Codex 429 (rate limit): causes and fixes
Is there an outage right now?
Codex official status is operational. If this error persists, it is likely an implementation or environment issue on your side.
View Codex status →What this error means
Codex (API/CLI) returns 429 — from too many requests in a short time, or OpenAI-side rate limits / demand spikes.
Common causes
- •Too many requests in a short time
- •Hit OpenAI-side rate limits
- •Temporary throttling from demand
- •Too much concurrency
How to fix
- 1.Retry with exponential backoff
- 2.Lower request rate and concurrency
- 3.Wait and re-run
- 4.Split the task
- 5.Check status at top of page and OpenAI API
When waiting helps (and when it won't)
If demand-driven, it clears over time. If it is your own rate, spacing out requests recovers it.
Alternatives when Codex is down
Related errors
FAQ
What is 429 rate limit?
Codex (API/CLI) returns 429 — from too many requests in a short time, or OpenAI-side rate limits / demand spikes.
How do I fix 429 rate limit?
Retry with exponential backoff / Lower request rate and concurrency / Wait and re-run / Split the task / Check status at top of page and OpenAI API