Allow users to temporarily disable the 5-hour usage limit

What variant of Codex are you using?

Codex App (Desktop)

What feature would you like to see?

Hello OpenAI team,

I would like to provide feedback about the return of the 5-hour Codex usage limit.

I understand why this limit may exist. It can protect users from accidentally consuming a large part of their weekly allowance in a single session, and it may also help manage system load.

However, the current implementation creates a serious problem for users who intentionally need longer Codex sessions.

I work on my own hobby development project in the evenings after my regular job. Evening time is essentially the only time I have available for development. Because of the 5-hour limit, I can reach the session cap while still having a significant amount of my weekly allowance remaining.

Waiting another five hours is not a practical solution for me — by then my available development time is already over.

More importantly, this often prevents me from finishing even a single large task in one session. Work that previously took me one evening can now be stretched across two or three days simply because Codex stops before the task is completed.

This also means that I may be physically unable to use the full weekly allowance included with my subscription before it resets. In that situation, the weekly allowance becomes somewhat theoretical: I have the capacity available, but the short-term limit prevents me from actually using it when I have time to work.

There is also the occasional option to reset the usage limit, but under the current system even that additional capacity can be difficult to use effectively because the same short session restriction still applies.

I currently maintain two paid accounts specifically because I use Codex heavily and wanted more available usage for my projects. With the new restriction, I am considering cancelling the second subscription, because I may no longer be able to physically consume the included usage even on one account.

I think there is a simple compromise:

Keep the 5-hour limit enabled by default, but add an optional manual override that allows a user to temporarily disable the short-term limit and consume their remaining weekly allowance.

The interface could show a clear warning such as:

“You are about to disable the 5-hour protection. Codex may consume a significant portion of your remaining weekly allowance. Continue?”

The user could then choose how much of the remaining weekly allowance they are willing to use, or simply enable unrestricted usage until the weekly limit is reached.

This would preserve the protection for inexperienced users while allowing advanced users to manage their own usage according to their schedule.

I am not asking for a larger weekly allowance. I am asking for the ability to actually use the allowance I already have when I have time available.

For users who can only develop during specific hours after work, this would make a very significant difference.

Thank you for considering this feedback.

Additional information

No response

The issue does not identify any files, tests, or entry points in the Codex repository; start by locating the desktop usage-limit and weekly-allowance implementation. Done would mean an optional temporary override exists with a clear warning and controls for consuming the remaining allowance, covered by relevant tests.