Best Codex MCP servers and how to add them

Setup, step by step

1. Step 1

   Add a remote server

   Pass a name and the server URL. This example adds the official Alpha Vantage server.

   codex mcp add alphavantage --url https://mcp.alphavantage.co/mcp

2. Step 2

   Sign in if the server uses OAuth

   Codex opens your browser for the sign-in and stores the token. Alpha Vantage asks for your free API key during this step.

   codex mcp login alphavantage

3. Step 3

   Add a local server

   Codex starts local servers as a process. This is the command from the Playwright MCP README.

   codex mcp add playwright npx "@playwright/mcp@latest"

4. Step 4

   Or add servers in the ChatGPT desktop app

   Open Settings, then MCP servers, then Add server. Pick STDIO or Streamable HTTP, enter the command or URL, save, and select Restart. Type /mcp in the composer to see what is connected.

Which MCP servers should you add to Codex?

Start with the servers that match your daily work. Commands come from each project's docs and the Codex MCP docs, checked on November 10, 2026.

• All-host list of MCP servers
• Best MCP servers for finance

Can Codex itself run as an MCP server?

Not anymore. OpenAI removed the codex mcp-server command and the standalone codex-mcp-server binary. Integrations that launched either one must move before they upgrade Codex.

The replacement is the Codex app server. It speaks its own JSON-RPC protocol, so it is not a drop-in MCP server, and OpenAI marks it experimental and not supported for production. Connecting Codex to outside MCP servers with codex mcp works as before.

Which config.toml options matter for MCP servers?

Each server is a [mcp_servers.name] table in config.toml. A project can have its own .codex/config.toml, which Codex reads only in trusted projects. These options keep servers fast and safe.

• enabled_tools and disabled_tools: an allow list and a deny list. The deny list applies after the allow list.
• default_tools_approval_mode: auto, prompt, writes or approve. writes prompts for any tool not marked read-only.
• tool_timeout_sec: defaults to 60 seconds. Raise it for slow tools such as browser agents.
• startup_timeout_sec: defaults to 10 seconds for a server to start.
• enabled = false turns a server off without deleting it.
• bearer_token_env_var: reads a token from an environment variable instead of the file.

Should you install a Codex plugin or a plain MCP server?

A plugin bundles skills and MCP servers, so the agent gets the tools and instructions on when to use them. Type /plugins in the Codex CLI to browse them. ChatGPT and Codex share one plugin directory. The IDE extension does not support plugins, so use plain MCP servers there.

OpenAI's curated marketplace in the openai/plugins repo held 65 plugins on November 10, 2026, including GitHub, Linear, Figma, Stripe, Vercel, Sentry, Supabase, Notion, Cloudflare, Datadog and PostHog. Plugins from GitHub marketplaces install the same way. Matt Pocock's skills, for example, install with codex plugin marketplace add mattpocock/skills and codex plugin add mattpocock-skills@mattpocock.

• Best Claude Code skills

How do you give Codex paid APIs through Locus Pro?

Install the Locus plugin and sign in once. Codex then searches the catalog, checks each price and calls the API from one credit balance, with no key per vendor. The setup guide has the exact commands and login scopes.

Prices below are live catalog prices. Prices checked November 10, 2026. 1,000 credits equal $1. Long results come back as a continuation that the agent fetches with get_call_result, so a slow call does not have to fit inside the 60-second default timeout.

• An Alpha Vantage free key covers 25 requests a day. If that is enough, add the Alpha Vantage server on its own.

• Add Locus to Codex
• Browse the tool catalog

How do you choose MCP servers for Codex?

Pick by the work, not the hype. Each server adds tools to every session, so remove the ones you stop using.

• Coding against fast-moving libraries: Context7.
• Front-end and test work: Playwright, or Chrome DevTools for debugging.
• Repo work from the terminal: GitHub, with the token kept in an environment variable.
• Same setup in the CLI, the IDE extension and the desktop app: plain MCP servers in config.toml.
• Skills plus tools in one install: a plugin, outside the IDE extension.
• Paid data from several vendors on one bill: Locus Pro.