Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Codex on Adderall Run spec.md through plan, build, and review with a $2 budget."
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
Plan → build → review across models, from Claude Code, Cursor, or Codex. A zero-dependency MCP server (coa) that won't hand off work until the spec is checkable, vets the tools a worker gets, stops hard at your per-run and per-day cost/token budgets, never runs destructive actions, and logs every step.
Based on Codex on Crack by Ethan Rogers (MIT). Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ethan Rogers or OpenAI. "Codex" refers to the OpenAI Codex CLI this tool works with.
Codex on Crack showed that one agent planning, another implementing, and a lead reviewing gets better results than a single model. It runs inside Codex. Codex on Adderall takes the same loop and makes it host-independent, then adds guardrails:
Any host | One MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. Each role (plan/build/review) is served by |
Spec gate | No handoff until the spec has a goal, acceptance criteria as a checklist, scope, a test plan and named files. Vague items and TBDs lose points. Uses |
Tool vetting | Worker tools are checked for prompt injection, hidden tags, credential paths, invisible unicode and exfiltration URLs. Uses |
Hard budgets | USD and token limits per run and per day. A preflight estimate stops a call before it would cross a limit, and actual usage is checked after every step. A stopped run says which limit it hit and how to raise it. |
Safe defaults | The server never edits files, runs git, or deletes anything. CLI workers must be on an allowlist, run without a shell, and are refused for destructive patterns ( |
Clear logs |
|
Review loop | The reviewer checks each acceptance criterion and ends with |
Related MCP server: nokto-agent-orchestrator MCP server
# Claude Code
claude mcp add codex-on-adderall -- npx -y @kurtfrancisco/codex-on-adderall mcpCursor (.cursor/mcp.json) / Claude Code project (.mcp.json):
{ "mcpServers": { "codex-on-adderall": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@kurtfrancisco/codex-on-adderall", "mcp"] } } }Codex (~/.codex/config.toml):
[mcp_servers.codex-on-adderall]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@kurtfrancisco/codex-on-adderall", "mcp"]Ask your agent: "Use codex-on-adderall to run this spec: plan it, build it, then review it." The agent calls coa_start_run, then coa_next_step / coa_submit_step for host steps, and coa_run_auto for CLI steps.
MCP tools: coa_status, coa_spec_check, coa_vet_tools, coa_start_run, coa_next_step, coa_submit_step, coa_run_auto, coa_get_run, coa_list_runs, coa_budget, coa_log, coa_cancel.
CLI:
npx @kurtfrancisco/codex-on-adderall init # writes coa.config.json (all roles = host)
coa spec-check spec.md # exit 1 if the gate fails
coa vet tools.json
coa run spec.md --tools tools.json # runs CLI steps; prints the brief for host steps
coa submit <runId> build build-report.md
coa runs | coa budget <runId> | coa log <runId> | coa doctorcoa.config.json)See examples/coa.config.claude-codex.json. The defaults:
{
"roles": { "plan": {"provider":"host"}, "build": {"provider":"host"}, "review": {"provider":"host"} },
"budgets": { "perRun": {"usd": 2, "tokens": 400000}, "perDay": {"usd": 10, "tokens": 2000000} },
"specGate": { "minScore": 70, "external": "auto" },
"review": { "maxRounds": 2 },
"safety": { "allowDestructive": false, "agentGuard": "auto", "allowedCommands": ["claude","codex","cursor-agent","gemini","ollama","llm","node"] },
"vet": { "mcpscan": "auto", "blockOn": "high" }
}pricing (inputPerM/outputPerM in USD) is per role and is yours to set. Costs are only as accurate as the prices you enter. When a CLI prints JSON usage (input_tokens/output_tokens) those counts are used; otherwise tokens are estimated at about 4 characters each and marked estimated. Set any integration to "required" to fail closed when it's missing.
npm i -D @kurtfrancisco/specgate @kurtfrancisco/mcpscan @kurtfrancisco/agent-guard
SpecGate: pass a change id (coa_start_run { specgateChange } or coa run spec.md --specgate-change add-x). The run is blocked unless specgate validate <id> and specgate status <id> both exit 0, meaning the spec is well formed and a human has signed it off. Called through its CLI (no shell, no npx). If you give a change id and SpecGate isn't installed, the run fails closed.
mcpscan: require('@kurtfrancisco/mcpscan').checkToolDescription(tool) runs on every worker tool. Its findings (MCP0xx rules) are merged with the built-in checks.
agent-guard: require('@kurtfrancisco/agent-guard').evaluate({ tool: 'Bash', command, projectRoot }) runs before any CLI worker starts. A deny decision blocks the command, even when allowDestructive is true.
Only these scoped names are loaded. Unscoped look-alikes are ignored.
Routing presets (host-only, Claude plans/host builds, Codex builds/Claude reviews, local Ollama, max-quality), a review checklist, an HTML cost dashboard (daily spend, by role/model, per run), and a one-command installer that registers the server with all three hosts (dry run by default, with backups). Set COA_LICENSE_KEY from your purchase email. Keys are verified offline.
MIT. Copyright (c) 2026 Ethan Rogers (original Codex on Crack) and Copyright (c) 2026 Kurt Francisco (this derivative). See LICENSE. Pro content is sold separately and isn't covered by the MIT license.
This server cannot be deployed
Source-checked CLI guides and model-aware planning for Claude Code, Codex, and Grok Build.
Cross-agent artifact workspace with provenance across Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, LangGraph.
See, price, and control every tool call your AI agents make: policy checks, cost, and audit tools.
Pre-execution governance for AI agents. Deterministic PASS/FAIL/REVIEW verdicts, replayable proof.
