Codex Plus Plan: Use Luna and Save Sol and Astra

Melvin Vivas · X post · 2026-09-05 · Open on X

Topics: AI Dev Tools & Productivity, LLM Fundamentals · Level: beginner

Summary

The creator argues that on the $20 Codex Plus plan, Sol and Astra burn through usage too fast to be practical. Luna should be the default model there. He likes Sol and Astra for speed, but heavy use of them needs a bigger plan like Codex Pro.

Key points

• Sol and Astra are very capable but expensive in usage.
• The $20 Codex Plus plan does not go far with Sol or Astra.
• Plus users should use Luna as the default model.
• Sol and Astra get things done fast, so they are still worth it on a higher plan.
• He plans to upgrade to Codex Pro after rebalancing his AI subscriptions.

Resources mentioned

• OpenAI Codex · tool · openai.com · paid
  OpenAI's coding agent. In the diagram it writes code, fixes review findings and drives the build loop. The creator also used it to make this video.
  Also in: An agent bot that installs and drives Codex on its own (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Asking a Coder bot to install Codex (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Sign in with ChatGPT: Setting Usage Limits for Each App (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Codex Cloud Environments Must Be Saved & Published Before Use (Melvin Vivas on X · notes) and 240 more
• Luna · tool · openai.com · paid
  The other model/agent the classifier routes tasks to; the post doesn't describe it further.
  Also in: GPT-6.1 Sol May Beat Luna for Subagents (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Picking models for orchestrator and subagent roles in Codex (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), GPT-6 Sol Ultra Subagents Use Up Limits Fast (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), GPT-6 Sol vs Opus 5.5 in a Livestream Comparison (Melvin Vivas on X · notes) and 14 more
• GPT 5.6 Luna · tool · openai.com · paid
  The OpenAI model used inside Codex for the demo. The transcript gives the variant name as 'Soul', which is unclear.
  Also in: Set Codex subagent model and reasoning to save usage limits (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Use GPT-5.6 Luna in Codex for Terminal Tasks (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Match Reasoning Effort to Task Length in Codex (Astra/Sol) (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Run Coworker desktop agents cheaply with GPT-5.6 Luna on OpenRouter (Melvin Vivas on X · notes) and 24 more
• GPT-6 Astra · tool · openai.com · paid
  The model announced in the quoted launch post, pitched as the developer's most capable model for work, coding, science and cybersecurity, and able to operate a computer.
  Also in: Customizing Your Coding Setup with Pi Coding Agent Extensions (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Pi Agent Council: Ask Multiple LLMs in Parallel and Compare Their Advice (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Use GPT-6.1 Sol by Default, Save Astra for Emergencies (Melvin Vivas on X · notes), Dots in ChatGPT: always-on AI agents that you hand responsibilities to (Melvin Vivas on X · notes) and 49 more

Try this

• On Codex Plus, use Luna as your default model.
• Upgrade to a higher plan if you need heavy use of Sol or Astra.