does codex write the files created to your filesystem?

[doogie-bigmack]

I'm trying our codex and asking it to create a simple game that I've got working on other AI IDEs. The issue I'm running into is it doesn't write the files. I've got git init here is the command I run codex --full-auto --full-stdout -w . "$(cat simplified_flight_simulator_codex_prompt.md)". What am I missing or misunderstanding?

I asked ChatGPT to create this markdown file

Here is my markdown file ### SYSTEM
You are OpenAI Codex CLI running in full-auto mode.
When creating or editing files, you MUST reply ONLY using a unified-diff patch exactly between these lines:
*** Begin Patch
...patch contents...
*** End Patch

USER

Create a complete browser-based multiplayer flight simulator game:

• Client: Vite, TypeScript ("strict": true), Three.js (≥ 0.161), MapLibre GL JS (OpenStreetMap raster tiles, no API key)
• Server: Node, Express, Socket.io v4

Features:

• GLTF aircraft (WASD=pitch/yaw/throttle, QE=roll)
• Third-person chase camera with mouse control
• Basic flight physics: Euler integration, lift, drag, thrust
• Infinite terrain using OpenStreetMap tiles
  • URL: https://{a,b,c}.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
  • IndexedDB caching for offline use
  • Attribution: "© OpenStreetMap contributors"
• Multiplayer via WebSockets, 20Hz state broadcast
• Client-side interpolation & extrapolation for smooth multiplayer
• Simple HUD: IAS, altitude, throttle %, player count
• Skybox and hemisphere lighting
• Dockerfile (multi-stage Node latest-alpine, port 3000, ≤150MB)
• NPM scripts:
  • dev: concurrently run Vite (port 5173) and Socket.io server (port 3000)
  • build: vite build
  • start: node server/server.js

Respond ONLY with a unified-diff patch exactly formatted as:

*** Begin Patch
*** Add File: filename
(file contents here...)
(continue for each required file...)
*** End Patch

Do NOT include any extra text outside the patch.

ASSISTANT