Jun 25, 2026Single source
Codex Runtime stuck in a runaway inference loop burned credits with no project loaded
AI loose in the worldAvailabilityDERIVED
Approved by person, Oct 11, 2026. How entries are approved
A Codex Runtime user on Windows reported very high CPU during idle with no project loaded, plus high Defender CPU that normalized when Codex was closed. Two queries — a 15-line debug taking under five minutes and a follow-up on changed lines — wiped out a 5-hour usage limit. The app also created an empty .git directory in the project folder; deleting it collapsed the high CPU for both Codex and Defender. The issue was labeled bug, performance, and rate-limits, and remains open.
What this means for youIf your team uses a coding assistant, a bug can burn through usage limits and slow your computer even when no work is open. Watch usage meters and CPU use, and report unexpected drain to the vendor.
Sources
- GitHub issue, openai/codex #30061https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/30061
Incident records from the AI Agent Incident Database by sipi.bot (https://sipi.bot/incidents/), licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Covered by snapshot 45
da93f03b406f409940d0a6ef47b526607f82ebf457d98f69299b88aceede576a
This entry is record number 2200. It has not been edited since it was approved; the hash above would not match if it had. How to verify