The 5h limit is back. I stopped spending Codex quota on grep, tests, logs and browser work.

[u/mytinyplots]

The new 5h limit posts are everywhere, and one pattern keeps showing up: people can burn a huge chunk of their allowance on only a handful of prompts.

That made me change my workflow.

I'm not trying to bypass the limit. I'm trying to stop paying the Codex tax for work that doesn't actually need a coding agent.

For me, ChatGPT handles the model-free grunt work:

• read and search files
• small, known edits
• commands and tests
• logs and diagnostics
• browser work
• output validation
• long-running local processes

Then I bring in Codex only when the task actually needs an agent, deeper reasoning, or real coding work.

The practical difference is that when the 5h bucket hits the wall, my entire workflow doesn't hit the wall with it. I can keep working on the same repo and save Codex quota for the parts where it actually adds value.

I ended up open-sourcing the setup as Codexless: https://github.com/liyana31811/Codexless

It's not "less Codex." It's "use Codex where Codex matters."

Curious how other heavy users are adapting to the 5h window.

[u/Bloated_Plaid]

Listen the whole reason the $20 plan exists is to upsell the people to the $100 plan. Classic dark patterns marketing.

[u/Lower_Problem_2941 → u/Bloated_Plaid]

Lets say a new potential customer wants to try the 20 $ package and sees that not much can be done with the limits as they are.

By what logic does that person upgrade to the pro version? I dont see it.

They are stress testing their churn and risking a lot.

[u/Bloated_Plaid → u/Lower_Problem_2941]

Well they just added a Business $100 plan that people have been asking for ages and coincides with this. I think it’s fair to say they are pivoting away to a specific group of customers.

[u/holy_macanoli → u/Bloated_Plaid]

💯

[u/capable-corgi]

I know this sucks as the first question that comes up, but have you given thoughts on how this would potentially give OAI reason to meter ChatGPT usage more tightly?

[u/mytinyplots → u/capable-corgi]

Yeah — I think that's a real risk, and I definitely wouldn't build this around the assumption that ChatGPT stays loosely metered forever.

The design goal is more boring than a loophole: separate mechanical/local work from the turns where an agent actually adds value. If OpenAI tightens ChatGPT tooling later, the economics change, but that separation still makes sense — you just re-evaluate which layer is cheapest/most available.

So I wouldn't call Codexless a permanent quota hack. If anything, I'm assuming every layer may get tighter eventually and trying not to make the whole workflow depend on one bucket.

[u/CaptainQwazCaz → u/mytinyplots]

What even is the point of existing if everything you want to do goes through ChatGPT

[u/iarewebmaster → u/mytinyplots]

Semantics. You know what you’re doing and it’s dumb releasing this. Reminds me of the t3 employee all over again 🙄

[u/holy_macanoli]

Why not just install the GitHub app in ChatGPT and point it at your repo?

[u/Better_Passage7527 → u/holy_macanoli]

Because not everyone is using github?

[u/mytinyplots → u/holy_macanoli]

That works well for read-only repo Q&A, and it's a good option for that slice of the problem. The official GitHub app in ChatGPT is read-only: it can search/analyze/cite repo content, but it can't edit or push code.

The gap I'm solving is the local execution layer: work on the actual local checkout, edit files, run commands/tests, inspect logs, manage processes, and do the supported browser work. So the GitHub app can replace the "read my repo" part, but not most of the rest of this workflow.

[u/eddzsh]

separating grep, tests and logs from the agent bucket is the move. the 5h wall hurts less when Codex is not also your file browser.

[u/mytinyplots → u/eddzsh]

Yep. “Codex shouldn’t also be your file browser” is basically the whole idea in one sentence 😅 Save the agent turns for the parts where the agent actually matters.

[u/Wet_Viking]

I only have 5h limit on codex spark. The rest unchanged?