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All fixes · OpenClaw / OpenAI Codex · Agent errors

OpenClaw “You've reached your Codex subscription usage limit”: How to Fix

⚠️ You've reached your Codex subscription usage limit. OpenClaw could not determine a reset time from Codex. Wait until Codex becomes available, use another Codex account if available, or switch to another configured model/provider.

Your ChatGPT plan's Codex allowance is used up: OpenClaw's ChatGPT login shares it with the Codex app, and it runs out at the five-hour window on Plus or the weekly limit on any plan. Wait for the reset (/status in Codex CLI or chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage shows it), add a fallback with openclaw models fallbacks add, or put an API key after the subscription in the auth order so OpenClaw carries on with API billing.

What causes it

  • The Codex login (browser or device code) and Sign in with ChatGPT bill your Codex plan allowance, which Codex CLI, the IDE extension and the Codex app share. An API key bills Platform API usage instead.
  • Always-on use: heartbeats, scheduled jobs and long tool loops spend the allowance even while you are not chatting.
  • “Could not determine a reset time” only means Codex sent the limit error without a reset time. When it does send one, the message reads “Next reset in N days” instead.
  • A known bug: some versions show this message while the native codex CLI still works on the same account (issue #168288). If codex works, update OpenClaw and restart the gateway.

How to fix it

  1. Find the reset time with /status in Codex CLI or at chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage. On Plus the five-hour window reopens with your next message after it closes; Pro plans have no five-hour window but keep a weekly allowance.
  2. Add a fallback model: openclaw models fallbacks add <provider/model>. It is written to agents.defaults.model.fallbacks, and agents can override it with their own model.fallbacks list.
  3. Keep the subscription first and an API key as backup: keep the model under openai/* and run openclaw models auth order set --provider openai <profileIds>. OpenClaw tries the subscription first, then the key.
  4. Add any OpenAI-compatible provider under models.providers.<id> with baseUrl, apiKey and api: "openai-completions", then use it as <id>/<model>.
  5. Update OpenClaw: falling back to another provider on a Codex usage limit was broken in 2026.7.x (issue #121244) and has since been fixed. On older builds run openclaw gateway restart after editing the config.

Running an agent? OpenClaw runs while you sleep, so it meets plan windows that were sized for a person typing. A fallback that is already configured is what keeps a 3 a.m. job from stopping.

Sources: OpenClaw source: Codex usage-limit message; OpenClaw docs: OpenAI authentication; OpenClaw docs: models CLI; OpenClaw issue #121244; OpenClaw issue #170367

Keep working on a fixed monthly plan

An always-on agent outlives a five-hour window. Add Standard Compute to OpenClaw as a custom provider (baseUrl https://api.stdcmpt.com/v1, api openai-completions, model standardcompute) and use it as the fallback or as the main model. Plans cost a fixed $19 to $249 a month for a set compute budget, with no 5-hour or weekly windows. Each key gets 300 to 2,000 requests a minute by plan, and at 100% of the budget new requests return HTTP 402 until renewal, with no overage charge.

Get your API key OpenClaw setup →

Plans from $19 a month with $20 of compute. Eligible new accounts can try $0.25 of compute first, no card. Trial terms

FAQ

Is the OpenAI login in OpenClaw free?

It doesn't use API credits. It does use your Codex allowance: OpenClaw's docs say the Codex login and Sign in with ChatGPT draw on your Codex allowance, while an API key uses Platform API billing. When the plan's five-hour or weekly allowance is spent, this message appears.

Will OpenClaw switch to my second ChatGPT account automatically?

It is meant to try the next auth profile in the order you set, but on 2026.10.2 a user reported it did not rotate on a usage-limit error (issue #170367, open). A fallback model on a different provider is the more reliable setup for now.

Does buying Codex credits fix it?

It should: OpenClaw's Codex login draws on the same ChatGPT account as Codex CLI, and credits let that account keep using Codex after the plan allowance is spent. Check the balance at chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage after buying, then retry.

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