Bug: Weekly usage period countdown starts on first use (not at renewal boundary) #11879

What version of the Codex App are you using (From “About Codex” dialog)?

Codex CLI 0.101.0

What subscription do you have?

ChatGPT Pro

What platform is your computer?

Window 11 Pro

What issue are you seeing?

Summary

Codex CLI’s weekly usage period appears to start (or resume) the countdown only after the user first triggers usage in the new period, rather than starting immediately when the prior period ends. This effectively creates “free gap time” between periods, leading to unfair / inconsistent usage accounting.

Observed behavior

When a weekly usage period ends, the next weekly period does not begin counting down until the user uses Codex CLI again.

Example

• Current usage period ends: Feb 15, 4:00 PM PT
• User does not use Codex CLI until: Feb 15, 10:00 PM PT
• Result: The 6-hour gap (4–10 PM) is excluded from the weekly countdown, effectively extending the weekly period.

If a user consistently has a similar gap at each rollover (e.g., 6 hours), that adds up to ~24 hours per month (4 rollovers × 6 hours), which is roughly one extra day of usable time compared to a strict weekly schedule.

What steps can reproduce the bug?

• Note the displayed end time of your current weekly usage period.
• Let the period expire.
• Do not use Codex CLI for several hours after expiration.
• Use Codex CLI.
• Observe the new weekly period start/end timestamps or remaining time behavior.

What is the expected behavior?

The new weekly usage period should reset immediately at the end of the prior period, and the countdown should start right away—regardless of whether the user uses Codex CLI.

In other words, period boundaries should be based on fixed timestamps, not the first post-renewal usage event.

Additional information

Actual behavior
The new weekly period appears to be anchored to the first usage event after rollover, which excludes idle time between the scheduled rollover and the next usage.

Why this matters

• Fairness & consistency: Users should receive a predictable, fixed weekly accounting period. Anchoring the start time to “first use” makes the effective length of a “week” variable.
• Subscription value alignment: The monthly subscription cost is fixed, but rollover gaps can change the total effective usage time available over a month.
• Comparability: Usage metrics become difficult to compare across users (or across weeks) when periods are not defined by fixed start/end times.

Codex CLI thread ID: 019c63fe-f4d4-7de1-a72a-326e74e679ec0