Codex Prompts Ban Goblins: OpenAI’s No-Creatures Policy Surfaces in GitHub Doc
TL;DR
A GitHub document from OpenAI, part of Codex CLI open-sourcing, appears to reveal a system prompt for GPT-5.5 that enforces a strict no-creatures policy—specifically banning goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, and similar beings unless absolutely relevant to the query. The rule emphasizes providing high-signal context and avoids generic platitudes. The policy sparked memes about “Goblin Mode,” but Codex staff say it isn’t a marketing gimmick, and observers note the chatter around goblin usage may relate to prompt-injection monitoring.
Topics:technologyartificial-intelligence#artificial-intelligence#codex#goblin#openai#prompt-injection
- ‘Never Talk About Goblins’: OpenAI’s Instructions to Codex Have a Weirdly Emphatic No-Creatures Policy Gizmodo
- Where the goblins came from OpenAI
- OpenAI Really Wants Codex to Shut Up About Goblins WIRED
- OpenAI really really really wants GPT 5.5 to stop randomly talking about gremlins and goblins Business Insider
- OpenAI Chases Goblins, Gremlins From Answers Newser
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