Reset availability notice should show current allowance and explain whether redemption is needed

Problem

A reset availability notice leaves a Plus user unable to decide whether they can continue working or need to redeem a reset. The notice should provide the current state, available choices, and consequences together, in plain language.

Environment

• Codex CLI v0.154.0
• ChatGPT Plus
• gpt-6-astra, medium reasoning
• Linux

Observed experience

The user recalls seeing a notice at session startup saying that two redeemable resets were available. The exact startup wording was not captured, so this report does not quote it or claim a deterministic reproduction.

The user could not determine whether their allowance was exhausted, whether redemption was necessary, when the resets would expire, or what redemption would change. Repeated abstract explanations from the assistant did not resolve the uncertainty. Only after the user was directed to run /status and paste its output did the actionable situation become clear.

The supplied status showed:

Weekly limit: 71% left (resets 10:54 on 19 Sep)
Luna Reserve Weekly limit: 100% left (resets 10:01 on 20 Sep)
Context window: 87% left

The main weekly allowance was therefore not exhausted in that snapshot. The status did not show the banked resets' expiration or redemption scope. No reset was redeemed during this exchange.

User impact

Presenting a redeemable reset without the current allowance and its practical consequences can be interpreted as a need to act immediately. Users should not need to monitor /status, understand several quota buckets, or hold a long conversation with the assistant just to decide whether to press a reset button. The information gap makes a benefit feel confusing and potentially wasteful.

Expected behavior

At the point where a reset is offered, show:

1. Whether the user can continue with the selected model now, based on all applicable limits; if blocked, identify the actual limiting allowance.
2. Remaining allowance and automatic renewal time, with an explicit time zone.
3. A plain-language next step, such as “You can keep working; no reset is needed now” when the authoritative state supports that conclusion.
4. Number of banked resets and each reset's expiration, or an explicit statement that it does not expire.
5. Before redemption, exactly which allowances change, how existing unused allowance and renewal times are affected, how many resets will remain, and whether any payment is involved.
6. Separate wording for automatic allowance renewal and spending a banked reset, instead of using “reset” ambiguously for both.

If current allowance data cannot be loaded, say that the state is unknown and provide a refresh action rather than implying that redemption is needed.

Illustrative copy, contingent on authoritative state:

You can keep working. Your weekly allowance has 71% remaining and renews automatically on [date, time, timezone]. You have 2 optional resets available. No reset is needed now. View expiration and redemption details.

Related issue

#30568 addresses notification frequency and timing. This report focuses on the missing decision information and explanation of redemption consequences, even when a notice is shown only once.

This is a UX report, not a claim of incorrect metering or failed redemption. Account identifiers and raw session data are omitted.

Start with the Codex CLI startup notice and the /status entry point, using the supplied status output and expected behavior as the reference. Trace how allowance and reset data are presented, then verify that the notice explains current availability, renewal and expiration details, redemption consequences, and an unavailable-data state.