Why Did OpenAI Codex Rate Limits Change from 1 Week to 2 Weeks?

Mar 12, 2026

Problem

I noticed something strange in my Codex VS Code extension recently. The rate limit display changed from showing a weekly cycle to “2 Week.” I checked my web dashboard at chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage and it still said “weekly limit.”

This inconsistency made me wonder: Did OpenAI quietly change their rate limit policy? Or is this a bug?

What I Found

I found a Reddit thread on r/codex where multiple users reported the same issue. The OP (CarsonBuilds) noticed their dashboard changed from a 1-week cycle to “2 Week” after multiple quota resets.

Another user (alexdenne, UK, £200/month plan) confirmed seeing “2 Week 100% 18 Mar” when they previously had about 66% of their weekly limit remaining.

The strangest part? Different interfaces show different information:

Interface	What It Shows
VS Code extension	”2 Week” limit
Web dashboard	”weekly limit” (for some users)
Quota resets	4+ resets within 10 days reported

I checked both my VS Code extension and the web dashboard. They didn’t match.

The Confusion

Here’s what makes this confusing:

No official announcement - OpenAI hasn’t said anything about changing rate limits
Inconsistent displays - Same account, different interfaces, different information
Multiple quota resets - Users reported 4+ resets in just 10 days
Shifting renewal dates - Dates keep changing without explanation

The OP made a key observation:

“Interestingly, the link you used above does still say ‘weekly limit’ for me, so it means that it’s either not up to date, or there is a bug from the official vscode codex extension.”

This points to either a backend data inconsistency or a UI bug during some kind of transition.

Possible Explanations

I looked at the discussion and identified several plausible explanations:

1. 2x Token Promotion

OpenAI is currently running a promotion that doubles token allowances. The “2 Week” display might align the rate limit window with this promotional period. When the promotion ends, the display could revert to weekly.

2. Backend Bug Compensation

Users reported multiple unexpected quota resets. These resets might be OpenAI’s way of compensating for backend issues. The “2 Week” display could be a side effect of this compensation mechanism.

3. UI Inconsistency

Different interfaces might pull from different data sources during a transition period. The VS Code extension and web dashboard could be reading from different backend systems.

4. Rolling Deployment

OpenAI might be testing changes with different user groups. Some users see weekly limits, others see 2-week limits, depending on which server cluster they’re connected to.

What Users Are Reporting

From the Reddit thread:

User reports from r/codex:

- CarsonBuilds (OP): Dashboard changed to "2 Week" after multiple resets
- alexdenne: Saw "2 Week 100% 18 Mar" when expecting weekly reset
- Multiple users: 4+ quota resets within 10 days
- Some users: Web dashboard still shows "weekly limit"
- VS Code extension users: Seeing "2 Week" consistently

The pattern suggests this isn’t isolated to a single user or region.

Why This Matters

This uncertainty affects how I plan my work:

Development scheduling - I can’t predict when my quota will reset
Budget planning - I don’t know if my $20/month buys weekly or bi-weekly capacity
Team coordination - Different team members see different information

The lack of official communication makes this worse. If OpenAI said “we’re testing a 2-week cycle,” I could plan around it. Without that, I’m left guessing.

Common Questions

Will the 2-week window become permanent?

I don’t know. OpenAI hasn’t announced anything. The inconsistency across interfaces suggests this might be temporary.

How does this affect the 2x promotion end date?

The promotion and rate limit display might be connected, but there’s no official statement linking them.

Are we getting double tokens for the same time period?

If the window doubled but tokens stayed the same, you’d get the same total capacity over a longer period. But again, no official explanation exists.

Until OpenAI provides clarity:

Check both interfaces - VS Code extension and web dashboard may show different information
Monitor your actual usage - Track when your quota actually resets
Don’t assume permanence - This could be temporary promotion-related behavior
Watch for announcements - Check OpenAI’s status page and blog for updates

Summary

In this post, I investigated why Codex rate limits appear to have changed from 1 week to 2 weeks.

The key point is that OpenAI has not officially announced a permanent change. The “2 Week” display appearing in VS Code extensions (but not consistently in web dashboards) appears to be related to the ongoing 2x token promotion, backend adjustments for quota compensation, or a UI bug during a period of frequent system updates.

For now, check multiple sources and don’t assume the 2-week window will last. Monitor your actual quota resets and watch for official announcements.

Final Words + More Resources

My intention with this article was to help others share my knowledge and experience. If you want to contact me, you can contact by email: Email me

Here are also the most important links from this article along with some further resources that will help you in this scope:

👨‍💻 Reddit: Codex Rate Limits Changed

Oh, and if you found these resources useful, don’t forget to support me by starring the repo on GitHub!