FIELD GUIDE / 01

Codex Limit Reached: What to Check and What to Do Next

A limit message is frustrating. Start by identifying the allowance that ran out, then check the options available in your account.

REVIEWED SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 · INDEPENDENT GUIDE

1. Check which limit you reached

OpenAI's documentation describes usage allowances that depend on your plan and work. Weekly limits may also apply. Look at the limits actually shown in your account rather than assuming every user has an identical schedule.

In an active Codex CLI session, use /status to check your remaining usage. In the usage dashboard, note the exhausted allowance and its displayed recovery time.

2. Use your account's recovery time

Your personal recovery schedule is different from an extra reset announced by OpenAI. A reset announcement may apply to a particular group of users, and it may describe a rollout rather than an immediate change in every account.

Once you have the time, set a personal countdown on Limitdesk. Enter the date and time in the device time zone shown under the input. You can also download a calendar event. Import the event into your calendar and check its notification settings.

The countdown records a time you entered. Reaching zero tells you to check your account; it cannot confirm that the allowance has recovered.

3. Check the options your account offers

• An available banked reset: if your account has one, read what it resets and any conditions before applying it.
• Additional credits: eligible plans may let you purchase credits to continue. Review the current price and terms in your account.
• A smaller model for remaining work: a smaller model can make remaining usage go further when it is suitable and available. It does not guarantee a bypass of an exhausted shared allowance.

Starting a fresh chat or changing from the app to the CLI should not be treated as a new pool of subscription usage. Local messages and cloud chats can share your plan's allowance.

4. Keep the task ready to resume

While you wait, write down the objective, the current state, what has been checked, and the next small step. Keep this note with your project. A clear handoff helps you resume without repeating the full investigation.

If you consider using an API key or a different service, check its separate billing, access, and data handling first. API usage is not simply another way to spend your ChatGPT subscription allowance.

When the message doesn't look like a limit

A sign-in failure, network error, or service incident may need a different fix. Check OpenAI status for relevant incidents. If the issue persists, use OpenAI Help with the error wording and time.