OpenClaw LTS Prioritizes Codex Instructions Over AGENTS.md — Breaks Custom Workflows
OpenClaw LTS release 2026.6.33 introduces a significant regression: custom instructions in AGENTS.md are effectively ignored because all agents are routed through the Codex harness, which prioritizes its own agent files. This breaks workflows for users who rely on custom AGENTS.md files to define agent behavior. The issue is confirmed as a known bug on GitHub (issue #84393).
What Happened
When upgrading to the latest LTS release (2026.6.33), the Codex connection was updated to the OpenAI subscription’s ChatGPT Codex OAuth (5.4 → 5.5). As part of this change, all agent requests are now funneled through the Codex harness. The harness prioritizes its own instruction files over OpenClaw’s AGENTS.md. The result is that agents behave like standard Codex agents, without any of the custom instructions users have defined.
Impact
Users who rely on AGENTS.md to inject project-specific context, coding standards, or custom prompts will find their agents ignoring those rules. This completely breaks workflows that depend on those instructions. One user reported noticing the issue when their agents exhibited “normal Codex agent” behavior, with none of their special instructions applied.
Workarounds and Status
At the time of writing, there is no publicly known workaround other than downgrading the Codex connection or waiting for a patch. The issue has been filed on GitHub (issue #84393). Users with custom AGENTS.md files are advised to monitor the issue tracker for updates, and to hold off on upgrading to this LTS version if they rely on those instructions.
If you are already affected and need to maintain your workflow, you might consider rolling back to the previous LTS version or the stable release branch until the bug is resolved.
Who Is Affected
This affects any OpenClaw user who uses a custom AGENTS.md file and connects to OpenAI via the Codex subscription (OAuth). If you rely on the LTS release for production stability, this regression is a critical blocker.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
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