How to diagnose “Quota exceeded” in Codex
Diagnose Codex's “Quota exceeded. Check your plan and billing details.” message by separating ChatGPT plan limits from API billing and workspace controls.
“Quota exceeded. Check your plan and billing details.” means the active Codex credential has no usable allowance for that request. Run codex login status, determine whether Codex uses ChatGPT sign-in or an API key, then inspect that exact account or workspace. Adding API credit does not refill a ChatGPT plan allowance, and vice versa.
What the message means
Codex supports more than one authentication path, and “quota” can refer to different controls: included ChatGPT usage, purchased usage credits, an administrator's workspace limit, or API organization billing. The correct fix depends on the credential and workspace selected by this Codex home.
Fix it in this order
1. Confirm the credential in this Codex home
Check login status from the same shell and CODEX_HOME that produced the error. Multiple account setups often have separate homes, so a successful login elsewhere does not prove this process has the intended account.
codex login status2. Match the error to its billing system
For ChatGPT sign-in, inspect Codex usage, available credits, the reset time, and any workspace selector. For API-key login, inspect the API organization and project limits. Ask a workspace owner when the message names an admin or shared cap.
# Open the usage or billing page for the account above3. Refresh only after the account is corrected
If the wrong account is active, log out and sign into the intended one. If the right account is active but exhausted, wait for the displayed reset or use only the purchase or admin option offered to that account.
codex logout
codex loginImportant distinctions
- OpenAI's help center says Support does not manually reset ordinary Codex usage limits.
- Do not assume every account can buy credits or an instant reset; the option varies by plan and may not appear.
- A model switch may consume a different allowance in some plans, but it cannot bypass a workspace-wide spend cap.
Where Crowsnest fits
Crowsnest can keep separate Codex account homes and route a new conversation to the account you choose. Each account retains its own login, limits, and bill; Crowsnest does not pool or manufacture quota.
Source and version
The exact text and flags on this page were checked against the installed codex-cli 0.146.0 binary on October 9, 2026. Version-specific behavior can change, so compare your own --help output before scripting around it. Official status or documentation →
Reviewed from first-party CLI output and the released Crowsnest product source. No command on this page bypasses provider limits, billing, authentication, or native history rules.