Confusion between gpt 5.2 and codex models

What is the type of issue?

Suggestion

What is the issue?

We are all aware that GPT 5.2 is amazing, nothing comes close. However there seems to be a lot of confusion (online / reddit / discussion forums etc) when it comes to choosing the right one. Personally, I've switched to using gpt-5.2 because gpt-5.2-codex does not feel _agentic_ to me and I think this is where the problem lies.

1. gpt-5.2-codex (default)  Latest frontier agentic coding model.
2. gpt-5.1-codex-max        Codex-optimized flagship for deep and fast reasoning.
3. gpt-5.1-codex-mini       Optimized for codex. Cheaper, faster, but less capable.
4. gpt-5.2 (current)        Latest frontier model with improvements across knowledge, reasoning and coding

Codex models are clearly designed to be excellent tool callers, _agentic_ in the sense that these models are excellent builders - but it's not truly _agentic_. To many, _agentic_ suggests a model that can work autonomously. You give it work, it goes on and completes it with minimal to zero stoppage - with the exception of pausing to ask for some truly essential direction, but even that should ideally be avoided if the instructions were clear enough. gpt-5.2-codex right now just doesn't want to work for long enough. It stops, asks questions, behaves nothing like an _agent_.

On the other hand, gpt-5.2 is truly agentic in the sense that it thinks and works autonomously.

This brings us to the dilemma of which model to pick - I've found that gpt-5.2-codex in fact does incredibly well when the plan / instructions are unambiguous and require nearly no additional thought (all medium / high / xhigh models feel nearly the same!). gpt-5.2 in comparison likes to think, wonder, question (itself) and carry out work for hours if it needs to.

So the suggestion really is highlight the two models as:

gpt-5.2-codex: Frontier builder
gpt-5.2: Frontier problem-solver

or something along the lines.

Where did you find it?

/model