Move plugin recommendations into developer context (#47349)

## What changed

Emit `<recommended_plugins>` with the `developer` role and append it to the shared developer message after other context. Retain recognition of legacy user-role recommendations in existing rollouts.

## Testing

Add a startup context snapshot and assertions that recommendations share the developer message with permissions instructions. Update core and app-server tests to check developer-role recommendations, including across successive model requests.

GitOrigin-RevId: 0326ff347e86ec38b948f93e39e90e6a88a8730c

codex-rs/app-server/tests/suite/v2/recommended_plugins.rs

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use codex_app_server_protocol::TurnStartParams;
 use codex_app_server_protocol::UserInput;
 use core_test_support::apps_test_server::AppsTestServer;
 use core_test_support::responses;
+use pretty_assertions::assert_eq;
 use serde_json::Value;
 use serde_json::json;
 use std::time::Duration;
@@ -170,9 +171,20 @@ async fn recommended_plugins_after_external_login(
                 .any(|text| text.contains("suggest a plugin"))
         })
         .expect("turn request");
-    let contextual_user_message = request.message_input_texts("user").join("\n");
-    assert!(contextual_user_message.contains("<recommended_plugins>"));
-    assert!(contextual_user_message.contains("- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)"));
+    let recommendations = request
+        .message_input_texts("developer")
+        .into_iter()
+        .filter(|text| text.starts_with("<recommended_plugins>"))
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    assert_eq!(
+        recommendations,
+        vec![concat!(
+            "<recommended_plugins>\n",
+            "Here is a list of plugins that are available but not installed.\n\n",
+            "- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)\n",
+            "</recommended_plugins>",
+        )]
+    );
     let body = request.body_json();
     let tool_names = body
         .get("tools")

codex-rs/core/src/context/contextual_user_message.rs

@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const CONTEXTUAL_USER_FRAGMENT_MATCHERS: &[fn(&str) -> bool] = &[
     TurnAborted::matches_text,
     SubagentNotification::matches_text,
     InternalModelContextFragment::matches_text,
+    // compatibility for user-role recommendation messages in existing rollouts
     RecommendedPluginsInstructions::matches_text,
     LegacyUnifiedExecProcessLimitWarning::matches_text,
     LegacyApplyPatchExecCommandWarning::matches_text,

codex-rs/core/src/context/recommended_plugins_instructions.rs

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ impl ContextualUserFragment for RecommendedPluginsInstructions {
     }
 
     fn role(&self) -> &'static str {
-        "user"
+        "developer"
     }
 
     fn markers(&self) -> (&'static str, &'static str) {

codex-rs/core/src/session/mod.rs

@@ -4226,12 +4226,6 @@ impl Session {
         } else {
             None
         };
-        if let Some(recommended_plugins) = recommended_plugin_candidates
-            .as_deref()
-            .and_then(RecommendedPluginsInstructions::from_plugins)
-        {
-            contextual_user_sections.push(recommended_plugins.render_fragment());
-        }
         let context_contributors = self.services.extensions.context_contributors().to_vec();
         for contributor in &context_contributors {
             for fragment in contributor
@@ -4360,6 +4354,13 @@ impl Session {
             }
         }
 
+        if let Some(recommended_plugins) = recommended_plugin_candidates
+            .as_deref()
+            .and_then(RecommendedPluginsInstructions::from_plugins)
+        {
+            developer_sections.push(recommended_plugins.render_fragment());
+        }
+
         let mut items = Vec::with_capacity(4);
         if let Some(developer_message) =
             crate::context_manager::updates::build_rendered_message(developer_sections)

codex-rs/core/src/session/tests.rs

@@ -9986,7 +9986,10 @@ async fn build_initial_context_reuses_in_flight_recommendation_prewarm() {
 
     let (_, initial_context) = tokio::join!(prewarm, initial_context);
     assert_eq!(
-        user_input_texts(&initial_context),
+        developer_input_texts(&initial_context)
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter(|text| text.starts_with("<recommended_plugins>"))
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
         vec![concat!(
             "<recommended_plugins>\n",
             "Here is a list of plugins that are available but not installed.\n\n",

codex-rs/core/tests/suite/request_plugin_install.rs

@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ use codex_protocol::protocol::ThreadSettingsOverrides;
 use codex_protocol::user_input::UserInput;
 use codex_utils_path_uri::PathUri;
 use core_test_support::apps_test_server::AppsTestServer;
+use core_test_support::context_snapshot;
+use core_test_support::context_snapshot::ContextSnapshotOptions;
 use core_test_support::responses::ev_assistant_message;
 use core_test_support::responses::ev_completed;
 use core_test_support::responses::ev_function_call;
@@ -457,7 +459,7 @@ async fn mount_remote_calendar_installed_plugins(server: &wiremock::MockServer)
 #[test_case(Feature::RecommendedPlugins, Some(Feature::RemotePlugin); "remote plugins disabled")]
 #[test_case(Feature::RecommendedPlugins, Some(Feature::RecommendedPlugins); "recommendations disabled")]
 #[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 2)]
-async fn startup_recommendations(
+async fn startup_recommendations_use_developer_message(
     feature: Feature,
     disabled_feature: Option<Feature>,
 ) -> Result<()> {
@@ -546,16 +548,53 @@ async fn startup_recommendations(
 
     test.submit_turn("suggest a plugin").await?;
 
+    if feature == Feature::RecommendedPlugins && disabled_feature.is_none() {
+        insta::assert_snapshot!(
+            "startup_recommendations_developer_context",
+            context_snapshot::format_request_history_snapshot(
+                "Startup recommendations share the developer message with other context.",
+                &model_response.requests(),
+                &ContextSnapshotOptions::default().rewrite_known_segments(),
+            )
+        );
+    }
+
     let request = model_response.single_request();
-    let user_context = request.message_input_texts("user").join("\n");
+    let developer_context = request.message_input_texts("developer").join("\n");
     assert_eq!(
-        user_context.contains("<recommended_plugins>"),
+        developer_context.contains("<recommended_plugins>"),
         expect_recommendations,
     );
     assert_eq!(
-        user_context.contains("- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)"),
+        developer_context.contains("- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)"),
         expect_recommendations,
     );
+    if expect_recommendations {
+        let developer_messages = request.message_input_text_groups("developer");
+        let recommendation_message = developer_messages
+            .iter()
+            .find(|message| {
+                message
+                    .iter()
+                    .any(|text| text.starts_with("<recommended_plugins>"))
+            })
+            .expect("developer message with recommendations");
+        assert!(
+            recommendation_message
+                .iter()
+                .any(|text| text.starts_with("<permissions instructions>")),
+            "recommendations should share the developer message with other context"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            recommendation_message.last().map(String::as_str),
+            Some(concat!(
+                "<recommended_plugins>\n",
+                "Here is a list of plugins that are available but not installed.\n\n",
+                "- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)\n",
+                "</recommended_plugins>",
+            ))
+        );
+    }
     let tools = tool_names(&request.body_json());
     assert_eq!(
         tools
@@ -622,7 +661,7 @@ async fn mcp_discovery_overlaps_endpoint_plugin_recommendations() -> Result<()>
     let request = response.single_request();
     assert!(
         request
-            .message_input_texts("user")
+            .message_input_texts("developer")
             .join("\n")
             .contains("github@openai-curated-remote"),
         "the completed request should preserve endpoint recommendations"
@@ -733,7 +772,7 @@ async fn unavailable_recommendations_preserve_legacy_workflow(
     let request = &requests[0];
     assert!(
         !request
-            .message_input_texts("user")
+            .message_input_texts("developer")
             .join("\n")
             .contains("<recommended_plugins>")
     );
@@ -1028,10 +1067,23 @@ async fn endpoint_mode_injects_candidates_hides_list_and_rejects_invented_ids()
 
     let requests = mock.requests();
     assert_eq!(requests.len(), 2);
-    let contextual_user_message = requests[0].message_input_texts("user").join("\n");
-    assert!(contextual_user_message.contains("<recommended_plugins>"));
-    assert!(contextual_user_message.contains("github@openai-curated-remote"));
-    assert!(contextual_user_message.contains("google-calendar@openai-curated-remote"));
+    for request in &requests {
+        let recommendations = request
+            .message_input_texts("developer")
+            .into_iter()
+            .filter(|text| text.starts_with("<recommended_plugins>"))
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+        assert_eq!(
+            recommendations,
+            vec![concat!(
+                "<recommended_plugins>\n",
+                "Here is a list of plugins that are available but not installed.\n\n",
+                "- GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)\n",
+                "- Google Calendar (google-calendar@openai-curated-remote)\n",
+                "</recommended_plugins>",
+            )]
+        );
+    }
     let body = requests[0].body_json();
     let tools = tool_names(&body);
     assert!(
@@ -1435,7 +1487,7 @@ async fn endpoint_mode_with_no_eligible_candidates_exposes_no_suggestion_tools()
     let request = mock.single_request();
     assert!(
         !request
-            .message_input_texts("user")
+            .message_input_texts("developer")
             .join("\n")
             .contains("<recommended_plugins>")
     );

codex-rs/core/tests/suite/snapshots/all__suite__request_plugin_install__startup_recommendations_developer_context.snap

@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+source: core/tests/suite/request_plugin_install.rs
+expression: "context_snapshot::format_request_history_snapshot(\"Startup recommendations share the developer message with other context.\",\n&model_response.requests(),\n&ContextSnapshotOptions::default().rewrite_known_segments(),)"
+---
+Scenario: Startup recommendations share the developer message with other context.
+
+## Window 1
+-- request 1 (turn) --
+00:message/developer[3]:
+    [01] <PERMISSIONS_INSTRUCTIONS>
+    [02] <APPS_INSTRUCTIONS>
+    [03] <recommended_plugins>
+        Here is a list of plugins that are available but not installed.
+
+        - GitHub (github@openai-curated-remote)
+        </recommended_plugins>
+01:message/user:
+    <ENVIRONMENT_CONTEXT>
+02:message/user:
+    suggest a plugin