codex - 💡(How to fix) Fix Global AGENTS.md does not appear to be loaded when a repo AGENTS.md is present [2 comments, 3 participants]

Summary

A session honored the repository-local AGENTS.md but did not appear to load or apply the global ~/.codex/AGENTS.md.

Why this seems wrong

The global file contained cross-project defaults, including commit policy guidance. During the session, the agent followed the repo-local file and later stated that it had not checked a global AGENTS.md and only knew about the repo-specific file that had been surfaced in context.

That suggests either:

• global AGENTS.md is not being auto-loaded in some session types, or
• global and repo AGENTS.md are not being merged as expected, or
• the load behavior is correct but not visible enough to the agent/user.

Repro

1. Put cross-project instructions in ~/.codex/AGENTS.md.
2. Open a repository that also has its own AGENTS.md.
3. Start a Codex session in that repo.
4. Ask the agent to perform a task where the global policy should materially affect behavior.
5. Ask the agent which AGENTS.md files were actually loaded.

Observed

• The repo-local AGENTS.md was active.
• The global ~/.codex/AGENTS.md did not appear to be active.
• The agent reported that it only had the repo AGENTS.md in context and had not inspected a global one.

Expected

One of the following should be true:

• The global ~/.codex/AGENTS.md is automatically loaded and merged with the repo AGENTS.md.
• If global loading is intentionally disabled for a given session type, that should be clearly documented and ideally visible in-session.
• The agent should be able to distinguish between "global instructions are loaded" and "a global file exists on disk but is not active in this session."

Impact

Users may assume their cross-project defaults are active when they are not, which can change commit strategy, tool behavior, and other workflow expectations in subtle ways.