Can't use free models when API usage is at 100%

Support Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

The codex spark model says it is free to use right now. My API usage is at 100%. When trying to send something with the codex spark model it still says I am out of usage and prompts me to switch to Composer 1.5 (nice models but I just wanna test the competition ;))

Steps to Reproduce

Be at 100% API usage and don’t be at 100% Auto usage.

Try to send something with the Codex Spark model which says it is Free during the Preview period.

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 2.5.26 (user setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 7d96c2a03bb088ad367615e9da1a3fe20fbbc6a0
Date: 2026-02-26T04:57:56.825Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Early Access
Electron: 39.4.0
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.0
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

For AI issues: which model did you use?

GPT-5.3 Codex Spark Extra High

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the report. This looks like a valid bug. Free preview models shouldn’t be blocked by the API usage limit. I’ve flagged it with the team.

As a workaround for now, you can enable on-demand usage in your dashboard so the API limit doesn’t block you, though I know that doesn’t fix the core issue with free models.

Let me know if you have any other questions.