Getting Started

Codex Desktop App

If you have a paid ChatGPT account, this is your best desktop option. Don’t let the name fool you — Codex looks and feels like ChatGPT, but it can create files, read your context, and install the full CCOS marketplace.

You need the CCOS ZIP file to follow this guide. Download it below — this page will verify your active license. If you don’t have one yet, grab a license from the store.

Download CCOS ZIP ↓ Get a license →

  1. Unzip the CCOS file — properly

    Download the CCOS ZIP and fully extract it to a permanent location on your computer — like your Documents folder or Desktop. You’ll be copying files from this folder in a later step, so put it somewhere you can easily find again.

    • On Windows: right-click the ZIP and choose “Extract All.” Do not just double-click the ZIP — that opens a temporary preview, not the real files
    • On Mac: double-clicking the ZIP creates an extracted folder next to it — that’s the one you want
    • Move the extracted CCOS folder somewhere permanent like Documents/CCOS

  2. Download and install the Codex desktop app

    Codex is OpenAI’s desktop app. Yes, it says “code” in the name and it’s marketed as a developer tool — but don’t let that scare you. The interface is almost identical to ChatGPT. The difference is that Codex can create and read files on your computer, which is exactly what CCOS needs to build lessons, pages, and context files for you.

    • Download and install the latest version
    • Sign in with your OpenAI account (the same one you use for ChatGPT)
    • Make sure you update to the latest version after installing — marketplace support requires a recent update
    Download Codex
    If you’re on a ChatGPT Business plan, you might be able to use skills inside the ChatGPT desktop app directly. But for most people, Codex is the better option — it has full plugin and marketplace support regardless of your plan tier.

  3. Copy the CCOS marketplace and plugins to the right folders

    This is the most important step. You need to copy two things from your extracted CCOS folder to specific locations on your computer. These locations are hidden system folders — they exist but you normally can’t see them. Here’s exactly what to copy and where.

    • Copy the marketplace.json file from the CCOS .agents folder to your home folder at: ~/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json
    • Copy the entire plugins folder from the CCOS download to: ~/.codex/plugins/
    What does the ~ mean? The tilde (~) is shorthand for your “home folder” — the top-level folder for your user account on your computer. Here’s where it actually is: On Mac: /Users/yourname/ — so ~/.agents/ means /Users/yourname/.agents/ On Windows: C:\Users\yourname\ — so ~/.agents/ means C:\Users\yourname\.agents\ Folders that start with a dot (like .agents and .codex) are hidden by default. On Mac: in Finder, press Cmd+Shift+. (period) to show hidden files. On Windows: in File Explorer, click View → Show → Hidden items. If the .agents/plugins/ or .codex/plugins/ folders don’t exist yet, create them. Then copy the files in.

  4. Restart Codex

    If Codex was already running, quit it completely and reopen it. The marketplace and plugins are loaded at startup, so Codex needs a fresh start to pick them up.

  5. Verify the CCOS plugins loaded

    Open the Plugins page in Codex. You’ll see a dropdown that defaults to “Built by OpenAI.” Change that dropdown and you should see Course Creator OS Plugins listed. Click into it to explore the available plugins and skills.

    If you don’t see the CCOS marketplace in the dropdown, double-check that: (1) you copied the files to the right locations, (2) the folders actually exist and aren’t empty, (3) you fully restarted Codex, and (4) you’re running the latest version of Codex.

  6. Start a new project and choose your folder

    In Codex, start a new conversation and choose “Add a New Project.” You’ll be asked to pick a folder. This is where CCOS will store everything it creates — your Creator DNA context files, lesson HTML, site pages, and any other files the skills build. Think of it as your CCOS workspace.

    • Create a new empty folder for this — something like “My CCOS Workspace” in Documents is perfect
    • Don’t point it at a system folder, your Downloads folder, or an existing project — give CCOS a clean space
    • On Mac: you can find Documents in the left sidebar of the folder picker
    • On Windows: look for Documents or Desktop in the left panel of the folder browser
    • Everything CCOS creates will live here — you can always browse the files in Finder or File Explorer to see what’s been built

  7. Start your first conversation with the cc-help skill

    With your project open, paste the prompt below and hit send. The cc-help skill will orient you and recommend what to do first.

    Paste this into Claude
    Use the cc-help skill

  8. Set up your Creator DNA

    This is the most important first step after installation. Creator DNA is a set of context files about your brand, audience, tone, and design system. Once these are in your project folder, every CCOS skill automatically uses them — so everything it builds sounds and looks like your business, not generic AI output.

    Paste this into Claude
    Use the cc-create-dna skill

You’re all set up. Time to build something.

Your plugins are installed and your project folder is ready. Explore the full plugin library to see what’s possible, or head back to the start to pick a different setup path.

Explore Plugins Back to Get Started