The Story
The first Codex run on the page to use Codex CLI’s v2 multi-agent team mode rather than disposable sub-agents. Same brief as every other build, but this time explicit about role-play: “You must use sub-agents for role play (e.g. frontend-, backend-developer, QA Analyst, QA Engineer, etc). You must do in one go without stopping.” Codex took that literally and spun up sixteen named, persistent specialists rather than the small throwaway crews of prior Codex builds like #11.
The roster is the standout detail: Harvey (backend lead), Sagan (backend architect), Singer and Tesla (frontend architecture and storefront primitives), Confucius leading a QA trio (Zeno, Beauvoir, Carson), then a distinct audit-and-fix tail of Ptolemy (spec auditor), Herschel (security reviewer), Anscombe (security fixer), Arendt (commerce fixer), and four narrowly-scoped late specialists (Ampere, Dewey, McClintock, Galileo) each parachuted in to fix a single named defect - Livewire runtime errors, a customer-order URL bug, a tax-switch bug, and a post-checkout cart bug. The ten commits trace that arc exactly: four broad build-out commits (foundation, storefront, workflow hardening, admin/security), followed by six small, targeted fixes - the shape of a team that reviewed its own output and dispatched specialists to patch what the review found, rather than one pass and done.
That audit loop paid off in places and missed in others. 135 of 143 acceptance tests pass (96.0% weighted), and the dedicated fixer agents did close the product-edit crash that plagued earlier Codex runs. But the same critical bug we’ve now seen more than once survived sixteen specialists and a named security reviewer: a cross-tenant data leak where the Acme Electronics admin panel renders Acme Fashion’s data. Two more majors remain in the purchase funnel - broken customer address add/edit, and checkout accepting invalid postal codes. What sixteen agents did not do is run up a proportionate bill: the whole run cost about $120, because 98% of the 166M input tokens were cache reads at $0.50/M. Cache reads alone account for $95 of the total; fresh input and output together come to under $25.
Net: more specialists did not mean fewer bugs, but they were cheap. Against #14 Fable 5’s single-lead 14-phase pipeline, this 16-agent Codex team scores lower (96.0% vs 99.7% weighted) but lands the shop in under three hours for roughly a quarter of the cost ($120 vs $423) - the best cost-per-feature ratio of any build at this completeness level. Against Codex’s own smaller #11 run (82.9% weighted for $18.85), it buys a substantially more complete shop for about six times the spend. Our independent QA report has the full detail on the leak and the two remaining majors.
Duration
2h 54m 36s
Jul 12, 21:41 - Jul 13, 00:35
Estimated Cost
$119.74
3.1M total tokens
Tool Calls
817
8 unique tools
Sub-agents
16
named specialist roles
Team Total
17
orchestrator + sub-agents
Commits
10
git commits made
Codex Team Mode (multi-agent v2)
16 named specialists
Codex Team Mode (multi-agent v2)
User Prompt (verbatim)
Your mission is to implement an entire shop system based on the specifications im specs/*. You must use sub-agents for role play (e.g. frontend-, backend-deveoper, QA Analyst, QA Engineer, etc). You must do in one go without stopping. You must test everything via Pest (unit, and functional tests). You must also additional simulate user behaviour using the Playwright MPC and confirm that all acceptance criterias are met. If you find bugs, you must fix them. The result is a perfect shop system. All requirements are perfectly implemented. All acceptance criterias are met, tested and confirmed by you. Continuously keep track of the progress in specs/progress.md Commit your progress after every relevant iteration with a meaningful message. When implementation is fully done, then make a full review meeting with Playwright in Chrome and showcase all features (customer- and admin-side) to me. In case bugs appear, you must fix them all and restart the review meeting. Shop is running at http://shop.test/. Don't re-use any existing implementation in another branch. Build it from scratch.
The orchestrator spawned 16 named sub-agent threads (Codex CLI multi-agent v2, spawn_agent / send_message / wait_agent) role-playing a full engineering org: a backend lead and architect, a frontend architect with a dedicated storefront-primitives specialist, a QA lead plus three QA engineers, a spec auditor, a security reviewer and fixer, a commerce-logic fixer, and four narrowly-scoped bugfix agents (Livewire runtime, order tracking URL, tax switch, post-checkout cart) called in late in the run.
Orchestrator resumes
10
separate session files chained across the run
Cache read share of input
98.3%
cache reads dominate the bill, not fresh input
Agent Timeline
16 sub-agents
Agent Timeline
Team Roster
16 named specialists
Team Roster
Zeno
/qa_engineer
started 22:19:56
Final QA is green. - Full Pest: **252 passed, 1,651 assertions** - Requested focused gate plus new acceptance suites: **78 passed, 736 assertions** - Pint, PHP syntax checks, and `git diff --check`: passed Added focused coverage for theme ZIP safety/extraction/duplication, persistent search status, shared login throttling, API/FormRequest authorization, export columns, support dashboard denial, and notification suppression with webhook retention. No commit or progress-file changes were made.
Singer
/frontend_architect
started 21:43:09
Admin frontend is complete and handed off. Implemented: - Secure admin login, forgot/reset password, logout, store switching - Responsive sidebar/topbar, breadcrumbs, dark mode, global toasts - Dashboard analytics - Full catalog, variants, media, collections, inventory - Order payment confirmation, fulfillment, shipping, delivery, refunds - Customers and address management - Discounts and eligibility rules - General, domain, shipping, and tax settings - Themes with authenticated live preview -
Tesla
/frontend_architect/storefront_primitives
started 21:47:47
Admin handoff complete. Implemented 13 Livewire components and 13 views: - Settings: `Index`, `Shipping`, `Taxes` - Themes: `Index`, `Editor` - Pages: `Index`, `Form` - Navigation: `Index` - Analytics: `Index` - Search: `Settings` - Apps: `Index`, `Show` - Developers: `Index` Mount signatures: - `mount(): void` for all index/settings components - `Themes\Editor::mount(Theme $theme): void` - `Pages\Form::mount(?Page $page = null): void` - `Apps\Show::mount(AppInstallation $installation): void
Sagan
/backend_architect
started 21:43:05
Migration set restored successfully: - Starter users, cache, jobs, and two-factor migrations - Seven shop migration batches, including FTS5 - Generated `database/schema/sqlite-schema.sql` removed Validation passed: - In-memory `php artisan migrate:fresh` - All 11 migrations completed - Pint passed for all migration files Models and factories were untouched.
Ptolemy
/spec_auditor
started 23:06:57
Audit complete. The implementation is broad, but not yet spec-complete. Highest-risk gaps: 1. Cart and checkout integrity - Converted or abandoned carts can still be mutated and checked out again. - Cart lines can change after checkout totals and inventory reservations are established, causing stale totals, unreserved inventory commits, or orphaned reservations. - Evidence: `app/Services/CartService.php:63`, `app/Services/CheckoutService.php:30`, `app/Http/Controllers/Api/Storefront/CartContr
Arendt
/commerce_fixer
started 23:20:04
Commerce backend work is complete and stable. Implemented: - Sequential code + automatic discount stacking - Once-per-customer enforcement and transaction-safe usage accounting - Per-line discount IDs and tax snapshots - Full tax provider audit snapshot - Lock-safe refunds and double-restock prevention - Exactly one default variant and 100-combination cap - Cross-store association guards - Incremental collection add/remove API support - Complete paid/fulfilled/deleted webhook mappings - Checko
Herschel
/security_reviewer
started 23:07:04
- **Critical — vulnerable dependency locks.** `composer audit --locked` reports 21 advisories across 11 packages, including high-severity Laravel/Symfony mail and HTTP issues (`laravel/framework v12.51.0`). `npm audit` reports 10 packages: 2 critical and 5 high, including `shell-quote 1.8.3`, `axios 1.13.5`, `vite 7.3.1`, and `rollup 4.57.1`. Update both lockfiles until both audits are clean. - **Critical — checkout/cart state is not transactional or immutable.** Multiple checkouts can be creat
Anscombe
/security_fixer
started 23:19:54
Reliability/security implementation is complete. - Added SSRF-safe webhook validation, DNS pinning, and redirect blocking. - Isolated webhook and notification failures after database commit. - Restored tenant container state across recurring jobs. - Centralized signed order-status tokens and URLs across API, confirmation, and email. - Added 10 focused tests with 45 assertions. - Ran 96 adjacent tests with 734 assertions; all passed. - Pint, PHP lint, and `git diff --check` pass.
Confucius
/qa_lead
started 21:43:13
I’ve completed the requirements pass and found several specification conflicts that affect what “correct” means. I’m doing the final baseline test inventory now, then I’ll send the traceability matrix and a short list of decisions the implementation should standardize on.
Carson
/qa_engineer/auth_export_qa
started 23:39:47
Completed focused QA for the four requirements. Changed: - `tests/Feature/Shop/AuthExportAuthorizationRequirementsTest.php` Verified: - Shared per-IP throttling across admin and customer login surfaces - Rotating identities cannot bypass throttling - Explicit admin API controller authorization - FormRequest policy and tenant authorization - CSV `customer_name` and `shipping_method` values, including guest name fallback - Support-role dashboard denial Final focused result: **8 passed, 94 ass
Ampere
/livewire_runtime_fix
started 23:56:55
Root cause fixed and regression-covered. - Registered `ResolveStore` as Livewire persistent middleware in `AppServiceProvider`. - Added `LivewireTenantMiddlewareTest.php`. - Verified 22 focused tenancy tests pass with 83 assertions. - Pint passes. - Confirmed `/livewire-6701cc17/update` is Livewire 4’s expected APP_KEY-derived endpoint, not a routing error.
McClintock
/tax_switch_fix
started 00:21:18
Resolved the remaining checked-setter error source: - Replaced all directly Livewire-bound Flux radios in tax and discount forms. - Added a reusable native accessible radio component. - Preserved checked state, keyboard behavior, field grouping, and Livewire updates. - Confirmed no direct Livewire-bound Flux switch/radio remains in admin views. Validation: 21 tests passed with 236 assertions, Pint passed, and diff checks passed.
Beauvoir
/qa_engineer/theme_search_qa
started 23:39:42
Added [ThemeArchiveAndSearchStatusTest.php](/Users/fabianwesner/Herd/shop/tests/Feature/Shop/ThemeArchiveAndSearchStatusTest.php). Focused result: **8 tests — 5 passed, 3 failed; 151 assertions**. Theme ZIP validation, confined extraction, metadata/hash integrity, invalid archive atomicity, and independent duplication all pass. Confirmed search defects: - Fresh Livewire mounts ignore persisted processing status/progress. - A second queued reindex returns `202` instead of required `409`. - St
Dewey
/customer_order_url_fix
started 00:10:08
Implemented the URL-safe customer order links across all affected storefront locations: - Account dashboard - Mobile and desktop order history - Checkout confirmation Links now render as `/account/orders/%231015`, while Laravel correctly mounts the detail component with `#1015`. Validation: - Pest: 10 passed, 59 assertions - Pint: clean - `git diff --check`: clean
Galileo
/post_checkout_cart_fix
started 00:24:51
Implemented the post-checkout cart fix. Key changes: - Active-cart resolution now rejects converted, foreign-store, and wrong-customer carts. - Successful checkout rotates the session to one fresh, empty active cart. - Repeated payment remains idempotent and reuses that same fresh cart. - Storefront badge and drawer use the centralized resolver. - API payment responses expose `next_cart`. - Checkout discounts are cleared after purchase. - Added regressions for resolver behavior, zero badge, ca
Harvey
/backend_lead
started 21:41:32
The repository is essentially a Laravel starter: only the default `User` model/auth scaffolding and framework migrations exist, and the current branch has no worktree changes. I’m now walking the roadmap phase-by-phase, then cross-checking each backend requirement against the domain, API, security, business-logic, and seed specifications.
Cost & Tool Usage
$119.74 total
Cost & Tool Usage
Note: These are hypothetical API costs based on the official GPT-5.6-sol-pro list prices, tiered by the size of each individual request's prompt (≤272K: $5/M input, $0.50/M cache read, $30/M output · >272K: $10/M input, $1/M cache read, $45/M output). About 91% of requests came in under the 272K boundary. This session was run on a Codex Pro-style plan with fixed pricing, so no per-token charges actually applied.
One Codex quirk matters here: the CLI keeps a single process-wide token counter, and every sub-agent rollout file merely snapshots that shared counter rather than tracking its own usage. The sub-agents' tokens are therefore already inside the totals below and are never added on top - doing so would count the same tokens up to 26 times over. For the same reason there is no meaningful per-agent cost to report. Cache reads were 98.3% of all input, and they, not fresh input or output, are what dominates the bill.
Cost Breakdown (whole run: orchestrator + all 16 sub-agents)
Reasoning tokens (80.9K) are included in output tokens and not billed separately.
Full Calculation (GPT-5.6-sol-pro, tiered)
| Category | Tokens | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Input | 2.8M | $14.89 |
| Cached Input | 163.1M | $95.01 |
| Output | 313.2K | $9.84 |
| Total | $119.74 |
Tool Usage (orchestrator - 817 calls)
Sub-agent sessions made 1.4K additional tool calls of their own (exec/apply_patch/read), not broken out per-tool above.
Sub-agents by Workload
16 sub-agents
Sub-agents by Workload
Ranked by tool calls, not cost: Codex shares one token counter across the whole process, so the individual sub-agents have no separate token or cost accounting to rank them by.
| # | Agent | Role | Started | Tool Calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zeno | qa_engineer | 22:19:56 | 358 |
| 2 | Singer | frontend_architect | 21:43:09 | 293 |
| 3 | Tesla | frontend_architect/storefront_primitives | 21:47:47 | 223 |
| 4 | Sagan | backend_architect | 21:43:05 | 82 |
| 5 | Ptolemy | spec_auditor | 23:06:57 | 74 |
| 6 | Arendt | commerce_fixer | 23:20:04 | 72 |
| 7 | Herschel | security_reviewer | 23:07:04 | 64 |
| 8 | Anscombe | security_fixer | 23:19:54 | 64 |
| 9 | Confucius | qa_lead | 21:43:13 | 38 |
| 10 | Carson | qa_engineer/auth_export_qa | 23:39:47 | 31 |
| 11 | Ampere | livewire_runtime_fix | 23:56:55 | 31 |
| 12 | McClintock | tax_switch_fix | 00:21:18 | 28 |
| 13 | Beauvoir | qa_engineer/theme_search_qa | 23:39:42 | 18 |
| 14 | Dewey | customer_order_url_fix | 00:10:08 | 15 |
| 15 | Galileo | post_checkout_cart_fix | 00:24:51 | 14 |
| 16 | Harvey | backend_lead | 21:41:32 | 6 |
| 16 sub-agents total | 1.4K | |||
Commits
10 commits
Commits
Session Details
019f57d7
Session Details
Raw Session Logs
Plus 16 named sub-agent logs (31 MB) available at /2026-07-12-codex-gpt-5-6-sol-ultra/subagents/, and the 10 individual orchestrator resume files at /2026-07-12-codex-gpt-5-6-sol-ultra/main-threads/.