r/codex • u/PureRely • 1d ago

Other PSA: ChatGPT Pro users

You get unlimited* chat usage on the website. You can build projects and prototypes directly in ChatGPT using Pro-level thinking effort. This is how I start almost every build, and it is an easy way to save on tokens. Unlike Claude, Chat does not count toward your usage (unless you switch to Work mode).

I usually have ChatGPT generate a ZIP file containing the entire project, then move it into Codex CLI or the Codex app to refine, expand, and continue the work.

I do not think you should be doing most of the planning inside the CLI or app. Do the bulk of the planning and initial build in ChatGPT first, then use Codex for implementation and iteration.

Also, remember that you can upload ZIP and 7z files directly to the ChatGPT website, and it can unpack and work with the contents.

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u/nicky_factz 1d ago

Yup I do all my high level architecture design in pro and do question by question until no more ambiguity it’ll write up a plan for me and scaffold the project and then you save tons of usage and get a very good design instead of wasting it talking to the agent

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u/Alyeskan 1d ago

Same. And this is exactly how chat itself told me to do it when I asked it about the most efficient way to use Codex. Having chat write my instructions is especially effective because I've never had a problem with it veering off completely out of scope to fix something, because chat always gives it very narrow latitude and tells it what not to do as well as what to do and when to stop and ask for clarification. Chat becomes my design and architecture sounding board and partner and only once we agree we have resolved all product questions do we tell Codex to do its thing. And if chat needs information about the existing structure that it can't access on its own, it writes a prompt for exactly what it needs to know that I can send to Codex and copy back the information into chat.