Codex task stuck on Thinking for over 20 minutes
Open 💬 3 comments Opened May 27, 2026 by GGBondBlueWhale
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (github-actions[bot], contributor)
responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.
I encountered a Codex task that has been stuck on Thinking for more than 20 minutes with no further response or progress.
Details:
- Feedback ID:
019e6790-0585-7ec0-978e-f488e623a1c5 - Codex app version:
26.519.81530 (3178) - Model/depth shown in UI:
5.5 Extra High - Device: MacBook Pro 16-inch, Apple M5 Max, 128 GB memory
- macOS: Tahoe 26.5
- Task context: the task had already edited files and run commands, then remained stuck at
Thinkingindefinitely
Expected behavior:
Codex should either continue responding, complete the task, or surface an actionable error instead of remaining stuck indefinitely.
Please investigate and help resolve this as soon as possible.
3 Comments
Potential duplicates detected. Please review them and close your issue if it is a duplicate.
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It seems you encountered jam by following 3 causes:
1)heavy context load: this task involved multiple file edits and command runs, reulting in a large accumulated session context even the '5.5 Extra High'.
solution: /compact the context in advance, for example, 85% is a dangerous limit context
<img width="580" height="734" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/db5a41bf-14c7-4195-b8a4-9a36cc79a483" />
2) failed timeout mechanism: The exception capture and auto-timeout logic did not trigger.
solution: verify your network connection:ensure no firewall, proxy or network interruption blocks codex's backend requests. you can directly paste the error to the chat and ask for reaction from the codex itself.
why isnt this surfaced to the user?
It's really annoying to asssign some task to agent only to come back and see it stuck