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codex-sdlc is an open-source plugin and repository framework for using Codex to coordinate feature delivery—from requirements and implementation through a separate AI quality-check role and a report for human review. It is designed to configure an existing application project, not to generate a complete app from an empty folder. The project’s author describes the workflow in a September 14, 2026 GitHub announcement and a September 14, 2026 setup guide; these are author-published descriptions, not independent evaluations.

What happens to a feature request?

The framework turns a request into a coordinated delivery process rather than asking one coding agent to handle every step without a recorded workflow. Its author describes the aim as giving Codex a repeatable lifecycle: coordinate roles, preserve evidence, and return the result for human acceptance.

A request might be phrased as: “Start a codex-sdlc feature delivery for: let users save favorite items and find them later.” From there, the documented workflow covers requirements and acceptance criteria, task coordination, implementation, integration, a separate AI QC check, and a delivery report. Clarifications and material decisions can come back to you during the process; you remain responsible for reviewing and accepting the result.

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What you need before initializing codex-sdlc

  • Codex.
  • Node.js version >=24.16.0 <25.
  • npm 11.
  • An existing application repository.

The Node.js and npm requirements are those listed in the author’s September 14, 2026 guide. Because setup requirements can change, check the project’s current instructions before installing.

Initialization configures existing application directories; it does not scaffold a complete product from an empty folder. The author’s own description is explicit: “Initialization configures existing applications; it doesn’t generate a complete app from an empty folder.”

How to get started

The sequence below follows the author’s published setup instructions; it is not an independently verified installation walkthrough.

  1. Open an existing application repository in Codex. Make sure you are working in the project you want the framework to configure.
  2. Install the plugin from its project directory listing. The published instructions describe this route; consult the linked setup guide for the current listing and installation details.
  3. Ask Codex to initialize the framework and review the proposed setup before applying it. The author’s suggested prompt is: “Initialize codex-sdlc for this existing project. Explain the setup choices and show the dry run before applying changes.”
  4. Provide the application code locations. Confirm which directories contain the app so the configuration can reflect the repository layout.
  5. Review the dry run, then apply the configuration. Check the setup choices before approving changes and allow the setup checks to finish.
  6. Try a small feature request first. A limited task gives you a practical way to judge whether the workflow, handoffs, and reporting suit your project.

Who does what, and where you decide

The framework separates responsibilities into roles. The author says assignments are constrained by scope and writable paths, but that does not replace your review of proposed changes.

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Role Documented responsibility
PM Coordinates tasks, dependencies, and handoffs.
Business analysis Defines requirements and acceptance criteria.
Backend and frontend Implement assigned changes.
AI QC Separately checks the integrated feature.
AI Product Owner (optional) Provides advisory review.
You Answer clarifications and major decisions, then review and accept or reject the delivery.

The separate QC role is a check within the workflow, not proof that software is correct or secure. The published descriptions do not establish that a QC pass guarantees either outcome.

What stays in the repository

Workflow records live under .sdlc/. The author says the framework keeps requirements, tasks, decisions, blockers, and command evidence with the project so a later session can continue from recorded state instead of relying only on conversational context.

The delivery report is described as covering changes, verification evidence, and limitations. That gives you artifacts and command evidence to inspect; it should not be treated as an independent certification of correctness or security.

Separate frontend and backend repositories

The author says codex-sdlc supports projects whose backend, web, or mobile code lives in separate repositories. Provide the locations of the relevant repositories and use one coordinator repository for the shared delivery record. This keeps the workflow record in one place while the application code remains split across repositories.

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What to assess before adopting the workflow

The author’s pages describe the framework but do not provide independent evaluations or measured results. To decide whether it fits, assess it against your own delivery process:

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  • Brand New in box. The product ships with all relevant accessories
  • How much setup and configuration does your project require?
  • Are role ownership and handoffs clearer than in your current process?
  • Does the workflow fit your stack and repository layout?
  • Is keeping requirements, decisions, blockers, and command evidence in .sdlc/ useful for continuity?
  • Does the report provide evidence and limitations that help your review?
  • Are you comfortable with the clarifications, major decisions, and final acceptance that remain your responsibility?

The setup guide lists presets for Go, Next.js, Flutter, PostgreSQL, and Redis, along with generic application presets that use project-specific verification commands. A preset is a starting configuration, not evidence that a project’s checks are comprehensive.

The project is described as Apache 2.0 open source. Running its workflow uses your Codex usage allowance; the cited descriptions do not establish a separate price.

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