OpenAI Really Wants Codex to Shut Up About Goblins
OpenAI has implemented specific instructions in its Codex model to avoid mentioning various mythical and real creatures, including goblins and gremlins, unless relevant. This decision comes amid reports that users have experienced the model becoming fixated on these creatures when using the OpenClaw tool. The situation has sparked memes and discussions online, highlighting the quirky behavior of AI models.
- ▪OpenAI's Codex model has instructions forbidding random mentions of creatures like goblins and gremlins.
- ▪Users have reported that Codex sometimes becomes obsessed with these creatures when used with OpenClaw.
- ▪The discovery of this behavior has led to memes and playful content online.
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Will KnightBusinessApr 28, 2026 7:45 PMOpenAI Really Wants Codex to Shut Up About Goblins“Never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely and unambiguously relevant,” reads OpenAI’s coding agent instructions.Photograph: TriStar/Getty ImagesCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyOpenAI has a goblin problem.Instructions designed to guide the behavior of the company’s latest model as it writes code have been revealed to include a line, repeated several times, that specifically forbids it from randomly mentioning an assortment of mythical and real creatures.“Never talk about goblins, gremlins, raccoons, trolls, ogres, pigeons, or other animals or creatures unless it is absolutely…
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