diff --git a/src/adapters/cli/codex.ts b/src/adapters/cli/codex.ts
index 6cf7b40ff..9aa9898e7 100644
--- a/src/adapters/cli/codex.ts
+++ b/src/adapters/cli/codex.ts
@@ -249,6 +249,10 @@ export function createCodexAdapter(pathOverride?: string): CliAdapter {
 
     completionPattern: undefined,
     readyPattern: /›|\d+% left/,  // › for input box, or status bar pattern (e.g. "97% left")
+    // Codex cold starts can exceed the worker's 15s soft first-prompt timeout.
+    // Wait for the real composer marker so the bare-shell guard does not treat
+    // a still-loading zsh wrapper as a failed launch.
+    deferFirstPromptTimeoutUntilReady: true,
     defaultPassthroughCommands: ['/goal'],
     systemHints: BOTMUX_SHELL_HINTS,
     // Codex 0.134.0+ accepts a message while the current turn is still running:
diff --git a/test/cli-adapters.test.ts b/test/cli-adapters.test.ts
index 7ef4348de..43219ddf5 100644
--- a/test/cli-adapters.test.ts
+++ b/test/cli-adapters.test.ts
@@ -993,6 +993,14 @@ describe('readyPattern', () => {
     expect(adapter.readyPattern!.test('97% left')).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it('codex defers the first-prompt timeout until its readyPattern appears', () => {
+    // Codex can cold-start slower than the worker's 15s soft timeout; keep the
+    // first Lark message queued until the composer is visible.
+    const adapter = createCodexAdapter('/bin/codex');
+    expect(adapter.deferFirstPromptTimeoutUntilReady).toBe(true);
+    expect(adapter.supportsTypeAhead).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it('traex matches prompt and context indicators', () => {
     const adapter = createTraexAdapter('/bin/traex');
     expect(adapter.readyPattern).toBeDefined();