Move the general `Apps`, `Skills` and `Plugins` instructions blocks out
of `user_instructions` and into the developer message, with new `Apps ->
Skills -> Plugins` order for better clarity.
Also wrap those sections in stable XML-style instruction tags (like
other sections) and update prompt-layout tests/snapshots. This makes the
tests less brittle in snapshot output (we can parse the sections), and
it consolidates the capability instructions in one place.
#### Tests
Updated snapshots, added tests.
`<AGENTS_MD>` disappearing in snapshots is expected: before this change,
the wrapped user-instructions message was kept alive by `Skills`
content. Now that `Skills` and `Plugins` are in the developer message,
that wrapper only appears when there is real
project-doc/user-instructions content.
---------
Co-authored-by: Charley Cunningham <ccunningham@openai.com>
- clarify app mentions are in user messages
- clarify what it means for tools to be provided via `codex_apps` MCP
- add plugin descriptions (with basic sanitization) to top-level `##
Plugins` section alongside the corresponding plugin names
- explain that skills from plugins are prefixed with `plugin_name:` in
top-level `##Plugins` section
changes to more logically organize `Apps`, `Skills`, and `Plugins`
instructions will be in a separate PR, as that shuffles dev + user
instructions in ways that change tests broadly.
### Tests
confirmed in local rollout, some new tests.
Matthew Zeng ·
sayan-oai ·