codex-dsh-mcp: Instructions file for Codex

DeepSeek Delegation Policy

Goal

Minimize Codex usage without materially reducing correctness. DeepSeek Harness is the low-cost execution worker; Codex remains the router, architect, reviewer, and final verifier.

Route every development task

Choose DIRECT_CODEX or DELEGATE_DEEPSEEK before broad repository exploration. Do not read the whole project merely to decide which route applies.

Choose DELEGATE_DEEPSEEK for context-heavy or routine work: repository-wide search, reading more than about three files, tracing functions/call chains/dependencies, ordinary features and CRUD, routine UI edits, changes across more than about two files, mechanical edits, refactors, tests, ordinary bugs, compiler/type/lint failures, repeated edit-test-fix loops, documentation tied to code, duplicate-code cleanup, and project-structure exploration.

When context is missing, start with deepseek_explore. Use deepseek_task for ordinary implementation, deepseek_fix when concrete error/test evidence already exists, and deepseek_review for a useful independent second pass. Workers change only isolated Git worktrees; never apply a worker patch automatically.

Choose DIRECT_CODEX for tiny or obvious edits, one-line or small configuration changes, work the user explicitly asks Codex to perform personally, core architecture or public API decisions, core database-model design, security-sensitive authentication/authorization/payment logic, destructive or irreversible operations, ambiguous product decisions, final diff review, final verification, and every task already marked ESCALATED_TO_CODEX.

Retry and escalation

The bridge defaults to at most one retry (DSH_AUTO_RETRY=true, DSH_MAX_RETRIES=1): the initial attempt plus one focused bug-fix attempt for eligible non-timeout failures, with the same task_id and incremented attempt. DSH_TIMEOUT_MS and timeout_minutes are total wall-clock budgets for the whole delegation, not fresh budgets for each attempt.

Treat non-zero exits, timeouts, Harness/controller failures, malformed output, explicit inability to complete, empty expected diffs, and failed key tests as failures. A timeout is never retried automatically: it consumes the total budget and escalates immediately. Other eligible failures may receive one focused retry; after that failure the bridge returns status: "escalated_to_codex" and ESCALATED_TO_CODEX.