dotCMS / dotCMS/ai-workflows

codex-executor: bake in a tight default review prompt + output-format contract

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Description

Problem

codex-executor.yml forwards the consumer's prompt: to the model verbatim (only appending a guardrail + "Be concise.") and applies no output-format contract. So output length is entirely at the mercy of each consumer's prompt.

Concretely: dotCMS/Infrastructure-as-code's auto-review prompt enumerated 9 review dimensions and asked the model to "be constructive and helpful" → gpt-5.4 produced a 243-line essay for a 7-line diff (see IaC #7889). Tightening that repo's prompt fixed it, but every other consumer can still trip the same wire.

By contrast, bedrock-generic-executor.yml already ships a sensible tight default prompt:

"Review this PR diff. Flag anything that looks wrong, risky, or worth a second look… Skip praise. If it is clean, say so in one line."

codex-executor has no equivalent.

Ask

  1. Give codex-executor a tight default prompt (parity with bedrock-generic-executor) for when the consumer omits prompt:.
  2. Add a light output-format contract in the executor's instructions so consumer prompts can't blow up length:
    • one line per finding, severity + file:line — why
    • no praise / summaries / style nitpicks
    • "if clean, say so in one sentence"
    • "prefer returning nothing over manufacturing low-value findings"

This makes good output the default instead of something each repo has to re-derive in its own prompt.

Notes / gotcha for whoever picks this up

  • gpt-5.x half-echoes a literal **[…]** severity template (emits a doubled **[**[). Use a bracketless tag in any example — 🟠 **High**, not **[🟠 High]**. Verified on IaC #7889.

Refs: IaC #7889, core #36182 (tight prompt lives in core .github/prompts/gpt-auto-review.md).

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with codex-executor.yml and compare its prompt handling with the default in bedrock-generic-executor.yml. Update the codex executor's default prompt and instructions to define concise finding output, clean-result behavior, and bracketless severity examples. Done means omitted prompts receive the tight default and consumer prompts have the stated output contract.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
github-actions
Domain
ci-cd, devops
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
76/100

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