rtk-ai/rtk

Support Codex auto-rewriter hooks on native Windows

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#1,864 opened on May 13, 2026

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area:clienhancementhelp wantedplatform:windowspriority:medium

Description

Summary

Codex on native Windows now appears to support hooks via .codex/hooks.json and [features].hooks = true, so RTK should consider enabling the Codex auto-rewriter path on Windows instead of keeping Windows on prompt-only AGENTS.md + RTK.md guidance.

Context

There is already related RTK work/discussion:

  • #1003 asks to add hooks to Codex.
  • #899 added a native Codex hook integration path, but still mentioned falling back to prompt-only setup on Windows.
  • #1550 adds an official Codex deny-retry hook with rtk hook codex and rtk init --codex writing hooks/config, but it has not landed yet.

The Windows assumption seems worth revisiting. In current Codex builds, Windows can load hook entries from C:\Users\<user>\.codex\hooks.json, and the Codex settings UI shows lifecycle hooks such as PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart, UserPromptSubmit, and Stop.

I also tested another tool's Codex hook setup on native Windows. After removing one incompatible regex look-ahead from its matcher, Codex loaded and enabled its hooks. This suggests the remaining blocker is not "Windows has no hooks", but "hook config must use Codex-supported matcher syntax and Windows-safe commands".

Request

Please consider prioritizing Windows support for the Codex RTK auto-rewriter:

  • rtk init --codex should write/update .codex/hooks.json or $CODEX_HOME/hooks.json on Windows when hooks are enabled.
  • It should enable the current Codex feature flag, likely [features].hooks = true.
  • It should avoid regex features unsupported by Codex hook matchers.
  • It should use Windows-safe command invocation for rtk hook codex.
  • rtk init --show should report whether the Codex hook is installed and active on Windows.
  • If full input rewriting is still limited by Codex upstream behavior, a deny/retry or guidance hook would still be useful as an intermediate auto-rewriter path.

Why this matters

RTK's current Codex-on-Windows path is still prompt-level guidance through AGENTS.md + RTK.md. That works, but it is much less reliable than automatic tool interception. Since Codex Windows hooks now appear usable, RTK could provide the same kind of shell-output protection on Windows Codex that users already expect from hook-based integrations.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rustshell
Domain
clideveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Familiarity with Codex hooks configurationWindows environmentUnderstanding of rtk init CLIAwareness of regex syntax limitations
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
45
Research direction
Investigate the existing hooks integration in issues #1003, #899, and #1550. Determine the current implementation of `rtk init codex` and how it handles Windows. Check the Codex hooks documentation for Windows specific paths and supported matcher syntax. Consider testing a sample hooks.json on Windows to verify functionality. The research should focus on adapting the existing code to support Windows specific paths like `C:\Users\<user>\.codex\` and ensuring commands are safe.