AI Agents

Beginner

10 min

Getting Started with Codex

Create your Open Source Cloud account, connect Codex via MCP, and deploy your first MySQL database — all using natural language.

What You'll Learn

Create an OSC account and team

Install the Codex CLI and connect OSC over OAuth

Deploy cloud services using natural language

Prerequisites

Node.js installed (to install the Codex CLI via npm)
A terminal or command prompt
An OpenAI account to sign in to Codex (ChatGPT sign-in, or an API key)

Step-by-Step Guide

Create an OSC Account

First, create your Open Source Cloud account. Navigate to the OSC console:

Open app.osaas.io

Enter your email address and click continue. Check your inbox for a verification code, then enter the code to verify your account.

Tip: The verification code will arrive within a few seconds. Check your spam folder if you don't see it.

Create a Workspace

After verifying your email, you'll be prompted to create a workspace. Teams are how OSC organizes your services and resources.

Enter a team name (e.g., your company name or project name) and click the Create Workspace button.

Tip: Your free account includes 100 usage tokens to get started. You can invite workspace members later.

Install Codex

Codex is OpenAI's CLI tool for AI-assisted development. Install it using npm:

npm install -g @openai/codex

After installation, verify it works by running codex --version

Connect OSC to Codex

Add OSC as an MCP server and authenticate. Two commands, and no token to copy anywhere:

codex mcp add osc --url https://mcp.osaas.io/mcp
codex mcp login osc

The second command opens an OAuth login in your browser. When it finishes, run /mcp inside Codex to confirm that OSC is connected.

Manual alternative: you can also add the server by editing ~/.codex/config.toml yourself, then running the login command above:

[mcp_servers.osc]
url = "https://mcp.osaas.io/mcp"

Start Codex

Launch Codex in your terminal. It will automatically load the MCP configuration:

codex

Codex will now have access to all OSC tools and can help you manage open source services.

Create a MySQL Database

Now you're ready to create your first service! Ask Codex in natural language:

> Create a MySQL database for me

Codex will use the OSC MCP tools to provision a MySQL instance. Once complete, ask for the connection details:

> What is the IP and port to the database?

Codex will provide you with the host, port, username, and password needed to connect.

Note: Save your database credentials securely. You'll need them to connect from your applications.

Congratulations!

You've successfully connected Codex to Open Source Cloud and created your first database. You can now use natural language to deploy any of the 188+ services available on OSC.

What's Next?

Explore Services

Ask Codex to list available services or deploy Redis, PostgreSQL, MinIO, and more.

> What services can I deploy?

Check Your Resources

View and manage your running services through the OSC console or via Codex.

Open Console

Connect Other AI Agents

OSC MCP works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and ChatGPT. See connection guides for each.

MCP Integration Guide

Need More Help?

Check out our documentation or explore more tutorials to get the most out of Open Source Cloud.

Documentation More Tutorials