GPT WORLD / INDEPENDENT CODEX FIELD MANUAL Source review · 2026-07-31

Retrospective edition / CODEX

Separate configuration, sandbox, and approval

Configuration chooses defaults, the sandbox enforces filesystem and network limits, and approvals govern exceptional authority.

01 / DECIDE

Architecture decision

Use it to create least-privilege profiles for inspection, routine edits, CI, and trusted maintenance.

Configuration chooses defaults, the sandbox enforces filesystem and network limits, and approvals govern exceptional authority. Map input, output, state, and side effects as one observable path before deciding which layer owns separate configuration, sandbox, and approval.

02 / BUILD

Three-step implementation

  1. 01

    Frame the contract

    Write down the caller, data classification, success condition, timeout, cancellation, and ownership. Use it to create least-privilege profiles for inspection, routine edits, CI, and trusted maintenance.

  2. 02

    Build one narrow path

    Implement one end-to-end path with request correlation, typed state, and reversible failure handling. Configuration chooses defaults, the sandbox enforces filesystem and network limits, and approvals govern exceptional authority.

  3. 03

    Prove the outcome

    Turn acceptance into a repeatable fixture, contract test, or browser test. Policy tests prove denied paths and networks remain denied and each escalation has a narrow, visible justification.

03 / BOUND

Production boundary

A permissive prompt cannot override sandbox enforcement, while a broad sandbox does not eliminate the need for approvals.

04 / PROVE

Acceptance evidence

Policy tests prove denied paths and networks remain denied and each escalation has a narrow, visible justification.

SOURCE / HTTP

Reproducible source probe

curl -fsSI 'https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/agent-approvals-security' | sed -n '1,5p'