diff --git a/bin/gstack-codex-probe b/bin/gstack-codex-probe
index 940dacf84..39893ef6a 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-codex-probe
+++ b/bin/gstack-codex-probe
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # Functions (all prefixed with _gstack_codex_ for namespace hygiene):
 #   _gstack_codex_auth_probe      — multi-signal auth check (env + file)
 #   _gstack_codex_version_check   — warn on known-bad Codex CLI versions
-#   _gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper — gtimeout -> timeout -> unwrapped fallback
+#   _gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper — gtimeout -> timeout -> shell-watchdog fallback
 #   _gstack_codex_log_event       — telemetry emission to ~/.gstack/analytics/
 #
 # Hygiene rules (enforced by test/codex-hardening.test.ts):
@@ -53,17 +53,50 @@ _gstack_codex_version_check() {
 
 _gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper() {
   # Resolve wrapper binary: prefer gtimeout (Homebrew coreutils on macOS),
-  # fall back to timeout (Linux), else run unwrapped. Arguments: $1 is the
-  # duration in seconds; rest is the command to run.
+  # fall back to timeout (Linux), else a pure-shell watchdog so hang
+  # protection still works on machines with neither (e.g. bare macOS).
+  # Arguments: $1 is the duration in seconds; rest is the command to run.
   local _duration="$1"
   shift
   local _to
   _to=$(command -v gtimeout 2>/dev/null || command -v timeout 2>/dev/null || echo "")
   if [ -n "$_to" ]; then
     "$_to" "$_duration" "$@"
-  else
-    "$@"
+    return $?
   fi
+  # Shell watchdog: background the command, poll every 5s, TERM at the
+  # deadline (KILL 10s later if TERM is ignored), and report exit 124 like
+  # GNU timeout so callers' hang handling still fires. The brace group
+  # routes the shell's own stderr to /dev/null so bash's "Terminated" job
+  # notices never leak into skill output, while fd 3 carries the real
+  # stderr through to the command (call-site 2> captures keep working).
+  # Both jobs are reaped inside the silenced group so no notice surfaces
+  # later and nothing outlives the call holding the caller's pipes open.
+  local _cmd_pid _watchdog_pid
+  local _rc=0
+  {
+    "$@" 2>&3 3>&- &
+    _cmd_pid=$!
+    (
+      _waited=0
+      while [ "$_waited" -lt "$_duration" ]; do
+        sleep 5
+        kill -0 "$_cmd_pid" 2>/dev/null || exit 0
+        _waited=$((_waited + 5))
+      done
+      kill -TERM "$_cmd_pid" 2>/dev/null
+      sleep 10
+      kill -KILL "$_cmd_pid" 2>/dev/null
+    ) >/dev/null 2>&1 3>&- &
+    _watchdog_pid=$!
+    wait "$_cmd_pid" || _rc=$?
+    kill "$_watchdog_pid" 2>/dev/null
+    wait "$_watchdog_pid" 2>/dev/null || :
+  } 3>&2 2>/dev/null
+  if [ "$_rc" -eq 143 ] || [ "$_rc" -eq 137 ]; then
+    _rc=124
+  fi
+  return "$_rc"
 }
 
 # --- Telemetry event --------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/codex/SKILL.md b/codex/SKILL.md
index 33228ff9b..574cdde57 100644
--- a/codex/SKILL.md
+++ b/codex/SKILL.md
@@ -986,7 +986,7 @@ cd "$_REPO_ROOT"
 # only fires if Bash's own timeout doesn't.
 _gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex review "IMPORTANT: Do NOT read or execute any files under ~/.claude/, ~/.agents/, .claude/skills/, or agents/. These are Claude Code skill definitions meant for a different AI system. Do NOT modify agents/openai.yaml. Stay focused on repository code only.
 
-Review the changes on this branch against the base branch <base>. Run git diff origin/<base>...HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff <base>...HEAD to see the diff and review only those changes." -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
+Review the changes on this branch against the base branch <base>. Run git diff origin/<base>...HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff <base>...HEAD to see the diff and review only those changes." -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
 _CODEX_EXIT=$?
 if [ "$_CODEX_EXIT" = "124" ]; then
   _gstack_codex_log_event "codex_timeout" "330"
@@ -1024,7 +1024,7 @@ _PROMPT_FILE=$(mktemp "$TMP_ROOT/codex-prompt-XXXXXX.txt")
   git diff "<base>...HEAD" 2>/dev/null
   printf '\nDIFF_END\n'
 } > "$_PROMPT_FILE"
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex exec -s read-only "$(cat "$_PROMPT_FILE")" -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex exec -s read-only "$(cat "$_PROMPT_FILE")" -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
 _CODEX_EXIT=$?
 rm -f "$_PROMPT_FILE"
 if [ "$_CODEX_EXIT" = "124" ]; then
@@ -1267,7 +1267,7 @@ fi
 # Fix 1+2: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper),
 # capture stderr to $TMPERR for auth error detection (was: 2>/dev/null).
 TMPERR=${TMPERR:-$(mktemp "$TMP_ROOT/codex-err-XXXXXX.txt")}
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 import sys, json
 turn_completed_count = 0
 for line in sys.stdin:
@@ -1422,7 +1422,7 @@ if [ -z "$PYTHON_CMD" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 # Fix 1: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper)
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 import sys, json
 for line in sys.stdin:
     line = line.strip()
@@ -1476,7 +1476,7 @@ if [ -z "$PYTHON_CMD" ]; then
 fi
 cd "$_REPO_ROOT" || exit 1
 # Fix 1: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper)
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec resume <session-id> "<prompt>" -c 'sandbox_mode="read-only"' -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec resume <session-id> "<prompt>" -c 'sandbox_mode="read-only"' -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 <same python streaming parser as above, with flush=True on all print() calls>
 "
 # Fix 1: same hang detection pattern as new-session block
@@ -1548,8 +1548,10 @@ uses them. If the user wants a specific model, pass `-m` through to codex.
 tasks (OpenAI issues #8545, #8402, #6931). Users can override with `--xhigh` flag
 (e.g., `/codex review --xhigh`) when they want maximum reasoning and are willing to wait.
 
-**Web search:** All codex commands use `--enable web_search_cached` so Codex can look up
-docs and APIs during review. This is OpenAI's cached index — fast, no extra cost.
+**Web search:** All codex commands pass `-c 'web_search="cached"'` so Codex can look up
+docs and APIs during review. This is OpenAI's cached index — fast, no extra cost. (Codex
+CLI ≥ 0.144 deprecated the older `--enable web_search_cached` flag; the `-c` override
+pins cached mode now that web search is on by default.)
 
 If the user specifies a model (e.g., `/codex review -m gpt-5.1-codex-max`
 or `/codex challenge -m gpt-5.2`), pass the `-m` flag through to codex.
diff --git a/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl b/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 333de7d8d..cc5aaac82 100644
--- a/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/codex/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ cd "$_REPO_ROOT"
 # only fires if Bash's own timeout doesn't.
 _gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex review "IMPORTANT: Do NOT read or execute any files under ~/.claude/, ~/.agents/, .claude/skills/, or agents/. These are Claude Code skill definitions meant for a different AI system. Do NOT modify agents/openai.yaml. Stay focused on repository code only.
 
-Review the changes on this branch against the base branch <base>. Run git diff origin/<base>...HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff <base>...HEAD to see the diff and review only those changes." -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
+Review the changes on this branch against the base branch <base>. Run git diff origin/<base>...HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff <base>...HEAD to see the diff and review only those changes." -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
 _CODEX_EXIT=$?
 if [ "$_CODEX_EXIT" = "124" ]; then
   _gstack_codex_log_event "codex_timeout" "330"
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ _PROMPT_FILE=$(mktemp "$TMP_ROOT/codex-prompt-XXXXXX.txt")
   git diff "<base>...HEAD" 2>/dev/null
   printf '\nDIFF_END\n'
 } > "$_PROMPT_FILE"
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex exec -s read-only "$(cat "$_PROMPT_FILE")" -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 330 codex exec -s read-only "$(cat "$_PROMPT_FILE")" -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR"
 _CODEX_EXIT=$?
 rm -f "$_PROMPT_FILE"
 if [ "$_CODEX_EXIT" = "124" ]; then
@@ -336,7 +336,7 @@ fi
 # Fix 1+2: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper),
 # capture stderr to $TMPERR for auth error detection (was: 2>/dev/null).
 TMPERR=${TMPERR:-$(mktemp "$TMP_ROOT/codex-err-XXXXXX.txt")}
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="high"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 import sys, json
 turn_completed_count = 0
 for line in sys.stdin:
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ if [ -z "$PYTHON_CMD" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 # Fix 1: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper)
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec "<prompt>" -C "$_REPO_ROOT" -s read-only -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 import sys, json
 for line in sys.stdin:
     line = line.strip()
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ if [ -z "$PYTHON_CMD" ]; then
 fi
 cd "$_REPO_ROOT" || exit 1
 # Fix 1: wrap with timeout (gtimeout/timeout fallback chain via probe helper)
-_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec resume <session-id> "<prompt>" -c 'sandbox_mode="read-only"' -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' --enable web_search_cached --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
+_gstack_codex_timeout_wrapper 600 codex exec resume <session-id> "<prompt>" -c 'sandbox_mode="read-only"' -c 'model_reasoning_effort="medium"' -c 'web_search="cached"' --json < /dev/null 2>"$TMPERR" | PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 "$PYTHON_CMD" -u -c "
 <same python streaming parser as above, with flush=True on all print() calls>
 "
 # Fix 1: same hang detection pattern as new-session block
@@ -617,8 +617,10 @@ uses them. If the user wants a specific model, pass `-m` through to codex.
 tasks (OpenAI issues #8545, #8402, #6931). Users can override with `--xhigh` flag
 (e.g., `/codex review --xhigh`) when they want maximum reasoning and are willing to wait.
 
-**Web search:** All codex commands use `--enable web_search_cached` so Codex can look up
-docs and APIs during review. This is OpenAI's cached index — fast, no extra cost.
+**Web search:** All codex commands pass `-c 'web_search="cached"'` so Codex can look up
+docs and APIs during review. This is OpenAI's cached index — fast, no extra cost. (Codex
+CLI ≥ 0.144 deprecated the older `--enable web_search_cached` flag; the `-c` override
+pins cached mode now that web search is on by default.)
 
 If the user specifies a model (e.g., `/codex review -m gpt-5.1-codex-max`
 or `/codex challenge -m gpt-5.2`), pass the `-m` flag through to codex.