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Connect Codex to SMTasker: A Beginner-Friendly MCP Setup

Updated Sep 18, 2026

Connect Codex to SMTasker so it can answer questions about your own workspace. In this walkthrough, you will create read-only access, ask Codex to help with the connection, and try one simple question.

Use AI to Manage SMTasker — Part 2. New to the idea? Start with what your AI assistant can do with SMTasker.

Before you start

Open SMTasker in your browser and Codex on your computer, signed in. This guide uses a local Codex setup, not a task running only in the cloud.

You will collect two things from SMTasker: a server URL (the address to connect to) and an API key (a private code that allows access). This is a SMTasker key, not your login password or an OpenAI key.

The SMTasker screenshots below show where to click. The Codex instructions use suggested prompts; its replies and any approval steps can vary. They are not screenshots of a completed Codex connection.

Step 1: Enable access in SMTasker

In SMTasker: click Settings in the sidebar, then open API & MCP Access. Turn on MCP access if it is off.

Full SMTasker settings screen with Settings, API and MCP Access, and the access switch outlined.
Follow the highlighted route. When access is enabled, you can create a key for Codex.

Step 2: Give Codex permission to look, not change

Stay on that page. Scroll down to API keys, then click New API key.

Full scrolled settings screen with the API keys table and New API key button highlighted.
Use New API key to create your own connection. The existing key pictured in the table is not the one you will use.
  1. Enter a name you will recognize, such as Codex — read-only test.
  2. Choose when the key should expire. After that date, you will need a replacement to keep using the connection.
  3. Keep Read data checked. Leave Make changes unchecked.
  4. Click Create key, then copy and store the generated code privately as instructed on screen.
Full-context new-key form highlighting name, expiration, Read data and the create button. Make changes is unchecked.
This is the read-only setup for your first test. No real secret is shown.

Keep the generated code private. It grants access to your workspace information. Do not paste it into an ordinary chat, screenshot or support message. You will enter it privately during the next step.

Step 3: Ask Codex to connect

In SMTasker: scroll back to Connection details and copy the Server URL.

Full API and MCP Access page with the Server URL and header template highlighted.
Copy the Server URL from your own account. The header template is an example format, not your private key.

In Codex: open a local task. Copy the message below, replace PASTE_YOUR_SERVER_URL_HERE with your address, and send it. The technical details are included for Codex—you do not need to memorize them.

Help me connect Codex on this computer to SMTasker. I am a beginner; guide me one step at a time.

Server URL: PASTE_YOUR_SERVER_URL_HERE
Use Streamable HTTP with a SMTasker API key sent as an Authorization: Bearer header.

I have a read-only key. Help me enter it privately outside this chat. Do not display it or store it in a shared project. Preserve my other connections and approval settings. If you need my approval or a manual step, explain it. Tell me if I need to restart Codex or open a new task, then help me test the connection without changing anything in SMTasker.

Follow the instructions Codex gives for your computer. Review any proposed connection changes before approving them. If it cannot configure the connection itself, ask it to show you exactly which setting you need to open.

Enter the key only in the private entry method it explains. If that method is unclear, ask for clarification before entering anything. Saving the connection settings is not proof it works yet—the next step checks that.

Step 4: Ask your first question

After completing any restart or new-task step Codex requests, send this message:

Use my SMTasker connection to give me a short summary of my workspace. Tell me what information you actually checked and one thing I should look at first. Explain it in simple terms. Do not change anything. If you cannot access the workspace, tell me what prevented it.

You are looking for an answer about your workspace, not a general explanation of SMTasker. Codex should identify what it retrieved and explain any information it could not access.

Compare a detail in the answer with your SMTasker account. If it only gives general advice, ask: “Did you use the SMTasker connection, or is this general advice?”

Step 5: Confirm the request in SMTasker

This extra check is useful if you want confirmation or Codex’s answer was unclear.

Return to Settings → API & MCP Access, click Activity log at the top-right, then Refresh. Look for the time of your question and the name you gave the key.

Activity log over the full settings page, with Refresh and request details annotated.
This screenshot shows earlier log entries so you know where to look. Your test will have its own time and result.

The log helps confirm there was a request. Read its outcome alongside Codex’s reply; a recorded request alone does not prove the whole question was answered.

If you get stuck

  • Codex cannot find the connection: ask whether its setup needs a restart or a new local task.
  • The connection is rejected: check that MCP access is enabled and the key has not expired or been revoked. Confirm you used the generated SMTasker key, not the header placeholder.
  • Codex asks for details you do not understand: ask it to explain one step at a time. If you are still stuck, contact SMTasker support with the error and the step you reached, without sending your key.

Your first connection is ready

Once Codex retrieves real information, you have completed this lesson. Keep read-only access while you explore questions about your workspace.

Later, you can allow supported edits with Make changes permission. That is a separate step; it is not needed for this test. The next practical lessons will cover checking your workspace and setting up one automation with a reviewed proposal and a verified result.

To stop this connection, return to the API keys table in SMTasker and Revoke the key you created.

Series overview: return to Use AI to Manage SMTasker for the learning path and the difference between MCP and Skye.

For billing, see what it costs. This connection uses your external AI app, not Skye’s provider key.

Connection reference: OpenAI’s MCP documentation. This guide uses its support for a remote connection and bearer authentication; exact setup steps can differ by installed version.

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