Codex CLI

Connect Slate MCP to Codex CLI to create and manage Slate courses from the terminal.

Codex CLI and Codex Desktop share the same configuration file, so this setup also enables Slate in the desktop app if you have it installed. The reverse is also true: if you’ve already followed the Codex Desktop setup, Slate will work in the CLI without any further changes.

Prerequisites

The OpenAI Codex CLI installed
A Slate account on a Standard or Pro plan

Setup

Step 1: Open your Codex config file

Codex reads its MCP server list from a TOML configuration file in your home directory:

~/.codex/config.toml

Open it in your editor of choice. If the file doesn’t exist yet, create it.

Step 2: Add the Slate server

Add this block to the file:

[mcp_servers.slate]
url = "https://mcp.slatebuilder.io/mcp"

Save the file.

Step 3: Start a new Codex session

Start a fresh codex session in your terminal so the new server is picked up.

Step 4: Authorize on first use

The first time you ask Codex to use a Slate tool, a browser window will open for sign-in. Authorize the connection with your Slate account. You only need to do this once.

Verify the connection

Try asking Codex:

“Check my Slate credit balance”

If everything is connected, Codex will call the check_credits tool and show your current balance.

Example prompts

“Create a 45-minute leadership training course for managers”
“List my courses sorted by last updated”
“Preview the outline for an IT security course, targeting non-technical staff”
“Open a review on my onboarding course”
“Get engagement stats for my tracked links”

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting - check that the [mcp_servers.slate] block is in ~/.codex/config.toml and that you’ve started a new session since saving the file.

Browser window doesn’t open - ensure your default browser is set. If you’re on a remote or headless environment, copy the authorization URL from the terminal output and open it manually.

Tools return errors - you may have hit a rate limit. See Usage & Limits for details.