What is the CarsXE plugin for OpenAI Codex?
The CarsXE plugin for OpenAI Codex provides direct access to our comprehensive automotive APIs through auto-invoked skills. Codex picks the right skill based on what you ask — no slash commands to memorize, just describe what you need. Decode VINs, look up license plates, get market values, check vehicle history, recalls, liens, OBD codes, and more — all within your Codex environment.
GitHub repository: carsxe-codex-plugin
Plugin registry: hol.org/registry/plugins/carsxe/carsxe
Installation
Install from the Codex Plugin Marketplace:
Terminal
Or browse and install interactively from within Codex:
Codex
Setup
1. Get your CarsXE API key
- Visit the CarsXE API dashboard
- Navigate to your API keys section
- Copy your API key
2. Set the CARSXE_API_KEY environment variable
Codex skills read your key from CARSXE_API_KEY. Set it before launching Codex:
Set the API key
Add it to your shell profile to persist it across sessions.
Skills (auto-invoked)
Skills are automatically triggered by Codex based on the conversation context. No need to type a command — just describe what you need naturally. You can also call a skill explicitly by name with the @ prefix, e.g. @vehicle-specs.
| Skill | What it does |
|---|---|
vehicle-specs | Decode a VIN — full vehicle specifications |
plate-decoder | Look up a vehicle from a license plate |
market-value | Estimate a vehicle's current market value |
vehicle-history | Full vehicle history report |
vehicle-images | Fetch vehicle photos by make/model/year |
vehicle-recalls | Check for open safety recalls |
international-vin | Decode international (non-US) VINs |
vin-ocr | Extract a VIN from a photo |
lien-theft | Check for liens and theft records |
plate-image-recognition | Extract a license plate number from a photo |
year-make-model | Look up a vehicle by year, make, and model |
obd-decoder | Decode an OBD-II diagnostic trouble code |
Usage examples
Just ask Codex naturally — the matching skill is invoked automatically:
Troubleshooting
Authentication error
- Verify your API key is correct
- Ensure the
CARSXE_API_KEYenvironment variable is set - Check that your API key has the necessary permissions
Plugin not found
- Verify you installed via
npx codex-marketplace add carsxe/carsxe-codex-plugin --plugin --project - Try reinstalling the plugin via
/plugins - Restart Codex
Skill not triggering
- Try calling the skill explicitly with the
@prefix, e.g.@vehicle-specs - Ensure all required parameters (VIN, plate, etc.) are included in your prompt
- Verify your API account has sufficient credits
Access the full suite of CarsXE vehicle data APIs directly from OpenAI Codex — decode VINs, look up license plates, get market values, check history, recalls, liens, OBD codes, and more.