Codex · error reference
Codex usage limit hit: what to do next
WHAT YOU SEE
A "usage limit reached" / "you have hit your limit" notice from Codex CLI, the Codex web app, or the IDE extension.
Where: Shown at the start of a new request, before any token is spent.
01What it actually means
Your rolling allowance is exhausted. It is consumed by message count and token weight (reasoning tokens included), not by wall-clock time.
Fixes you can apply now
- Wait for the rolling window to restore: allowance returns in slices, so retry after the cooldown instead of hammering the endpoint.
- Use banked reset cards if your plan grants them - they are on-demand and can be spent the moment you are blocked.
- Batch your work: one large well-scoped request beats many small ones when the limit counts messages.
Fallbacks while you are blocked
- Switch to a cheaper model for mechanical work, keep the strong model for the hard part.
- Keep a local patch-based workflow so you can keep editing while blocked.
LIVE FORECAST (SAME SOURCE AS HOME)
Built from the median drop interval, cooldown decay and live OpenAI incidents
Reset likelihood
72%
Countdown
-0d 2h 20m
Median cadence
3.0d