TokenKick

How Codex 5-hour and weekly limits work, and how to start the window before work

Updated 13 October 2026 · 6 min read

Short version

  • On Plus and standard Business plans, Codex limits usage per 5-hour window, and weekly limits can apply on top. OpenAI says Pro plans currently have no 5-hour limit.
  • The 5-hour window is not tied to the clock. It starts with your first request after a reset, and resets 5 hours later.
  • If you usually hit the limit late morning, starting the window two hours before work moves the reset to midday, so a fresh window covers your afternoon.
  • You can start it by hand, with a cron job, or with TokenKick, which checks that the window is actually fresh, aims at your work hours, and logs every request.

The two Codex windows

Codex reports usage against up to two windows. Codex's own app-server reports each window's length in minutes: 300 for the session window, 10,080 for the weekly one.

WindowLengthWho has it
Session5 hoursPlus and standard Business plans. OpenAI's pricing page says Pro "currently" has no 5-hour limit; Enterprise and Edu with flexible pricing have no fixed rate limits.
Weekly7 daysOpenAI says weekly limits "may also apply". On the Plus and Pro accounts we've checked, Codex reports a weekly window.

Local Codex CLI messages and Codex cloud tasks draw from the same allowance, and cloud tasks can use more of it per request. OpenAI publishes the per-plan numbers only as rough ranges that depend on the model and the task, so treat your own usage view as the source of truth.

When does the 5-hour window start?

Not at a fixed time of day. After a reset, the window sits unused until you send a request. That first request starts the countdown, and the window resets 5 hours later.

OpenAI's docs don't spell this rule out, but Codex's own usage data shows it: a freshly reset session window reports 0% used, and its reset time isn't fixed until the first request arrives. This is why the time you send your first message decides when your next reset lands.

How to check your current window

Why the start time matters

Say you work 09:00 to 17:00 and usually run out of session quota around 11:30.

Starting early doesn't add quota. The weekly limit is the same either way, and the 07:00 window spends two hours idle before you sit down. It only helps if the session limit, not the weekly one, is what stops you. If you rarely hit the 5-hour limit, the start time barely matters.

Three ways to start the window early

1. By hand

Send any tiny prompt from the Codex CLI, for example from your phone over SSH, at the time you want the window to start. It works, but it relies on you remembering every day.

2. A cron job

A scheduled codex exec call can send the tiny prompt for you. Use the cheapest model your plan offers and low reasoning effort, so the request costs as little as possible:

# crontab -e  ·  weekdays at 07:00. Cron has a minimal PATH: use the full path from `which codex`.
0 7 * * 1-5  CODEX_HOME=$HOME/.codex /path/to/codex exec --skip-git-repo-check --ephemeral -s read-only -m <small-model> -c model_reasoning_effort=low "Reply with OK"

Things to know before you rely on it:

3. TokenKick

TokenKick is a free, open-source CLI that does the same thing with checks around it. It reads each account's real window state, only sends a request (a "kick") when a window is fresh, and can aim kicks at your working hours.

pipx install tokenkick
tk setup                                   # finds your Codex homes and Claude Code logins
tk status --refresh --codex                # current windows, reset times, and labels
tk auto enable "<label>"                   # asks you to type ENABLE to confirm first
tk schedule set --account "<label>" --weekdays 09:00-17:00
tk daemon --background                     # keeps checking; needs the machine awake
tk history                                 # every kick, with timestamps and evidence

For Codex specifically, TokenKick:

With a 09:00–17:00 schedule, TokenKick starts the first window at 07:00 so the reset lands at 12:00, the same plan as the example above. The Claude Code scheduling guide explains that calculation step by step.

Limits and honest caveats

Sources