Expose Codex Apps as ordinary HTTP MCP servers

Author: aibrahim-oai

.github/scripts/verify_codex_apps_mcp_boundary.py

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+
+"""Keep Codex Apps knowledge out of core and the generic MCP runtime."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+import sys
+import tomllib
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+PROTECTED_CRATES = (
+    ROOT / "codex-rs" / "core",
+    ROOT / "codex-rs" / "codex-mcp",
+)
+FORBIDDEN_PACKAGES = ("codex-apps", "codex-connectors")
+FORBIDDEN_SOURCE_PATTERNS = (
+    re.compile(r"(?:\b|_)codex[ _-]?apps", re.IGNORECASE),
+    re.compile(r"(?:\b|_)codex[ _-]?connectors?", re.IGNORECASE),
+    re.compile(r"\bconnectors?\b", re.IGNORECASE),
+    re.compile(r"\bconnector_[a-zA-Z0-9_]+\b"),
+    re.compile(r"\bConnector[A-Z][a-zA-Z0-9_]*\b"),
+)
+HTTP_APPS_ROOTS = (
+    ROOT / "codex-rs" / "apps" / "src",
+    ROOT / "codex-rs" / "ext" / "mcp" / "src" / "apps",
+)
+FORBIDDEN_IN_PROCESS_PATTERN = re.compile(r"\b(?:InProcess|in_process)\b")
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    failures = []
+    failures.extend(manifest_failures())
+    failures.extend(source_failures())
+    failures.extend(in_process_failures())
+
+    if not failures:
+        return 0
+
+    print(
+        "Codex Apps must remain ordinary HTTP MCP servers outside core and codex-mcp."
+    )
+    print(
+        "Keep product behavior in codex-apps and its host extension; core and the generic "
+        "MCP runtime may consume only ordinary MCP registrations and runtime metadata."
+    )
+    print()
+    for failure in failures:
+        print(f"- {failure}")
+
+    return 1
+
+
+def manifest_failures() -> list[str]:
+    failures = []
+    for crate_root in PROTECTED_CRATES:
+        manifest_path = crate_root / "Cargo.toml"
+        manifest = tomllib.loads(manifest_path.read_text())
+        for section_name, dependencies in dependency_sections(manifest):
+            for dependency_name, dependency in dependencies.items():
+                package = (
+                    dependency.get("package", dependency_name)
+                    if isinstance(dependency, dict)
+                    else dependency_name
+                )
+                if package in FORBIDDEN_PACKAGES:
+                    failures.append(
+                        f"{relative_path(manifest_path)} declares `{package}` "
+                        f"in `[{section_name}]`"
+                    )
+    return failures
+
+
+def dependency_sections(manifest: dict) -> list[tuple[str, dict]]:
+    sections: list[tuple[str, dict]] = []
+    for section_name in ("dependencies", "dev-dependencies", "build-dependencies"):
+        dependencies = manifest.get(section_name)
+        if isinstance(dependencies, dict):
+            sections.append((section_name, dependencies))
+
+    for target_name, target in manifest.get("target", {}).items():
+        if not isinstance(target, dict):
+            continue
+        for section_name in ("dependencies", "dev-dependencies", "build-dependencies"):
+            dependencies = target.get(section_name)
+            if isinstance(dependencies, dict):
+                sections.append((f"target.{target_name}.{section_name}", dependencies))
+
+    return sections
+
+
+def source_failures() -> list[str]:
+    failures = []
+    for crate_root in PROTECTED_CRATES:
+        for path in sorted((crate_root / "src").glob("**/*.rs")):
+            for line_number, line in enumerate(path.read_text().splitlines(), start=1):
+                if any(pattern.search(line) for pattern in FORBIDDEN_SOURCE_PATTERNS):
+                    failures.append(
+                        f"{relative_path(path)}:{line_number} contains Apps product knowledge"
+                    )
+    return failures
+
+
+def in_process_failures() -> list[str]:
+    failures = []
+    for source_root in HTTP_APPS_ROOTS:
+        for path in sorted(source_root.glob("**/*.rs")):
+            for line_number, line in enumerate(path.read_text().splitlines(), start=1):
+                if FORBIDDEN_IN_PROCESS_PATTERN.search(line):
+                    failures.append(
+                        f"{relative_path(path)}:{line_number} introduces an in-process Apps path"
+                    )
+    return failures
+
+
+def relative_path(path: Path) -> str:
+    return str(path.relative_to(ROOT))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Verify codex-tui does not import codex-core directly
         run: python3 .github/scripts/verify_tui_core_boundary.py
 
+      - name: Verify Codex Apps stays outside core and the generic MCP runtime
+        run: python3 .github/scripts/verify_codex_apps_mcp_boundary.py
+
       - name: Verify Bazel clippy flags match Cargo workspace lints
         run: python3 .github/scripts/verify_bazel_clippy_lints.py
 

codex-rs/Cargo.lock

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 [workspace]
 members = [
+    "apps",
     "aws-auth",
     "analytics",
     "agent-graph-store",
@@ -143,6 +144,7 @@ codex-agent-graph-store = { path = "agent-graph-store" }
 codex-agent-identity = { path = "agent-identity" }
 codex-ansi-escape = { path = "ansi-escape" }
 codex-api = { path = "codex-api" }
+codex-apps = { path = "apps" }
 codex-aws-auth = { path = "aws-auth" }
 codex-app-server = { path = "app-server" }
 codex-app-server-transport = { path = "app-server-transport" }

codex-rs/Cargo.toml

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ use codex_login::default_client::originator;
 use codex_plugin::PluginId;
 use codex_plugin::PluginTelemetryMetadata;
 use codex_protocol::approvals::NetworkApprovalProtocol;
+use codex_protocol::mcp_approval_meta::McpToolSource;
 use codex_protocol::models::AdditionalPermissionProfile;
 use codex_protocol::models::SandboxPermissions;
 use codex_protocol::protocol::GuardianAssessmentOutcome;
@@ -260,6 +261,23 @@ pub enum GuardianReviewedAction {
     RequestPermissions {},
 }
 
+impl GuardianReviewedAction {
+    pub fn mcp_tool_call(
+        server: String,
+        tool_name: String,
+        tool_title: Option<String>,
+        source: Option<&McpToolSource>,
+    ) -> Self {
+        Self::McpToolCall {
+            server,
+            tool_name,
+            connector_id: source.map(McpToolSource::id).map(str::to_string),
+            connector_name: source.map(McpToolSource::name).map(str::to_string),
+            tool_title,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 #[derive(Clone, Serialize)]
 pub struct GuardianReviewEventParams {
     pub thread_id: String,

codex-rs/analytics/src/events.rs

@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ axum = { workspace = true, default-features = false, features = [
     "ws",
 ] }
 codex-analytics = { workspace = true }
+codex-apps = { workspace = true }
 codex-arg0 = { workspace = true }
 codex-cloud-config = { workspace = true }
 codex-config = { workspace = true }