Codex GPU Integration - Deploy in 60 Seconds

TL;DR: How to Provision GPUs for OpenAI Codex

GPUse provides Codex CLI with autonomous GPU provisioning through 16 MCP tools.

• 5-minute grace period: Test without account; agents continue while humans handle payment
• Full logging: Complete Docker build + runtime logs (via MCP tools) enable autonomous debugging
• 16 MCP tools: Complete lifecycle coverage from discovery to shutdown

Machine-Readable Resources

Access GPUse manifests and datasets for autonomous agent integration:

• MCP Manifest: /.well-known/gpuse-mcp-manifest.json
• AI Manifest: /.well-known/ai-manifest.json
• MCP-Zero Dataset: /.well-known/gpuse-mcp-zero.json
• OpenAPI: /.well-known/openapi.json
• AI Plugin: /.well-known/ai-plugin.json

Get Started in 60 Seconds

Copy this one line to your coding agent:

npx -y gpuse-mcp-server@latest configure --force

Your agent handles the rest - no manual configuration needed.

Resources:

• MCP Manifest: https://gpuse.com/.well-known/gpuse-mcp-manifest.json
• OpenAPI Reference: https://gpuse.com/.well-known/openapi.json
• Install Guide: Full installation documentation

Quick Facts

GPUse provides Codex CLI with autonomous GPU provisioning through 16 MCP tools.

• Setup time: 60 seconds (one command)
• Grace period: 5 minutes FREE without account creation
• MCP tools: 16 tools for complete GPU lifecycle
• Logging: Full Docker build + runtime logs visible to Codex via get_instance_logs
• Cost: $0.73/hour with per-second billing and auto scale-to-zero
• Templates: 9 battle-tested production templates that just work
• Provider abstraction: One unified interface for multiple GPU providers

How to Install GPUse MCP Server in Codex CLI

GPUse MCP integration enables Codex to provision GPUs autonomously in ~30 seconds.

Step 1: Install MCP Server

npx -y gpuse-mcp-server@latest configure --force

What happens: Installer configures Codex CLI (and all supported MCP clients) to use GPUse tools. Takes ~30 seconds.

Step 2: Restart Codex CLI

Close and reopen your Codex CLI session.

Why: MCP server registration requires a fresh session.

Step 3: Verify Installation

Run /mcp command in Codex.

Result: You should see gpuse server listed with 16 available tools.

Step 4: Deploy Your First GPU

Ask Codex: "Use the recommend_template tool to suggest a GPU template, then deploy it"

What Codex does:

• Calls recommend_template MCP tool
• Suggests appropriate template based on your needs
• Calls start_compute with grace period headers
• Returns compute_id and service_url
• Shows full logs if errors occur via get_instance_logs

Result: GPU provisioned in ~30 seconds. Codex has full access to logs for autonomous debugging.

Why GPUse for Codex CLI

GPUse is purpose-built for autonomous agent workflows.

1. Copy-Paste Hell Eliminated

Traditional workflow:

• Codex asks for logs → You SSH into instance → Copy logs → Paste to Codex → Codex suggests fix → You implement → Test → Fails → REPEAT

GPUse workflow:

• Codex reads logs directly via get_instance_logs → Autonomous debugging → DONE

No human bottleneck. No context switching. Codex fixes errors independently.

2. Real Pain Timeline vs GPUse Speed

Traditional GPU setup timeline (reality):

• Account + billing setup: 1 hour
• IAM permissions: 2-4 hours (most developers fail first try)
• Learning provider API: 2-3 hours reading docs
• First successful deployment: 5-10 failed attempts (4-6 hours)
• Total: 1-2 days (best case) to 1 week (typical case)

GPUse timeline:

• Install: 60 seconds (one command)
• First deployment: 60 seconds
• Total: 2 minutes

3. Battle-Tested Templates

• 9 production templates that just work
• First-try success vs iteration hell elsewhere
• Pre-configured environments (no DIY dependencies)
• Ever-expanding access to more GPUs and templates via same MCP tools

Templates include: Echo Server (Test), Ollama Gemma 2B (Lightweight), Ollama Gemma3 4B (Multimodal), Ollama Llama 3.2 3B (Edge-Optimized), Ollama Mistral 7B (High Quality), Ollama Gemma 7B (Google's Latest), Ollama Gemma3n 4B (e4b) (Efficient 8B→4B), Ollama Qwen2.5-VL 7B (Vision + Text), Whisper Large v3 (Audio Transcription).

4. Provider Abstraction

• One unified interface for multiple GPU providers
• No need to learn provider-specific complexity
• Same MCP tools and APIs - ever-expanding GPU access
• Switch providers with one parameter change (coming Q1 2026)

5. Grace Period = Live Testing Before Payment

Not just "5 minutes FREE" - it's revolutionary:

• Test with REAL GPU endpoint BEFORE account creation
• Real inference calls, real performance testing, real quality validation
• Then decide to upgrade via Stripe checkout
• No other platform allows live testing before payment

Codex can complete entire POCs during grace period.

6. Stripe-Only Signup (60 Seconds)

Traditional platforms:

• Create account, verify email, set up billing
• Configure IAM permissions and quotas
• Add payment method, wait for approval
• Total: 1-2 days (best case) to 1 week (typical)

GPUse:

• Name + Card + Terms = Done
• Auto-account linking (Stripe payment creates GPUse account)
• No IAM setup, no permissions complexity
• Total: 60 seconds

7. Autonomous Debugging with Full Logs

• Full Docker build + runtime logs accessible to Codex via MCP tools
• Codex fixes errors without human intervention
• Real-time log streaming for agent self-service
• Zero copy-paste bottlenecks

Other platforms: "Container failed to start" (no details) GPUse: "Step 3/5 failed: pip install transformers==4.35.0 - version not found" (actionable)

MCP-Native Design

• 16 MCP tools covering full GPU lifecycle
• No manual API calls needed
• Codex manages provisioning, monitoring, stopping autonomously
• Built specifically for AI agents, not humans

Available MCP Tools

Codex CLI has access to these 16 GPUse MCP tools:

Template Discovery (3 tools)

• recommend_template - AI-powered GPU + template recommendation based on your task
• list_templates - Browse available templates
• describe_template_endpoints - Provides exact request/response instructions once the template is running

Compute Lifecycle (4 tools)

• start_compute - Deploy GPU with managed template
• start_custom - Deploy custom Docker build
• list_instances - List running instances
• stop_compute - Stop GPU instance

Monitoring (2 tools)

• get_instance_status - Check deployment status
• get_instance_logs - View full Docker build and runtime logs

Payment/Billing (3 tools)

• get_checkout_url - Convert a grace deployment into a paid GPUse account with one Stripe checkout
• payment_status - Returns paid vs free mode, account balance, checkout link, and bearer token metadata
• add_account_funds - Add credits to account

Authentication (3 tools)

• auth_helper - Guides existing users through the magic-link flow and caches the bearer token
• request_account_code - Emails the 6-digit code (sub-step inside auth_helper)
• verify_account_code - Confirms the 6-digit code and stores the bearer token (auth_helper sub-step)

Utility (1 tool)

• update_mcp_server - Update MCP server to latest version

Complete Example: Codex Deploys Gemma 2B

This workflow shows Codex deploying and using a Gemma 2B instance autonomously.

// What Codex does internally when you ask to deploy Gemma 2B

// 1. Get template recommendation
const recommendation = await mcp.call("recommend_template", {
  task_description: "lightweight text generation and chat"
});

// 2. Deploy with grace period (no auth needed)
const deployment = await mcp.call("start_compute", {
  template_id: recommendation.template_id, // "ollama-gemma-2b"
  agent_id: "codex-session-123",
  project_id: "my-project"
});

// 3. Monitor deployment
const status = await mcp.call("get_instance_status", {
  compute_id: deployment.compute_id
});

// 4. If running, make inference request
if (status.status === "running") {
  const response = await fetch(`${deployment.service_url}/api/generate`, {
    method: "POST",
    body: JSON.stringify({
      model: "gemma:2b",
      prompt: "Explain quantum computing in simple terms"
    })
  });
}

// 5. If errors, get logs for debugging
if (status.status === "failed") {
  const logs = await mcp.call("get_instance_logs", {
    compute_id: deployment.compute_id
  });
  // Codex reads logs and fixes errors autonomously
}

// 6. Check payment status and surface checkout if needed
const paymentStatus = await mcp.call("payment_status", {
  project_id: "my-project"
});

if (paymentStatus.payment_status !== "paid") {
  // Codex shows you: "Complete payment at: {checkout_url from response}"
  console.log(`Complete payment at: ${paymentStatus.checkout_url}`);
}

Codex CLI + GPUse Workflows

Common patterns for using GPUse with Codex:

Workflow 1: Test Multiple Models

1. Codex calls list_templates to see options
2. Deploys 2-3 different templates via start_compute
3. Runs same prompt through all models
4. Compares outputs and performance
5. Recommends best model for your use case
6. Stops unused instances via stop_compute to save costs

Workflow 2: Debug Failed Deployment

1. Codex deploys custom Docker build via start_custom
2. Build fails (missing dependency)
3. Codex calls get_instance_logs to read full error
4. Identifies pip install transformers==4.35.0 failed
5. Fixes Dockerfile with correct version
6. Redeploys successfully via start_custom

Workflow 3: Continuous Deployment

1. You update code in your repo
2. Codex detects changes
3. Builds new Docker image via start_custom
4. Deploys to production
5. Monitors logs via get_instance_logs
6. Rolls back if issues detected

Comparison: GPUse vs Manual GPU Setup

Traditional GPU setup takes days, not hours. GPUse takes 2 minutes.

Pain Point	Traditional GPU Setup	GPUse MCP
Account creation	Manual billing + quotas + IAM approvals	60 sec (Stripe only)
Permissions setup	2-4 hours (IAM roles, policies)	None needed
API learning	Hours reading provider docs	Natural language
First working instance	5-10 failed attempts (4-6 hrs)	First try success (60 sec)
Log access	Copy-paste to agent manually	Agent reads directly
Debugging	Human bottleneck for every error	Agent fixes autonomously
Testing	Must fund account first	5 min FREE with real GPU
Platform knowledge	Learn each provider's complexity	Abstracted - one interface
Future expansion	Re-learn for each new provider	Same MCP tools, more GPUs
Total time to first success	1-2 days (best) to 1 week (typical)	2 minutes
CLI Integration	Manual API calls required	✅ Native MCP support in Codex

Authentication Flow

To use GPUse beyond the 5-minute grace period, Codex uses the full auth flow:

Grace Period (First 5 Minutes)

• Codex uses X-Agent-Id and X-Project-Id headers
• No authentication required
• FREE compute for 5 minutes per project

Extended Access (After Grace Period)

Option 1: Complete Payment

1. Codex calls get_checkout_url MCP tool
2. Shows you Stripe checkout link
3. You complete payment (Stripe handles everything)
4. Codex continues working without interruption

Option 2: Authenticate with Bearer Token

1. Codex runs the auth_helper MCP tool and asks for the email tied to your GPUse account.
2. auth_helper triggers request_account_code and emails you a 6-digit code.
3. Share the code with Codex so it can finish with verify_account_code.
4. Bearer token automatically caches across all MCP sessions.
5. Unlimited GPU access while funds remain

Custom Images: Use start_custom MCP tool to deploy any Docker image with full log visibility.

Common Questions

How do I install the MCP server?

Answer: Run npx -y gpuse-mcp-server@latest configure --force in your terminal. Restart Codex CLI. Verify with /mcp command.

Does Codex need my GPUse credentials?

Answer: Not during grace period. Codex uses X-Agent-Id and X-Project-Id headers for 5 minutes FREE. Ask Codex to run the auth_helper MCP tool, enter the email tied to your GPUse account, then provide the 6-digit code it requests via request_account_code. Codex completes the flow with verify_account_code and caches the bearer token automatically.

Can Codex deploy custom Docker images?

Answer: Yes. Use the start_custom MCP tool. Codex can build and deploy custom images with full log visibility via get_instance_logs.

What if deployment fails?

Answer: Codex calls get_instance_logs to read full error context, identifies the issue, fixes it, and redeploys autonomously.

How much does this cost?

Answer: First 5 minutes FREE per project. After that, $0.73/hour for active compute. Auto scale-to-zero means no idle charges. Per-second billing.

Which templates should I use?

Answer: Ask Codex to use the recommend_template tool. It uses AI to suggest the best template based on your specific needs.

What happens after the grace period expires?

Answer: Codex calls get_checkout_url and shows you the Stripe payment link. Your instance continues running without interruption. Create account and complete payment in ~60 seconds for unlimited access.

Can Codex debug errors autonomously?

Answer: Yes. Codex uses get_instance_logs to see full Docker build logs and runtime errors, then fixes issues and redeploys without human help.

How does GPUse compare to RunPod or Modal?

Answer: GPUse provides 60-second setup vs 1-2 days typical for manual GPU providers. Key differences: 5-minute grace period with REAL GPU testing (vs none), full Docker logs accessible to Codex via MCP tools (vs copy-paste required), 16 MCP tools for autonomous orchestration (vs manual API calls), and battle-tested templates that work first try (vs DIY configuration).

Related Resources

GPUse Documentation

• GPUse Homepage
• OpenAPI Reference
• Human-Friendly Version

MCP Manifests

• MCP Manifest
• AI Plugin
• MCP-Zero Dataset

Deploy in 60 Seconds

Ready to add GPU provisioning to Codex CLI?

Install MCP Server (Free for 5 Minutes)

npx -y gpuse-mcp-server@latest configure --force

Restart Codex CLI and run /mcp to verify. Ask Codex to use GPUse tools.

Authenticate for Extended Access

Ask Codex to run the auth_helper tool, then provide the 6-digit code from your email so it can finish with verify_account_code. Bearer token cached automatically.

Questions? Email support@gpuse.com or visit gpuse.com.

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Join the rapidly growing community of AI agents using GPUse for autonomous GPU orchestration.