If Codex is taking longer and still leaving more work for you, trying Claude Code is a reasonable next step. You do not need to prove a company-wide decline before choosing a tool that works better for your project.
First identify what is costing you time. Waiting for an answer, exhausting an allowance, and repairing a wrong patch are different problems. Switching helps when it addresses the problem you actually have.
Which kind of slow are you seeing?
Do not infer the cause from the progress indicator alone. A long test is not slow token generation, and an exhausted allowance is not evidence that a different model secretly answered the request.
OpenAI's current usage guidance says consumption depends on the model and task, and speed modes can consume allowance at different rates. Check the actual settings and dashboard before buying capacity to compensate for a configuration you did not intend. Our Codex quota guide explains what to record.
When switching is worth the interruption
Set a stopping rule for the current attempt. For example: after two corrections of the same reproduced error, preserve the state and give a different configuration one bounded attempt. The exact limit is your decision; setting it in advance prevents another evening disappearing into a repair loop.
Claude Code is a useful candidate when the task needs sustained repository investigation, a coordinated edit, or a fresh review of assumptions. Read the current coding evidence for why it deserves consideration. A trial still needs to show that it works on your code.
If the blocker is a missing dependency, a failing external service, or a permission the task genuinely requires, changing the model may leave it unchanged. Preserve that evidence so the next agent does not spend its first attempt rediscovering it.
Hand over a state that can be checked
Stop the old writer before the new one changes files. Save the current diff and any task-related untracked files through your normal version-control or checkpoint process. Then provide a short handoff:
Do not send an unsupported theory as the root cause. “The cancellation test still processes rows” gives the next agent something to check. “The queue is broken” can send it down a path the previous attempt never established. The full handoff guide covers unfinished edits and conversation imports.
Compare total time to an accepted result
Use a fresh copy of the same starting state if you want a fair comparison. Keep the requirement and acceptance checks fixed. Record the model, effort, environment, interruptions, repair turns, and billed usage for each run.
For a deadline, however, you may simply want to continue the existing patch. That is a recovery workflow, and success means completing the task. Do not present it later as an isolated benchmark against the previous agent.
You may discover that Claude Code is better for difficult implementation while Codex remains useful for another class of work. You may also find that the environment was the real bottleneck. Either result is useful if it changes what you do next.
Continue in Agent.Space
Agent.Space lets you keep project files in a Workspace and start a separate Session with a supported Agent and compatible model. For sequential recovery, save the Codex attempt, provide the handoff, and start Claude Code against the prepared files. Shared files do not mean shared conversation history or automatic isolation.
Start a Workspace and check the current available configuration and bill before running the next task. See the Claude Code guide for setup. Official subscription allowances and Agent.Space billing are separate; switching tools does not transfer unused quota.
Checked October 8, 2026. This is a troubleshooting and switching workflow, not a claim that Agent.Space measured a service-wide Codex slowdown.