Basecamp is the first safe working camp: one folder, one visible project chip, Local mode, and an approval posture you understand. Codex can read files, create files, edit pages, run checks, build small local tools, and turn rough material into usable artifacts, so the first lesson is not power. It is boundaries.

Start at the official Codex page, install the desktop app, sign in with the right workspace, and choose one project folder. A project folder is the bounded workspace Codex can inspect and modify, depending on permissions. The guide gives examples like a writing project, a small website, a spreadsheet cleanup folder, a local app, a folder of notes, or a Git repository.

Choose Local, which means Codex works on your computer inside the folder you selected. Start with Ask for approval, which means Codex pauses before broader actions such as editing outside the project folder or using the internet from a command. Do not begin with your Desktop, Downloads folder, or home folder. The first folder is the desk: the right materials are on it, unrelated files are off it, and you can inspect what changed.