How to use Codex to add Wi-Fi to a cat printer
Codex wrote and flashed an ESP32 bridge for a Bluetooth cat printer. Camera snapshots checked real paper output while the owner handled wiring and final checks.
reddit.com
Suggested prompt
Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use, not the source author. Replace bracketed inputs and review tool permissions first.
Build an ESP32 Wi-Fi bridge for this Bluetooth cat printer with an image-preview webpage. Keep a test checklist, send small print jobs and use camera snapshots of the paper to check output. Ask me to confirm wiring and final physical operation before claiming the bridge works.
Reach people exploring AI agents
See placements →Evidence at a glance
Sourced account- Source author
- cloudkats
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- The author reports a working Wi-Fi preview-and-print bridge, including printing a camera photograph of the printer itself. Broader compatibility and long-running reliability are not established.
- Human involvement
- cloudkats connected hardware, granted terminal and camera access, checked in during work and helped perform final physical checks.
A linked account supports attribution. It does not mean we independently reproduced its result.
Report an issue with this case
Open correction emailOpens your email app with the case link included. Nothing is sent automatically.
How the agent did it
- The author wired the printer bridge and supplied camera and terminal access.
- Codex wrote and flashed firmware and built the preview-and-print webpage.
- It used snapshots of printed output during testing, followed by human physical checks.
cloudkats asked Codex to turn a small Bluetooth thermal cat printer into a Wi-Fi printer with an ESP32-S3 bridge. The desired interface was a browser page where images could be previewed and sent to paper.
The author connected the hardware and aimed a MacBook camera at the printer and microcontroller. Codex received access to the terminal and camera, along with a goal to test the setup and maintain a checklist. That arrangement gave the agent feedback from the physical output rather than only from compilation or command success.
Codex wrote and flashed the ESP32 firmware and built the browser interface. During testing it could send a job, capture a camera snapshot and inspect what had actually printed. The author went away for part of the session, but checked in and returned to help with final physical checks.
The closing demonstration made the loop easy to understand: the author asked the system to photograph the printer and print that photograph, and reports that it did. The result is a working bridge in this particular setup, supported by the author's written account and photographs. The source does not establish compatibility across other printer models or unattended reliability over time.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: Reddit · cloudkats
Frequently asked questions
How did Codex check paper output?
It sent print jobs and inspected camera snapshots of the resulting prints.
What remained human work?
Hardware connection, access setup, check-ins and final physical checks.
What was the final demonstration?
The printer produced a photograph of itself taken through the supplied camera.
More details
About this account
The author wired the printer bridge and supplied camera and terminal access. Codex wrote and flashed firmware and built the preview-and-print webpage.
Primary written account opened. Author's linked project page could not be retrieved. Firmware flashing and self-observed printing are self-reported; no broader printer compatibility is inferred. Suggested prompt written by Agents In Use; no original task prompt was published in the verified account.
Credit: cloudkats — Reddit
Source published
Added to Agents In Use
Source checked
Tools and topics
Codex · ESP32-S3 · MacBook camera · Bluetooth printer
Physical feedback · Printer firmware
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.