Omit empty app-server instruction overrides (#17258)

## Summary
- omit serialized Responses instructions when an app-server base
instruction override is empty
- skip empty developer instruction messages and add v2 coverage for the
empty-override request shape

## Validation
- just fmt
- git diff --check

codex-rs/app-server/tests/suite/v2/turn_start.rs

@@ -238,6 +238,96 @@ async fn turn_start_emits_user_message_item_with_text_elements() -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn thread_start_omits_empty_instruction_overrides_from_model_request() -> Result<()> {
+    let server = responses::start_mock_server().await;
+    let body = responses::sse(vec![
+        responses::ev_response_created("resp-1"),
+        responses::ev_assistant_message("msg-1", "Done"),
+        responses::ev_completed("resp-1"),
+    ]);
+    let response_mock = responses::mount_sse_once(&server, body).await;
+
+    let codex_home = TempDir::new()?;
+    create_config_toml(
+        codex_home.path(),
+        &server.uri(),
+        "never",
+        &BTreeMap::default(),
+    )?;
+
+    let mut mcp = McpProcess::new(codex_home.path()).await?;
+    timeout(DEFAULT_READ_TIMEOUT, mcp.initialize()).await??;
+
+    let thread_req = mcp
+        .send_thread_start_request(ThreadStartParams {
+            // TODO(aibrahim): Replace empty string instruction overrides with explicit tri-state
+            // app-server semantics: omitted, explicitly none, or explicit value.
+            config: Some(HashMap::from([(
+                "include_permissions_instructions".to_string(),
+                json!(false),
+            )])),
+            base_instructions: Some(String::new()),
+            developer_instructions: Some(String::new()),
+            ..Default::default()
+        })
+        .await?;
+    let thread_resp: JSONRPCResponse = timeout(
+        DEFAULT_READ_TIMEOUT,
+        mcp.read_stream_until_response_message(RequestId::Integer(thread_req)),
+    )
+    .await??;
+    let ThreadStartResponse { thread, .. } = to_response::<ThreadStartResponse>(thread_resp)?;
+
+    let turn_req = mcp
+        .send_turn_start_request(TurnStartParams {
+            thread_id: thread.id,
+            input: vec![V2UserInput::Text {
+                text: "Hello".to_string(),
+                text_elements: Vec::new(),
+            }],
+            ..Default::default()
+        })
+        .await?;
+    timeout(
+        DEFAULT_READ_TIMEOUT,
+        mcp.read_stream_until_response_message(RequestId::Integer(turn_req)),
+    )
+    .await??;
+    timeout(
+        DEFAULT_READ_TIMEOUT,
+        mcp.read_stream_until_notification_message("turn/completed"),
+    )
+    .await??;
+
+    let request_body = response_mock.single_request().body_json();
+    let empty_developer_input_texts = request_body["input"]
+        .as_array()
+        .expect("input array")
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|item| item.get("role").and_then(serde_json::Value::as_str) == Some("developer"))
+        .filter_map(|item| item.get("content").and_then(serde_json::Value::as_array))
+        .flatten()
+        .filter(|content| {
+            content.get("type").and_then(serde_json::Value::as_str) == Some("input_text")
+        })
+        .filter_map(|content| content.get("text").and_then(serde_json::Value::as_str))
+        .filter(|text| text.is_empty())
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    assert_eq!(
+        json!({
+            "hasInstructions": request_body.get("instructions").is_some(),
+            "emptyDeveloperInputTexts": empty_developer_input_texts,
+        }),
+        json!({
+            "hasInstructions": false,
+            "emptyDeveloperInputTexts": [],
+        })
+    );
+
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn turn_start_accepts_text_at_limit_with_mention_item() -> Result<()> {
     let responses = vec![create_final_assistant_message_sse_response("Done")?];

codex-rs/codex-api/src/common.rs

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ pub const WS_REQUEST_HEADER_TRACESTATE_CLIENT_METADATA_KEY: &str = "ws_request_h
 pub struct CompactionInput<'a> {
     pub model: &'a str,
     pub input: &'a [ResponseItem],
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "str::is_empty")]
     pub instructions: &'a str,
     pub tools: Vec<Value>,
     pub parallel_tool_calls: bool,
@@ -153,6 +154,7 @@ impl From<VerbosityConfig> for OpenAiVerbosity {
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize, Clone, PartialEq)]
 pub struct ResponsesApiRequest {
     pub model: String,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "String::is_empty")]
     pub instructions: String,
     pub input: Vec<ResponseItem>,
     pub tools: Vec<serde_json::Value>,
@@ -198,6 +200,7 @@ impl From<&ResponsesApiRequest> for ResponseCreateWsRequest {
 #[derive(Debug, Serialize)]
 pub struct ResponseCreateWsRequest {
     pub model: String,
+    #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "String::is_empty")]
     pub instructions: String,
     #[serde(skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub previous_response_id: Option<String>,

codex-rs/core/src/codex.rs

@@ -3746,6 +3746,7 @@ impl Session {
         // stays isolated as its own top-level developer message for guardian subagents.
         if !separate_guardian_developer_message
             && let Some(developer_instructions) = turn_context.developer_instructions.as_deref()
+            && !developer_instructions.is_empty()
         {
             developer_sections.push(developer_instructions.to_string());
         }
@@ -3860,6 +3861,7 @@ impl Session {
         // subagent sees a distinct, easy-to-audit instruction block.
         if separate_guardian_developer_message
             && let Some(developer_instructions) = turn_context.developer_instructions.as_deref()
+            && !developer_instructions.is_empty()
             && let Some(guardian_developer_message) =
                 crate::context_manager::updates::build_developer_update_item(vec![
                     developer_instructions.to_string(),