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How to Combine Claude Opus and GPT-5.3 Codex for High-Velocity Code Refactoring

Supercharge your engineering velocity by using Claude Opus 4.6 to rapidly build features and then leveraging GPT-5.3 Codex to perform a rigorous, principal-level code review for production hardening.

From How I AI

How I AI: GPT-5.3 Codex vs. Claude Opus 4.6—Shipping 44 PRs in 5 Days

with Claire Vo

An AI assistant helps a developer refine marketing site content and structure, displaying the conversation alongside the relevant TypeScript code and project files in a multi-panel development environment.

Tools Used

Claude

Anthropic AI assistant

Cursor

AI-first code editor

Codex

OpenAI's cloud-based AI software engineering agent that can execute code, run tests, and handle complex multi-file tasks autonomously.

02Step-by-Step Guide
1

Build the First Draft with Claude Opus 4.6

In an AI-first IDE like Cursor, use Claude Opus 4.6 to perform the initial code refactoring or feature build. Task it with the broad goal, allowing it to plan and execute the implementation. Think of this as the 'eager product engineer' phase, aiming for 80-90% completion.

2

Prepare Code for Principal-Level Review

Once Opus 4.6 has produced a functional first draft, copy the relevant code that you want reviewed and hardened for production.

3

Submit Code to GPT-5.3 Codex for Rigorous Review

Switch to the Codex desktop app. Frame your request as a formal code review, asking it to act as a principal engineer and scrutinize the architecture, performance, and scalability of the code written by Opus.

Prompt:
I've redesigned tool usage in this index. It's gone through several rounds of feedback. Can you review the architecture and performance and see if you have any feedback we should consider before shipping. We're looking for something scalable, but customizable and we don't wanna overfit in any direction.
4

Analyze and Implement Codex's Feedback

Carefully review the feedback from GPT-5.3 Codex. It excels at finding high-impact issues, edge cases, and architectural flaws. It will often prioritize the issues for you.

5

Finalize and Ship

After discussing the feedback with Codex and asking any clarifying questions, give it the green light to implement the fixes. This hardens the code, making it production-ready to be merged and shipped.

Pro Tip: This workflow mimics a real-world engineering team dynamic. Use Opus for speed and building, and use Codex for rigor and quality assurance. This pairing leverages the unique strengths of each model.

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