--- title: "Codex Usage Limit Reached: What to Do | Reason Machines" description: "Hit your Codex usage limit? How Codex's five-hour and weekly limits work, how to check them with /status and the usage dashboard, and how to keep working: credits, an API key, or carry the task on in Reason's web or Mac app." url: "https://reasonmachines.com/guides/codex-usage-limit" section: "Coding agent guides" --- # Codex usage limit reached: what to do Codex usage counts against your ChatGPT plan, and limits may apply over a five-hour window and a weekly window; ChatGPT Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. If you reach a limit during an active turn, Codex can finish that turn. Then you can wait, buy credits on Plus or Pro, run local chats with an API key at API rates, or carry the task on in Reason's web or Mac app on another model. Updated Nov 2026 [Start with Reason](https://reasonmachines.com/) on the web, or [download Reason for macOS](https://reasonmachines.com/download). ## Keep working when Codex hits its limit 1. **Check your limits and reset times**: Run /status in the Codex CLI, or open the usage dashboard in ChatGPT, to see your current limits. /usage shows your account's token usage, and is also where you use a rate-limit reset if you have one. 2. **Choose an OpenAI option**: ChatGPT Plus and Pro users can buy more credits without changing plan; Business, Edu and Enterprise plans with flexible pricing can buy workspace credits. Anyone can run extra local chats with an API key, billed at standard API rates. 3. **Save where the task stands**: Commit your work in progress on a branch and push it, and note the goal, what is done, what is next and how to check it. Reason can't see your previous agent's conversation, so the branch and your notes carry the task. 4. **Open Reason on the web or the Mac app**: Sign in at reasonmachines.com, or download the Reason Mac app for macOS from reasonmachines.com/download and sign in there. Both open the same Sessions. 5. **Give Reason the task in the composer**: Tell Reason which repository and branch to work on, or in the Mac app which folder on your computer, then paste your notes. Pick a Claude model or another connected model in the composer, so the task keeps moving while your Codex limit resets. ## How Codex limits work OpenAI publishes estimates of local messages per five-hour period for Plus and Standard Business, which vary widely by model, and says they are not fixed message limits. Local messages and cloud tasks share your plan's allowance, cloud tasks may use more of it, and weekly limits may also apply. Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. On October 29, 2026, OpenAI doubled the Work and Codex allowance of Pro 100 and Pro 500, canceled a planned Pro 200 reduction, and said Plus usage is unchanged. OpenAI says that starting in December, Plus, Pro and Business usage will be shared across ChatGPT and Codex and measured in tokens, with combined remaining usage and reset times in Settings → Usage. - [OpenAI: Codex pricing and usage limits](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing) - [OpenAI Help: Understanding ChatGPT and Codex usage limits](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001625-understanding-chatgpt-and-codex-usage-limits) - [OpenAI Help: Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-using-codex-with-your-chatgpt-plan) - [OpenAI: Codex CLI commands](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/developer-commands) - [OpenAI Help: ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) ## Carrying the task on in Reason Reason starts from your branch and notes, in the web app on the repository you name or in the Mac app in a folder on your computer. Pick a model that isn't on the plan that ran out, such as a Claude model on Reason credits. Note that a GPT model on the same ChatGPT plan shares the limit Codex hit. - [Claude Code usage limit reached: what to do](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-usage-limit.md) - [Codex vs Claude Code](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/codex-vs-claude-code.md) - [Reason vs Codex](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/reason-vs-codex.md) - [Never hit a usage limit mid-task](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/usage-limit-fallback.md) - [Grok Bot limit reached? How to keep your Bots working](https://reasonmachines.com/grokbot/limit-reached.md) - [Grok Bot usage limit: how the weekly pool works](https://reasonmachines.com/grokbot/usage-limit.md) - [Grok Bot usage jumped to 100%? What happened](https://reasonmachines.com/grokbot/usage-jumped-to-100.md) - [Reason docs: plans](https://docs.reasonmachines.com/docs/plans) ## Questions ### How do I check my Codex usage? Run /status during a Codex CLI session, or open the usage dashboard at chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage for your current limits and reset times. ### Does Codex stop in the middle of a task at the limit? OpenAI says that if you reach your limit during an active turn, the agent can continue working on that turn, subject to fair-use limits. New turns wait for the reset, credits or an API key. ### Can I use an API key when Codex hits its limit? Yes. OpenAI says all users may run extra local chats with an API key, charged at standard API rates. Cloud features are not available with an API key. ### Can Reason continue a Codex task? Yes, if you hand it the state: commit and push the work in progress, then tell Reason the branch and what's next in the web or Mac app. ## More guides - [Codex vs Claude Code](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/codex-vs-claude-code.md) - [Claude Code usage limit reached: what to do](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-code-usage-limit.md) - [Reason vs Codex](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/reason-vs-codex.md) - [Never hit a usage limit mid-task](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/usage-limit-fallback.md) - [How the Claude usage limit works](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-usage-limit-explained.md) - [When the Claude weekly limit resets](https://reasonmachines.com/guides/claude-weekly-limit-reset.md) - [All coding agent guides](https://reasonmachines.com/guides.md) - [Download Reason for macOS](https://reasonmachines.com/download)