Codex Dispatch

Premium tokens buy judgment. Codex or side-worker capacity buys implementation volume when the task is well specified.

Dispatch When

• the task is self-contained
• the spec carries enough context
• acceptance criteria are explicit
• the work can happen on a side branch or bounded file set
• Fable can review the result instead of typing it

Keep With Fable Or A Higher Local Lane When

• the task is architecture, product strategy, or final judgment
• the implementation depends on local-only tools the side worker lacks
• the acceptance criteria are unclear
• the task requires private credentials or live user action

Dispatch Packet

Include:

• objective
• repo/path/branch
• files or areas involved
• constraints and non-goals
• pseudocode for hard parts
• exact validation command or CI gate
• proof boundary
• expected final report shape

Mechanics

Some lanes are reachable through a CLI rather than a workflow model parameter. When a background shell launches a side worker, close stdin explicitly if the tool expects EOF. For Codex CLI, use:

codex exec --cd <worktree> "<prompt>" < /dev/null

Without the redirected stdin, some background shells can leave the worker waiting at startup instead of doing work.

Skill Availability

Side workers do not automatically see every local Claude skill. Port skills on demand when a dispatch needs them; do not mirror an entire skill library by default.

Example:

ln -sfn "$HOME/.claude/skills/<skill>" "$HOME/.codex/skills/<skill>"

Name the required skill in the dispatch packet and keep the accepted output bounded. If the side worker lacks a required skill and the work is not self-contained, keep the task with Fable or a local lane.

Review Rule

If the diff or report is large, ask a fast worker for a bounded digest first. Fable reads the digest and flagged hunks, not the whole raw output.

Attribution And Adjacent Tools

This dispatch pattern is inspired in part by blader/arbitrage, which focuses on premium-model judgment plus Codex implementation. Claude Code users who want a slash-command bridge to Codex review and delegation workflows can also look at openai/codex-plugin-cc.

FTSO's own guidance remains tool-agnostic: write the spec first, dispatch only bounded work, review the output before accepting it, keep turns dense while lanes run, and name the proof boundary.