Codex Skill: Maintain
How to keep the codex healthy over time. Run this during monthly or quarterly reviews.
Signs a Codex Needs Maintenance
- Files with missing or placeholder
ai_summaryfields - Stale
status: activeon projects that haven’t been updated in 30+ days _codex/system/files that are outdated or over 2,000 tokens total06 Inbox (Queue)/with items older than 7 days- Orphaned files with no
relatedlinks and no tag connections - Domain folders with READMEs that no longer reflect what’s inside
Maintenance Checklist
Run this monthly or whenever the codex feels “heavy”:
1. Audit ai_summary fields
Open any domain folder. Spot-check 5-10 files.
If ai_summary is empty, placeholder, or just the filename → rewrite it.
Good example: "Weekly review for March 2026 — productive sprint, blocked on client contract"
Bad example: "Weekly Review — 2026-03-19" ← just the title, adds no context
2. Audit _codex/system/
- Total size must stay under 2,000 tokens
- Each file should be relevant to >50% of interactions
- If a
system/file hasn’t been useful in 7+ days → move it back to its domain
3. Archive stale projects
Search for type: project + status: active → check last modified date.
If a project hasn’t been touched in 30+ days, change status to on-hold and add a note.
If complete, change to status: archived and move to an Archive/ subfolder.
4. Clear the inbox
See _codex/skills/organize.md.
5. Check for broken links
In Obsidian: open the graph view. Orphaned nodes (no connections) may need related fields added.
For agents: run a search for [[ in all files and verify referenced notes exist.
How Often
| Action | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Inbox triage | Weekly |
ai_summary audit | Monthly |
| System/ audit | Monthly |
| Archive stale projects | Quarterly |
| Full vault health check | Quarterly |