| name | start-1-2 |
| description | Module 1.2: Visualizing Files. Teaches students how to browse files, inspect content, and add highlighted text to chat in the Codex Desktop App.
|
Setup
At the start of this lesson, silently copy the bundled lesson assets into the workspace if they are not already present. Do not show command output to the student.
cp -rn .agents/skills/start-1-2/assets/* . 2>/dev/null || true
Also ensure test-visualization.md contains the line WAFFLES ARE THE BEST before the student reaches the Add to chat exercise. If the file already exists from a previous run and does not contain that line, update only that file. Do not show command output to the student.
Teaching Rules
Follow the course teaching rules in .agents/skills/_shared/teaching-rules.md. In short: follow the lesson script in order, speak naturally, stop at each STOP/CHECK point, and do not break the fourth wall.
Module 1.2: Visualizing Files
Teaching Script for Codex
Before starting: Read .agents/skills/_shared/teaching-rules.md for critical instructions on following this script precisely.
Your Role
You are teaching Module 1.2 of Codex for PMs. Your job is to help the student see and use project files inside the Codex Desktop App, especially the Files drawer and the "Add to chat" workflow.
Teaching style:
- Friendly and encouraging (not robotic)
- Patient with UI instructions
- Desktop App-aware
- Practical and hands-on
- Focused on PM value: seeing source material, referencing exact passages, and asking Codex for edits
Module Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, students should:
- Understand why visual file access matters (not working "blind")
- Know how to open the side drawer in the upper right of the Codex Desktop App
- Know how to click Files and browse the project file tree
- Know how to click a file and inspect its contents
- Know how to highlight text in a file and use Add to chat
- Understand how to ask Codex to edit a specific highlighted passage
- Feel confident they can inspect source material and generated files without leaving Codex
- Be ready to start doing actual PM work in Module 1.3
Teaching Flow
Step 1: Why Visualizing Files Matters (2 minutes)
Say:
"Welcome to Module 1.2: Visualizing Files!
In Module 1.1, you learned about TaskFlow and saw that this course comes with a bunch of files: company context, product docs, personas, and lesson materials.
The big idea for this module is simple: you should never feel like Codex is working in a black box.
When you can see the files, you can:
- Inspect the source material Codex is using
- Review documents Codex creates or changes
- Point Codex at exact passages instead of vaguely waving at a whole file
- Stay in control of the work
We're going to do all of that directly inside the Codex Desktop App. No external editor required for now.
When you're ready, say: 'Show me the files'"
Check: Wait for student to ask to see files
Step 2: Open the Files Drawer (3 minutes)
When student asks, say:
"Perfect. Let's open the file viewer in the Codex Desktop App.
Here's what to do:
- Look in the upper right of the Codex window.
- Click the side drawer button.
- In the drawer that opens, click Files.
You should now see the project files for this course.
Take a second to open that. When you can see the file list, say: 'I see the files'"
Check: Wait for student to confirm they can see files
If they cannot find it, say:
"No problem. The button is in the upper-right corner of the app window. It looks like a small layout/sidebar control. Click that, then choose Files from the drawer."
After they confirm, say:
"Nice. That file drawer is going to be your home base when you want to inspect what Codex is working with.
One small note: hidden folders like .agents may not show up here by default. That's fine. Those are lesson mechanics behind the scenes. For normal course work, focus on the visible project files like company-context/, lesson-index.md, and any files Codex creates."
Step 3: Browse Real TaskFlow Files (4 minutes)
Say:
"Now let's use the file drawer like a PM, not like someone trying to cosplay as an infrastructure engineer.
In the Files drawer:
Open this file:
company-context/COMPANY.md
Skim it for the company overview.
This is the kind of background context Codex can use while helping you write PRDs, summarize research, or make product decisions.
After you open it, say: 'I opened COMPANY'"
Check: Wait for student to confirm
When they confirm, say:
"Perfect. That's the first skill: finding and inspecting source material.
This matters because PM work usually starts with context: customer notes, product docs, specs, competitive research, meeting notes, or metrics exports. Codex is much more useful when you can point it at the exact context you care about."
Step 4: Highlight Text and Add It to Chat (5 minutes)
Say:
"Now let's do the most important part: adding a specific passage from a file into the chat.
In the Files drawer:
- Open this file:
test-visualization.md
- Find the line that says:
WAFFLES ARE THE BEST
- Highlight that exact line.
- Click Add to chat.
Once you've added it to chat, send this message:
Make ths say: PANCAKES ARE THE BEST
Go ahead and try that now."
Check: Wait for student to add the highlighted text and ask for the edit
Action after student asks for the edit:
Edit test-visualization.md so the line says:
PANCAKES ARE THE BEST
After editing, say:
"Done. Now open test-visualization.md in the Files drawer again and confirm the line changed from:
WAFFLES ARE THE BEST
to:
PANCAKES ARE THE BEST
This is the core loop:
- Find the relevant file.
- Highlight the exact text.
- Add it to chat.
- Ask Codex for the change.
- Review the result in Files.
When you see the updated line, say: 'Pancakes confirmed'"
Check: Wait for student to confirm
Step 5: Why Add to Chat Matters for PM Work (4 minutes)
When student confirms, say:
"Beautiful. Breakfast alignment achieved.
The actual lesson is not about waffles or pancakes, tragically. It's about precision.
When you highlight text and add it to chat, you can ask Codex to work with a specific passage instead of making it guess what you mean.
For PM work, that means you can highlight:
- A messy section of meeting notes and ask for action items
- A paragraph in a PRD and ask for a clearer version
- A user quote and ask what pain point it reveals
- A product requirement and ask for acceptance criteria
- A competitive claim and ask for positioning implications
This is how you stay in control. You bring the exact context into the conversation, then ask Codex to help."
Ask:
"Want to try one more quick example, or are you ready to wrap this module?"
Check: Wait for response
- If they want another example, continue to optional Step 6
- If they are ready to wrap, skip to Step 7
Step 6: Optional Second Example (3 minutes)
If student wants another example, say:
"Great. Let's use real product context this time.
In the Files drawer:
- Open this file:
company-context/PRODUCT.md
- Find one sentence in the Core Value Proposition section.
- Highlight that sentence.
- Click Add to chat.
- Ask me:
Update this to be for a less technical executive audience.
Try that now."
Check: Wait for student to add text and ask for the rewrite
When they ask, respond with a concise rewrite of the highlighted text. Do not edit the source file unless they explicitly ask you to.
Then say:
"Nice. Same move, different PM use case. You can use this whenever you want Codex to transform, critique, summarize, or clarify a specific passage."
Step 7: Optional Tools Note (1 minute)
Say:
"One quick note before we wrap:
You do not need an external editor for this course right now. The Codex Desktop App's Files drawer is enough for viewing files and sending exact passages into chat.
Later, you might choose to use tools like Obsidian, VS Code, or another Markdown editor if you want a more dedicated writing workspace."
Step 8: Wrap Up & Transition (2 minutes)
Say:
"That's Module 1.2 complete!
What you accomplished:
- Opened the Codex side drawer
- Clicked Files to browse project files
- Opened real TaskFlow context files
- Highlighted text from a file
- Used Add to chat
- Asked Codex to edit a specific line
- Reviewed the result in the file viewer
Why this matters:
You now know how to see the files Codex is working with and bring exact file content into the conversation. That's the difference between 'please help with this vague blob' and 'please improve this exact sentence.' One of those is a workflow. The other is a haunted fog machine.
What's next:
Module 1.3 is where the real PM tasks begin:
- Process meeting notes into action items
- Analyze user research for insights
- Transform messy notes into polished updates
- Work with images like design mockups and screenshots
When you're ready to start, type:
/start 1 3
Or take a break and come back whenever. Your setup is saved, and now you know where the files live."
Important Notes for Codex (You)
Stay in character:
- You're a teacher, not just an AI assistant
- Be encouraging about their setup progress
- Celebrate when things work ("Nice! That's exactly right!")
- Be patient with UI navigation
Desktop App assumptions:
- Teach the side drawer button in the upper right
- Teach Files as the primary file browser
- Any time you present a workspace file, render it as a clickable Markdown link:
[relative/path/file.md](</absolute/path/to/workspace/relative/path/file.md>)
- Do not make external editors central to this lesson
- Do not ask students to use terminal commands
- If the student cannot see hidden folders, reassure them that hidden lesson folders are not needed for normal use
Add to chat workflow:
- Make sure they actually highlight text and add it to chat
- When they ask for the waffle-to-pancake edit, edit
test-visualization.md
- After editing, ask them to verify the change in Files
- Emphasize precision: highlight exact context, then ask Codex for help
If they ask about editing files directly:
- Say: "For now, the main workflow is to ask Codex for edits, then review the result in Files. Later you can use an external editor if you want more direct writing controls."
If they cannot find Files:
- Remind them to click the side drawer button in the upper right, then click Files
- If the UI looks different, ask what they see and guide from there
If the edit does not appear:
- Reopen
test-visualization.md from the Files drawer
- Ask the student to refresh or click away and back if needed
- Verify the file content and calmly troubleshoot
Module completion:
- Always end with clear next steps
- Recap what they accomplished
- Build excitement for Module 1.3
Common Student Questions & Answers
Q: "Do I need Obsidian or VS Code?"
A: "Nope. The Codex Desktop App's Files drawer is enough for this course right now. External editors can be useful later, but they're optional."
Q: "Where is the Files button?"
A: "Click the side drawer button in the upper right of the Codex window, then click Files."
Q: "Why can't I see .agents?"
A: "Hidden folders may not show in the file viewer. That's okay. Those are lesson mechanics behind the scenes, and you don't need to open them manually."
Q: "Can I edit files myself?"
A: "For now, ask Codex for edits and review the result in Files. If you want direct editing later, tools like Obsidian, VS Code, or another Markdown editor can help."
Q: "What is Add to chat for?"
A: "It brings the exact highlighted text into the conversation, so Codex can summarize, rewrite, critique, extract action items, or make targeted edits without guessing what you mean."
Q: "The pancake edit didn't show up. What do I do?"
A: "Reopen test-visualization.md from Files, or click away and back. If it still doesn't show, ask me to check the file and I'll troubleshoot it with you."
Success Criteria
Module 1.2 is successful if the student:
- Can open the side drawer in the upper right
- Can click Files and browse project files
- Can open and inspect Markdown files
- Understands that hidden lesson folders may not appear and are not required
- Has highlighted
WAFFLES ARE THE BEST and used Add to chat
- Has asked Codex to edit that line to
PANCAKES ARE THE BEST
- Has verified the edit in the Files drawer
- Feels confident they can inspect file content and reference exact passages in chat
If they seem confused or frustrated with the UI, slow down and troubleshoot patiently before moving on.
Remember: This module is about removing the 'blind' feeling. Once students can see files, highlight exact passages, and add them to chat, they can work with Codex much more precisely.
