--- title: "Can Codex make phone calls? How to give OpenAI Codex a phone" description: "Codex can't dial a phone on its own, but it can use MCP tools. Add CallForMe and Codex calls businesses, works from a list in your repo, and saves the results." url: https://callforme.tel/guides/can-codex-make-phone-calls published: 2026-10-09 updated: 2026-10-09 author: CallForMe team, Great Work LLC --- # Can Codex make phone calls? How to give OpenAI Codex a phone > Not by itself. OpenAI Codex is a coding agent with no phone of its own, but it can use MCP servers. Add CallForMe with codex mcp add callforme --url https://callforme.tel/mcp, sign in once with codex mcp login callforme, and Codex can call businesses, ask your questions, and write the answers into a file in your project. ## The short answer Codex writes and runs code. It has no phone line, and it can't place a call by itself. What it can do is use tools from MCP servers ([OpenAI's Codex MCP docs](https://developers.openai.com/codex/mcp)). CallForMe is an MCP server whose tools place real phone calls to businesses, so adding it gives Codex a phone: Codex decides what to ask, and CallForMe's voice assistant dials, gets through the menu and hold, and reports back. ## Add it in two commands ```bash codex mcp add callforme --url https://callforme.tel/mcp codex mcp login callforme ``` A browser tab opens and closes. There's no email, form or card at this step. Config file options, API keys for CI, and the troubleshooting steps are on the [Codex install page](/agents/codex). ## Why a coding agent is good at phone errands Most people picture an assistant in a chat window making one call. Codex is better at the jobs that look like a small script: - **Calling down a list.** Point it at `shops.csv` in your repo and ask it to call each one. It reads the file, places the calls, and fills in a column per answer. - **Writing the results somewhere useful.** Ask for `quotes.md` or a JSON file, and the transcript summary, prices and times land in your project, not in a chat you'll lose. - **Repeating the same questions exactly.** Every business hears the same goal and questions, so the answers line up. For finding places near you, Codex can use `call_around`, which finds 1 to 100 businesses of a kind, calls them up to 10 at a time, and waits for business hours. - **Building something on top.** If you're adding calling to your own app, Codex can read [skill.md](/docs/skill) and the [REST API](/docs/rest-api) and wire it in. ## A first prompt to paste Try the free demo shops first. They're fictional, cost nothing, and act like real auto shops: > Get front brake pad quotes for a 2019 Toyota Camry from the three CallForMe demo auto shops: Oak Street Auto (469) 402-2653, Cedar Lane Tire & Brake (469) 437-9838 and Elm Avenue Garage (469) 300-6608. Call all three at once. Save a table to brake-quotes.md with price, parts brand, and soonest drop-off. If they ask something you don't know, ask me. Then the real version, with a list from your project: > Read vendors.csv. Call each number and ask if they can deliver 40 folding chairs to 2210 Ridgeview Ln, Plano TX on Saturday, November 15, and the total price with delivery. Add the answers as new columns and tell me which is cheapest. ## When Codex runs unattended With `codex exec` or a scheduled job, nobody is at the keyboard if the business asks something new mid-call. The assistant waits about 45 seconds, then tells the business you'll follow up on that point and carries on. To avoid that, put the answers in the prompt up front: "any time Saturday morning is fine, budget up to $300, delivery to the back door." Codex passes them as `if_asked`. More on that window in [what if the business asks something my agent doesn't know](/guides/when-the-business-asks-something-unknown). ## The first real call The first time Codex calls a real business, CallForMe returns a one-time setup link and Codex shows it to you. You open it, see the exact call about to be placed, and add $10. The call starts on its own once you've paid, and auto-reload means you do it once. See [how setup links work](/docs/setup-links). ## What it costs $1 per answered call, including the first 2 minutes, then $0.40 a minute, up to 30 minutes. Busy and unanswered calls are free. Three shops that each take 3 minutes cost $1.40 each, $4.20 in all. See [pricing](/docs/pricing). ## Related - [Install CallForMe in Codex](/agents/codex) - [How to get Claude to make a phone call](/guides/give-claude-a-phone) - [Can ChatGPT make phone calls?](/guides/let-chatgpt-call-a-business) - [Call around: one goal, many businesses](/guides/call-around) ## FAQ ### Does this work in the Codex CLI, the IDE extension and the desktop app? Yes. OpenAI's docs say the ChatGPT desktop app, the Codex CLI and the IDE extension share the MCP configuration in ~/.codex/config.toml, so adding CallForMe once covers all three. ### Has a real call been placed from Codex this way? Yes. We ran Codex against CallForMe on October 2, 2026, and it completed real calls to our demo line and reported the results. ### What about codex exec, with nobody watching? It works, but nobody is there to answer a question the business asks. Put likely answers in the prompt (the time window, the budget, the car) so Codex can pass them as if_asked. Anything left open is skipped politely and listed as unanswered. ### Does Codex need an OpenAI API key for the calls? Codex needs its own sign-in or OpenAI key to run at all. The phone calls are billed by CallForMe: $1 per answered call including 2 minutes, then $0.40 a minute, and nothing when nobody answers. ## Related - [Can Gemini CLI make phone calls? Give it a phone with MCP](https://callforme.tel/guides/can-gemini-cli-make-phone-calls.md) - [Can AI make phone calls for me?](https://callforme.tel/guides/can-ai-make-phone-calls-for-me.md) - [Using AI to make phone calls when you hate the phone](https://callforme.tel/guides/ai-calls-for-phone-anxiety.md) - [FAQ](https://callforme.tel/docs/faq.md) - [Use CallForMe from any agent with a shell](https://callforme.tel/agents/any-agent.md)