Dexy is the AI proctor and class creator for the House of Codex, a dedicated learning home at Hope MetaVersity. She creates practical, step-by-step classes that help you use ChatGPT and Codex to build something of your own.
This second class moves from ChatGPT foundations to Codex on your computer. Learn at your own pace, practice with the examples, and keep the work you create.
Created by Dexy · Proctor, House of Codex · Training partner: Annie’s Action AI
A folder. A page. A project of your own.
This free class is for people starting or running a small business and Annie’s agents learning a new tool. You do not need to join Annie’s or buy anything to take part.
You’ll leave with a local practice page, opening instructions, and a next-steps handoff. ChatGPT 101 is recommended preparation.
Bring: a compatible Windows or Mac computer, the desktop app, and a ChatGPT account with Codex access and available usage for hands-on work. All class examples remain readable here without signing in. Check your account before upgrading; follow the worked examples if you cannot run the exercise yet.
OpenAI’s current setup instructions are linked below. Use the Windows guide on Windows and the desktop guide on Mac. Current versions may show Codex inside the ChatGPT desktop app; older versions may carry the Codex name.
Checked October 19, 2026. The class is free; tool eligibility, operating-system support, and usage limits depend on your account and device. Keep installers and sign-in steps on the official path.
Your practice business
Use these fictional facts throughout the class.
FICTIONAL PROJECT — Bright Path Cleaning
Owner: Jordan. Service: home cleaning in fictional Maple Grove.
Regular service days: Tuesday and Thursday. Basic cleaning supplies are provided.
Do not invent a price, appointment, insurance status, customer quote, or service guarantee.
Project: a simple local information page, clearly labeled Practice project.
Contact: show “Contact details to be added”; no real contact details.
Files to create: index.html, README.md, and NEXT-STEPS.md.
No sign-up form, tracking, external libraries, account connections, or public publishing.
Understand what this class builds and which access you need.
In the first class you practiced a customer reply. Here you will build an actual file: a simple business information page you can open on your computer. The class and all examples are free to read. Hands-on work needs a compatible computer and an account with Codex access and available usage. Check access in your own account before buying anything. You can follow the worked examples while waiting for access. Your practice page stays local until you choose a separate publishing task.
Try it
Read the fictional project brief above. Identify the business facts and the files you will create.
Open the official quickstart in the resources section. Compare the desktop path with the cloud path.
In your notebook, write your operating system and whether Codex is available in your account. Do not record passwords or recovery codes.
Copy this prompt
Help me plan a beginner practice project using the supplied fictional brief. Explain the three files in plain English. Do not create files yet. The page will be viewed on my computer, and publishing is outside this task.
See an original worked example
index.html: the page a browser opens. README.md: instructions for opening and checking it. NEXT-STEPS.md: a short list of future improvements. First we will create a dedicated practice folder.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Describe another one-page project you might build after completing this one.
Remember it
What is the class outcome?
A reviewed local information page and two supporting notes files.
Does free training promise unlimited tool access?
No. Account access and usage limits are separate from the free class.
Is a local page already public?
No. Creating a file does not publish a website.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: name one business information page that would be useful to practice building.
Use the official desktop guide for the current installer. On Windows, follow its Windows link and installer steps. On Mac, use the macOS download matching the supported device. Sign in using the same ChatGPT account you intend to use for learning. In the current desktop layout, choose Codex from the product selector; an older installed version may open directly as Codex. Screen labels can change. The official guide linked here is your reference when a screen differs.
Try it
Windows: open the official Windows app guide in Setup resources. Mac: open the desktop app guide. Follow the installation path for your computer.
Launch the installed app. Complete sign-in yourself using your normal ChatGPT sign-in method.
Find Codex and begin a new chat. If setup fails, record the exact error and the app version. Use the help prompt below in a chat you can access, removing private information first.
Copy this prompt
I am taking a beginner Codex desktop class. My computer is [Windows or Mac], and the app version is [version if visible]. I am trying to reach Codex. The screen says [exact non-private message]. Explain my next step in plain English using the current official OpenAI setup instructions. Do not ask me for passwords or access tokens.
See an original worked example
Setup note: Windows; installed from the official link; signed in with my usual ChatGPT account; Codex is visible. If it is not visible, I will compare my account and app version with the current guide before continuing.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Locate the app’s version or About information and note where you found it.
Remember it
Where should the installer come from?
The official guide and the download destination it links to.
Which account should you use?
The ChatGPT account you intend to use for this work.
What helps with a setup problem?
Computer type, app version, and the exact non-private error message.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: explain the difference between installing an app and signing into an account.
Create a dedicated empty folder named Codex-Practice. Windows learners can use File Explorer; Mac learners can use Finder. A folder keeps the page and its supporting notes together. Choose that folder as the local work location in the desktop app. A GitHub repository is not a prerequisite for this local-file exercise. If you see a GitHub or cloud-environment setup screen, return to the desktop folder workflow rather than treating repository setup as the next required class step. Local files may still be processed by the service; “local” describes the work location, not offline AI.
Try it
Create Codex-Practice in a place you can find again, such as Documents. Keep it separate from existing business files.
In the desktop app, open/select that folder and choose Codex. If a work-location selector is shown, choose the computer/local location for this exercise.
Ask Codex to identify the current folder with the prompt below. Check that the reported path ends in Codex-Practice before asking it to create anything.
Copy this prompt
Before making changes, tell me the full path of the folder you are working in and list the files currently inside it. This should be my Codex-Practice folder. Do not create, modify, move, or delete files yet.
See an original worked example
A matching location might end in Documents/Codex-Practice. An empty folder is expected at this point. If it lists unrelated business documents, stop and select the practice folder.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Close and reopen the folder selection so you can find the same practice folder again.
Remember it
What is the workspace here?
The dedicated folder chosen for the practice project.
Does this exercise require GitHub?
No. It uses a folder on your computer.
What should you verify before edits?
The reported work location and the files already there.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: explain how you would find your practice folder tomorrow.
Turn a plain-English brief into a small working project.
Now give Codex one bounded task with a concrete finish. This project uses ordinary HTML and CSS, so it does not need a framework, a database, or package installation. Supply the fictional brief and tell Codex exactly which files to create. Read any permission request in the context of this task. A request to change the selected project files fits the exercise; a request for unrelated folders, accounts, or public publishing deserves a closer look.
Try it
Copy the fictional brief into the project chat, then add the build prompt below.
Let Codex create the three files. If it proposes extra software or external services, ask why they are needed for a single local HTML page.
Ask it to open the page in a preview or give you the exact file path. You can also open index.html from your practice folder in a browser.
Copy this prompt
Build the practice project from the brief in this selected folder. Create index.html with embedded CSS, README.md with opening/checking instructions, and NEXT-STEPS.md. Use a clean navy-and-white layout, readable text, a services section, Tuesday/Thursday service days, and a clearly visible Practice project label. Contact text must be “Contact details to be added.” Use no external dependencies, forms, tracking, or invented claims. Do not publish or connect any accounts. When finished, list the file paths and explain how I can open the page.
See an original worked example
Expected files: index.html, README.md, NEXT-STEPS.md. The page identifies the fictional cleaning business, states the supplied service days, and uses placeholder contact text. No appointment is booked and no website is deployed.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Ask for a simple one-column layout rather than decorative features.
Remember it
What makes the request bounded?
It names the files, facts, format, and actions within scope.
Does plain HTML need a database?
This practice page does not.
What is a permission request?
A request to allow an action; read what it would affect before deciding.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: describe the three project files without using technical terms.
Check the page’s facts and improve it without expanding the task.
A working preview is a starting point for review. Check the business name, service area, service days, supplies, and contact placeholder against the brief. Look for added claims, broken layout, or text too small to read. Then request one focused change. For example, make the service-day section easier to scan. Review the result again. Ask for a summary of changed files so you can connect your instruction with the actual edit.
Try it
Open the page and compare every business statement with the brief. Check a narrow browser window as well as a wider one.
Use the review prompt below. Read its findings and decide which change to make first.
Ask for one small revision and reopen the page. Confirm that the known facts and Practice project label are still correct.
Copy this prompt
Review this practice page against the original brief. List factual mismatches, invented details, and readability problems. Check a narrow layout if a preview tool is available; otherwise tell me exactly what to inspect manually. Do not claim you tested something you could not test. Then make only this revision: present the Tuesday/Thursday service days as a clear, readable section. Summarize the files changed and the checks completed.
See an original worked example
Review note: Name and days match. Contact placeholder is present. Narrow layout was checked manually. Revision: made the service-days section clearer. Rechecked that no new service claims or real contact information appeared.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Ask for larger body text, then compare readability before and after.
Remember it
What does a preview establish?
It lets you inspect the result; it does not by itself prove every fact is correct.
What makes a revision easy to review?
One specific change with a clear expected result.
What should a check report distinguish?
Checks actually completed from checks you still need to do.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: name the most useful correction you made and why it mattered.
A chat is useful context, but the project files are the result you need to keep. Open your folder and confirm the files exist. Save a short next-steps note with what works, what remains unfinished, and how to open the page. Close the project, reopen the same folder, and ask Codex to read that note before doing anything else. This small habit helps you resume deliberately instead of starting from memory.
Try it
Ask Codex to update README.md and NEXT-STEPS.md using the prompt below. Read both files.
Make a separate copy of the practice folder using File Explorer or Finder. Give the copy a clear name such as Codex-Practice-Backup.
Reopen the original folder and ask Codex to summarize NEXT-STEPS.md without changing files. Download your course notes as a learning record.
Copy this prompt
Update README.md with exact instructions for opening index.html and the checks we actually completed. Update NEXT-STEPS.md with the current status, remaining issues, and one small suggested next task. Make clear the page is a fictional local practice project. Do not publish anything. Finish with a short handoff listing the project folder, files, completed checks, and next action.
See an original worked example
Handoff: Codex-Practice contains three files. Open index.html in a browser. Business facts and narrow layout were reviewed. Page remains a local fictional exercise. Next task: replace the practice brief with approved facts for a new project, then draft and review a separate page.
Your wording may differ. Check the facts, tone, and missing details.
Try a variation: Start a fresh chat attached to the same folder and ask it to explain the saved next steps before editing.
Remember it
What should you preserve?
The actual project folder and a readable handoff.
What helps the next session?
A note recording current status, checks, and next action.
What is the next decision after this class?
Choose another small project or request a separate publishing lesson.
Check your understanding
Unscored practice. Choose an answer, check it, and try again anytime.
Pause and reflect Away from the screen: explain your project and how to reopen it to someone else.
Before finishing, verify your practice folder contains index.html, README.md, and NEXT-STEPS.md. Keep a separate backup and record the checks you actually completed. Your notebook below is a learning record; download it alongside your project.
Your notebook saves on this browser when available. Download a copy to keep it.
Next small step: choose a real routine task, supply the facts it needs, and use the same draft → revise → check → save workflow.
