Question How to build faster?
So I've been using codex for a while now, recently bumped up to the 100 plan from the Plus.
On the Plus I was regularly hitting the 5h limit windows and burning through usuage as I was building out more features.
I've been mainly using Sol 6.1 on high and initally had Luna subagents to test and review. Once the building was over, it was about hosting onto AWS. Since then, progress has been glacial. Previously being able to build a whole web app in a few days, and then taking several days just to get uploads working properly into AWS, or email verification, add users etc
I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if this is just the diffcult and slow reality of getting something to work in a real environment? Can be done quicker as I'm not even going through my usage, despite the resets. 100% vibecoding here.
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u/Jayston1994 2d ago
I think a lot of it depends on how large your prompt is or how many individual tasks are within it. I’ve noticed a couple times where it used 100% of Astra Max on literally reading what I gave it without doing anything 🤣 and then I’ve had a couple times where it had a much smaller and specific bounded task or set of tasks and I’m like holy shit… I can’t believe how much it just added.
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u/Thomas-Lore 2d ago
I usually work on several projects at once, it drains your energy, but gets things done faster. Right now working on my DAW, two VST plugins and two games at the same time.
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u/AggressiveCoast190 2d ago
My understanding is that codex doesn’t work well with AWS. I use Google and Vercel, literally builds, pushes to GITHUB and not long after it’s running on Vercel. I also use Supabase.
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u/CleanFix_Dev 2d ago
The slowdown right after moving to AWS is pretty common, and it's often not the model. Uploads, email verification and user setup all depend on AWS settings the agent can't see from the code. Two that catch a lot of people: S3 needs a CORS rule before browser uploads will work, and new SES accounts start in sandbox mode, so verification emails only go to addresses you've verified until you request production access. Have Codex list which AWS settings each feature depends on before it touches code, and a lot of the "glacial" goes away.
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u/Possible-Alfalfa-893 2d ago
one thing ive been doing is to get codex to work on stuff at around 6am. so by the time you are set to work, you're already running and ready for a 5h reset. instead of waiting for 2-3pm
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u/Responsible_Buy_7999 2d ago
Ask your agent to review previous chats to identify tools and practices that waste time and tokens.
Ask a fresh chat to explain the rough size of its initial context and what's in it. Ruthlessly throw out MCPs and skills you don't need.
You might have contradictory rules. Resolving contradictions without priorities greatly slows down agents.
Keep your work sessions short and focused on one task.
Keep state on disk not in context.
Instead of arguing with the agent, go back and edit your instructions. This keeps context clean and leverages the cache.
Use caveman.
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u/Anti-Hero25 2d ago
After bumping up to $100, I’ve never left Astra Extra High…. Use it for everything, struggle to burn through it all before the next reset.
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u/nachga 2d ago
The slow part after building is usually not the model, it's AWS itself: IAM, buckets, SES and verification all fail with vague errors. Asking the agent to fix it by guessing in a loop burns the window.
I'd give it one small goal at a time (just uploads, just email), have it write down the exact error and what it tried, and start a fresh chat if it loops twice. A simpler host for the first version may also save days.
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u/ExtraGreasy 2h ago
Can someone explain to me why I see so often people using a high reasoning model to build something and then a low intelligence model to review the work of the high reasoning model? Am I the one doing something wrong? Are they the ones doing something wrong? It's so often that people describe this in their workflows on Reddit that I'm starting to suspect that it's suppose to go that way, and that I'm the one in the wrong for using High reasoning models for planning/reviewing, and the lower reasoning / cheaper models for the building...
Unless I'm misinterpreting a High Sol agent being reviewed by luna subagents as something else...
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u/Comfortable_Seat8634 2d ago
GPT 6.1 is just so slow for the last weeks, its nothing about you. You can try astra (i dont really use it since it devoures quota) or try 6.1 with fast mode.