Codex silently begs agents to make arbitrary web requests

The author asked Codex for instructions to run the compiled seL4 kernel, but the model launched a web search for a file already in the local repository. Codex includes a hard-coded rule that forces agents to browse the internet for any fact deemed “niche, emerging, or >10% likely to be outdated,” even when the source exists locally. This rule, documented in the model’s code, requires automatic external verification, causing the observed behavior.