+Integration · OpenAI Codex
Let Codex use your iPhone.
Connect OpenAI's Codex to ScreenTap and it can operate your real iPhone: open apps, read the screen, tap and type, from the Codex CLI or IDE extension on your Mac.
Set up
Codex
OpenAI's coding agent, in the terminal or your editor. Add one block to config.toml.
- 1
Open the config file
Codex reads MCP servers from ~/.codex/config.toml. Create the file if it doesn't exist.
- 2
Add ScreenTap
Add this block anywhere in the file.
~/.codex/config.toml[mcp_servers.screentap] command = "/Applications/ScreenTap.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenTap" args = ["--stdio"] - 3
Try it
Start a new Codex session and ask:
PromptTake a screenshot of my iPhone and tell me what's on screen.
Full guide with troubleshooting: Codex in the docs.
Things to try
Ask Codex to…
- ›
Take a screenshot of my iPhone and tell me what's on screen.
- ›
Open my app, go through onboarding and record it as a video with the taps drawn on.
- ›
Check the 30 newest App Store reviews of my app and group the complaints.
More in the prompt library.
Good to know
- ChatGPT on the web and the ChatGPT desktop app only connect to MCP servers over a public HTTPS address. ScreenTap's server stays on your Mac on purpose, so use Codex, which runs locally. We don't recommend tunnelling ScreenTap to the internet: anyone with the URL could control your phone.
- The Codex CLI and the Codex IDE extension share the same config file, so one setup covers both.
Questions
Can ChatGPT control my iPhone?+
Not directly with ScreenTap: ChatGPT's connectors need a public server on the internet, and ScreenTap runs only on your Mac. Use OpenAI's Codex instead, which connects locally.
Can Codex control an iPhone?+
Yes. Add ScreenTap to ~/.codex/config.toml and Codex can take screenshots, tap, type and open apps on your iPhone.
Other integrations
Give your agent an iPhone.
Try it free for 15 minutes on your own iPhone. No account needed.