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745c48b088
Closes #3493
## Problem
When a user's home directory (or any ancestor) contains a broad
`.gitignore` (e.g. `*` + `!.gitignore`), the `@` file mention picker in
Codex silently hides valid repository files like `package.json`. The
picker returns `no matches` for searches that should succeed. This is
surprising because manually typed paths still work, making the failure
hard to diagnose.
## Mental model
Git itself never walks above the repository root to assemble its ignore
list. Its `.gitignore` resolution is strictly scoped: it reads
`.gitignore` files from the repo root downward, the per-repo
`.git/info/exclude`, and the user's global excludes file (via
`core.excludesFile`). A `.gitignore` sitting in a parent directory above
the repo root has no effect on `git status`, `git ls-files`, or any
other git operation. Our file search should replicate this contract
exactly.
The `ignore` crate's `WalkBuilder` has a `require_git` flag that
controls whether it follows this contract:
- `require_git(false)` (the previous setting): the walker reads
`.gitignore` files from _all_ ancestor directories, even those above or
outside the repository root. This is a deliberate divergence from git's
behavior in the `ignore` crate, intended for non-git use cases. It means
a `~/.gitignore` with `*` will suppress every file in the walk—something
git itself would never do.
- `require_git(true)` (this fix): the walker only applies `.gitignore`
semantics when it detects a `.git` directory, scoping ignore resolution
to the repository boundary. This matches git's own behavior: parent
`.gitignore` files above the repo root have no effect.
The fix is a one-line change: `require_git(false)` becomes
`require_git(true)`.
## How `require_git(false)` got here
The setting was introduced in af338cc (#2981, "Improve @ file search:
include specific hidden dirs such as .github, .gitlab"). That PR's goal
was to make hidden directories like `.github` and `.vscode` discoverable
by setting `.hidden(false)` on the walker. The `require_git(false)` was
added alongside it with the comment _"Don't require git to be present to
apply git-related ignore rules"_—the author likely intended gitignore
rules to still filter results even when no `.git` directory exists (e.g.
searching an extracted tarball that has a `.gitignore` but no `.git`).
The unintended consequence: with `require_git(false)`, the `ignore`
crate walks _above_ the search root to find `.gitignore` files in
ancestor directories. This is a side effect the original author almost
certainly didn't anticipate. The PR message says "Preserve `.gitignore`
semantics," but `require_git(false)` actually _breaks_ git's semantics
by applying ancestor ignore files that git itself would never read.
In short: the intent was "apply gitignore even without `.git`" but the
effect was "apply gitignore from every ancestor directory." This fix
restores git-correct scoping.
## Non-goals
- This PR does not change behavior when `respect_gitignore` is `false`
(that path already disables all git-related ignore rules).
- The first test
(`parent_gitignore_outside_repo_does_not_hide_repo_files`) intentionally
omits `git init`. The `ignore` crate's `require_git(true)` causes it to
skip gitignore processing entirely when no `.git` exists, which is the
desired behavior for that scenario. A second test
(`git_repo_still_respects_local_gitignore_when_enabled`) covers the
complementary case with a real git repo.
## Tradeoffs
**Behavioral shift**: With `require_git(true)`, directories that contain
`.gitignore` files but are _not_ inside a git repository will no longer
have those ignore rules applied during `@` search. This is a correctness
improvement for the primary use case (searching inside repos), but
changes behavior for the edge case of searching non-repo directories
that happen to have `.gitignore` files. In practice, Codex is
overwhelmingly used inside git repositories, so this tradeoff strongly
favors the fix.
**Two test strategies**: The first test omits `git init` to verify
parent ignore leakage is blocked; the second runs `git init` to verify
the repo's own `.gitignore` is still honored. Together they cover both
sides of the `require_git(true)` contract.
## Architecture
The change is in `walker_worker()` within
`codex-rs/file-search/src/lib.rs`, which configures the
`ignore::WalkBuilder` used by the file search walker thread. The walker
feeds discovered file paths into `nucleo` for fuzzy matching. The
`require_git` flag controls whether the walker consults `.gitignore`
files at all—it sits upstream of all ignore processing.
```
walker_worker
└─ WalkBuilder::new(root)
├─ .hidden(false) — include dotfiles
├─ .follow_links(true) — follow symlinks
├─ .require_git(true) — ← THE FIX: only apply gitignore in git repos
└─ (conditional) git_ignore(false), git_global(false), etc.
└─ applied when respect_gitignore == false
```
## Tests
- `parent_gitignore_outside_repo_does_not_hide_repo_files`: creates a
temp directory tree with a parent `.gitignore` containing `*`, a child
"repo" directory with `package.json` and `.vscode/settings.json`, and
asserts that both files are discoverable via `run()` with
`respect_gitignore: true`.
- `git_repo_still_respects_local_gitignore_when_enabled`: the
complementary test—runs `git init` inside the child directory and
verifies that the repo's own `.gitignore` exclusions still work (e.g.
`.vscode/extensions.json` is excluded while `.vscode/settings.json` is
whitelisted). Confirms that `require_git(true)` does not disable
gitignore processing inside actual git repositories.
npm i -g @openai/codex
or brew install --cask codex
Codex CLI is a coding agent from OpenAI that runs locally on your computer.
If you want Codex in your code editor (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf), install in your IDE.
If you want the desktop app experience, run
codex app or visit the Codex App page.
If you are looking for the cloud-based agent from OpenAI, Codex Web, go to chatgpt.com/codex.
Quickstart
Installing and running Codex CLI
Install globally with your preferred package manager:
# Install using npm
npm install -g @openai/codex
# Install using Homebrew
brew install --cask codex
Then simply run codex to get started.
You can also go to the latest GitHub Release and download the appropriate binary for your platform.
Each GitHub Release contains many executables, but in practice, you likely want one of these:
- macOS
- Apple Silicon/arm64:
codex-aarch64-apple-darwin.tar.gz - x86_64 (older Mac hardware):
codex-x86_64-apple-darwin.tar.gz
- Apple Silicon/arm64:
- Linux
- x86_64:
codex-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz - arm64:
codex-aarch64-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
- x86_64:
Each archive contains a single entry with the platform baked into the name (e.g., codex-x86_64-unknown-linux-musl), so you likely want to rename it to codex after extracting it.
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Run codex and select Sign in with ChatGPT. We recommend signing into your ChatGPT account to use Codex as part of your Plus, Pro, Team, Edu, or Enterprise plan. Learn more about what's included in your ChatGPT plan.
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