDKs before `0.1.18` can omit independently launched discovery and deduplication workers from token and cost totals. - **Sandbox preflight fails:** SDK 0.2.0 checks Unix sandbox support before paid model calls. Run scans in an environment that supports the Codex sandbox. - **SDK fails to load:** Install Promptfoo and the SDK together, and use Node.js `^22.22.0`, `^24.0.0`, or `^26.0.0`. - **Authentication or access fails:** Sign in with Codex or set `OPENAI_API_KEY` / `CODEX_API_KEY`; confirm that the account has the required Codex Security and Trusted Access permissions. - **Output directory is rejected:** Choose an artifact directory outside the target repository, and use a distinct directory for each provider or eval row. - **Diff scan fails:** Set `base_ref`, or use `working_tree: true`; do not combine `working_tree` with `head_ref`. ## Related documentation - [OpenAI provider](./openai.md) - [OpenAI Codex SDK](./openai-codex-sdk.md) - [OpenAI Codex App Server](./openai-codex-app-server.md) - [OpenAI Agents SDK](./openai-agents.md) - [Test agent skills](/docs/guides/test-agent-skills) - [Assertions and metrics](/docs/configuration/expected-outputs)