OpenAI Codex API key setup
OpenAI's Codex coding agent for CLI, IDE, web, and desktop. Codex is included across ChatGPT plans; Plus adds expanded Codex usage and Pro tiers provide higher usage allowances.
Get your key
- Open the OpenAI Codex site: openai.com/codex/
- Create an account and generate an API key.
- Paste it into the Dracon BYOK provider keys, stored encrypted (AES-256-GCM), used browser-direct, works in every Dracon tool.
Use your key in every tab
Two free extensions take the key you just set up. Both read the page you are on and use your own provider key: free, no account, nothing stored on a server we run.
AI Auto Form Filler
Complete a web form from a short description, using a model you bring yourself.
All extensions · last checked 2026-10-22.
Free tier
Yes. Codex is included on ChatGPT Free (no card; limited access) and on paid plans from Go up; Codex Cloud needs a paid tier. Usage limits vary by plan: check Settings or the usage dashboard, or enter /status in an active Codex CLI session. no credit card required
Rate limits: Usage depends on plan, model, surface, task complexity, context, reasoning, speed, and tools. Pro $100 provides 5x higher usage than Plus; Pro $200 provides 20x usage than Plus. Allowances and reset times are shown in Settings, the usage dashboard, or /status.
Paid plans compared
Every tier OpenAI Codex publishes, with the price and the limit as the vendor states them, last checked 2026-10-27. Confirm with the provider before you buy. You pay them directly, no Dracon markup.
| Plan | Price | Usage limit | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Pro (5x tier) | $100/mo | 5x higher usage than Plus; Pro models and Codex; Exact limits vary by model, task, and surface; Codex inclusion re-verified via the OpenAI help article (checked 2026-10-27): included across ChatGPT plans incl. Free and Go; Codex Cloud needs Plus/Pro tiers or higher. Plan prices per chatgpt.com/pricing. |
|
| ChatGPT Pro (20x tier) | $200/mo | 20x usage than Plus; Highest Pro usage tier; New sign-ups and upgrades paused from 2026-09-10; existing subscriptions continue to renew; Codex inclusion re-verified via the OpenAI help article (checked 2026-10-27): included across ChatGPT plans incl. Free and Go; Codex Cloud needs Plus/Pro tiers or higher. Plan prices per chatgpt.com/pricing. |
|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/mo | Expanded Codex usage; exact limits vary by model, task, and surface; Codex inclusion re-verified via the OpenAI help article (checked 2026-10-27): included across ChatGPT plans incl. Free and Go; Codex Cloud needs Plus/Pro tiers or higher. Plan prices per chatgpt.com/pricing. |
|
Official plan source: help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers,help.openai.com/en/articles/11369540-codex-product-information
Connection details
- Env var
OPENAI_API_KEY- Model lineup
- GPT-6 Astra, GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-5.6 Terra, GPT-5.6 Luna, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.3 Codex, GPT-5 Codex
Gotchas
Browser-direct chat is not available for this provider: CLI tool, not an API. Dracon provider keys still cover it for tools that run elsewhere (for example a LiteLLM chain from the Dracon Router builder).
Our verdicts on this kind of provider
Independent comparisons we keep current as pricing and free tiers shift. A guide is setup; a verdict is whether it's worth setting up.