diff --git a/codex/SKILL.md b/codex/SKILL.md
index df8f69ce..52e2085b 100644
--- a/codex/SKILL.md
+++ b/codex/SKILL.md
@@ -221,13 +221,13 @@ TMPERR=$(mktemp /tmp/codex-err-XXXXXX.txt)
2. Run the review (5-minute timeout):
```bash
-codex review --base 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex review --base -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' 2>"$TMPERR"
```
Use `timeout: 300000` on the Bash call. If the user provided custom instructions
(e.g., `/codex review focus on security`), pass them as the prompt argument:
```bash
-codex review "focus on security" --base 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex review "focus on security" --base -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' 2>"$TMPERR"
```
3. Capture the output. Then parse cost from stderr:
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@ With focus (e.g., "security"):
3. Run codex exec (5-minute timeout):
```bash
-codex exec "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
4. Read the response and parse cost:
@@ -369,12 +369,12 @@ THE PLAN:
For a **new session:**
```bash
-codex exec "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
For a **resumed session** (user chose "Continue"):
```bash
-codex exec resume "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec resume "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
5. Capture and save session ID:
@@ -408,6 +408,20 @@ Session saved — run /codex again to continue this conversation.
---
+## Model & Reasoning
+
+Codex with ChatGPT login only supports `gpt-5.2-codex` (the default). Other models
+(o3, o4-mini, gpt-4o) require API key auth and are not available with ChatGPT login.
+
+All codex commands use `-c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"'` because the whole point of
+this skill is deep, thorough analysis. We want maximum reasoning power — this is your
+"200 IQ autistic developer" second opinion, not a quick sanity check.
+
+If the user has API key auth and wants a different model, they can say
+`/codex review -m o3` and the `-m` flag should be passed through to codex.
+
+---
+
## Cost Estimation
Parse token count from stderr. Codex prints `tokens used\nN` to stderr.
diff --git a/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl b/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
index ea02612c..4f26e84e 100644
--- a/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -75,13 +75,13 @@ TMPERR=$(mktemp /tmp/codex-err-XXXXXX.txt)
2. Run the review (5-minute timeout):
```bash
-codex review --base 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex review --base -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' 2>"$TMPERR"
```
Use `timeout: 300000` on the Bash call. If the user provided custom instructions
(e.g., `/codex review focus on security`), pass them as the prompt argument:
```bash
-codex review "focus on security" --base 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex review "focus on security" --base -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' 2>"$TMPERR"
```
3. Capture the output. Then parse cost from stderr:
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ With focus (e.g., "security"):
3. Run codex exec (5-minute timeout):
```bash
-codex exec "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
4. Read the response and parse cost:
@@ -223,12 +223,12 @@ THE PLAN:
For a **new session:**
```bash
-codex exec "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
For a **resumed session** (user chose "Continue"):
```bash
-codex exec resume "" -s read-only -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
+codex exec resume "" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -o "$TMPRESP" 2>"$TMPERR"
```
5. Capture and save session ID:
@@ -262,6 +262,20 @@ Session saved — run /codex again to continue this conversation.
---
+## Model & Reasoning
+
+Codex with ChatGPT login only supports `gpt-5.2-codex` (the default). Other models
+(o3, o4-mini, gpt-4o) require API key auth and are not available with ChatGPT login.
+
+All codex commands use `-c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"'` because the whole point of
+this skill is deep, thorough analysis. We want maximum reasoning power — this is your
+"200 IQ autistic developer" second opinion, not a quick sanity check.
+
+If the user has API key auth and wants a different model, they can say
+`/codex review -m o3` and the `-m` flag should be passed through to codex.
+
+---
+
## Cost Estimation
Parse token count from stderr. Codex prints `tokens used\nN` to stderr.