diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/manager.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/manager.rs
index a751847055f..e35b942c082 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/manager.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/manager.rs
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ use crate::models_manager::model_presets::builtin_model_presets;
 const MODEL_CACHE_FILE: &str = "models_cache.json";
 const DEFAULT_MODEL_CACHE_TTL: Duration = Duration::from_secs(300);
 const MODELS_REFRESH_TIMEOUT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(5);
-const OPENAI_DEFAULT_API_MODEL: &str = "gpt-5.1-codex-max";
+const OPENAI_DEFAULT_API_MODEL: &str = "gpt-5.2-codex";
 const OPENAI_DEFAULT_CHATGPT_MODEL: &str = "gpt-5.2-codex";
 const CODEX_AUTO_BALANCED_MODEL: &str = "codex-auto-balanced";
 
diff --git a/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/model_presets.rs b/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/model_presets.rs
index 003995c8959..e60b229ec7b 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/model_presets.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/src/models_manager/model_presets.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ static PRESETS: Lazy<Vec<ModelPreset>> = Lazy::new(|| {
             is_default: true,
             upgrade: None,
             show_in_picker: true,
-            supported_in_api: false,
+            supported_in_api: true,
         },
         ModelPreset {
             id: "gpt-5.1-codex-max".to_string(),
diff --git a/codex-rs/core/tests/suite/list_models.rs b/codex-rs/core/tests/suite/list_models.rs
index dc9d25ddbf7..5f21e94537b 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core/tests/suite/list_models.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core/tests/suite/list_models.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ async fn list_models_returns_chatgpt_models() -> Result<()> {
 
 fn expected_models_for_api_key() -> Vec<ModelPreset> {
     vec![
+        gpt_52_codex(),
         gpt_5_1_codex_max(),
         gpt_5_1_codex_mini(),
         gpt_5_2(),
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ fn gpt_52_codex() -> ModelPreset {
         is_default: true,
         upgrade: None,
         show_in_picker: true,
-        supported_in_api: false,
+        supported_in_api: true,
     }
 }
 
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ fn gpt_5_1_codex_max() -> ModelPreset {
                 "Extra high reasoning depth for complex problems",
             ),
         ],
-        is_default: true,
+        is_default: false,
         upgrade: Some(gpt52_codex_upgrade()),
         show_in_picker: true,
         supported_in_api: true,
diff --git a/codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap b/codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
index 3bcf7746c1a..905925709e3 100644
--- a/codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
+++ b/codex-rs/tui/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ expression: popup
   Select Model and Effort
   Access legacy models by running codex -m <model_name> or in your config.toml
 
-› 1. gpt-5.1-codex-max (default)  Codex-optimized flagship for deep and fast
-                                  reasoning.
-  2. gpt-5.1-codex-mini           Optimized for codex. Cheaper, faster, but
-                                  less capable.
-  3. gpt-5.2                      Latest frontier model with improvements
-                                  across knowledge, reasoning and coding
+› 1. gpt-5.2-codex (default)  Latest frontier agentic coding model.
+  2. gpt-5.1-codex-max        Codex-optimized flagship for deep and fast
+                              reasoning.
+  3. gpt-5.1-codex-mini       Optimized for codex. Cheaper, faster, but less
+                              capable.
+  4. gpt-5.2                  Latest frontier model with improvements across
+                              knowledge, reasoning and coding
 
   Press enter to select reasoning effort, or esc to dismiss.
diff --git a/codex-rs/tui2/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui2__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap b/codex-rs/tui2/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui2__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
index dbe1f2e7cc4..190f9c29332 100644
--- a/codex-rs/tui2/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui2__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
+++ b/codex-rs/tui2/src/chatwidget/snapshots/codex_tui2__chatwidget__tests__model_selection_popup.snap
@@ -5,11 +5,12 @@ expression: popup
   Select Model and Effort
   Access legacy models by running codex -m <model_name> or in your config.toml
 
-› 1. gpt-5.1-codex-max (default)  Codex-optimized flagship for deep and fast
-                                  reasoning.
-  2. gpt-5.1-codex-mini           Optimized for codex. Cheaper, faster, but
-                                  less capable.
-  3. gpt-5.2                      Latest frontier model with improvements
-                                  across knowledge, reasoning and coding
+› 1. gpt-5.2-codex (default)  Latest frontier agentic coding model.
+  2. gpt-5.1-codex-max        Codex-optimized flagship for deep and fast
+                              reasoning.
+  3. gpt-5.1-codex-mini       Optimized for codex. Cheaper, faster, but less
+                              capable.
+  4. gpt-5.2                  Latest frontier model with improvements across
+                              knowledge, reasoning and coding
 
   Press enter to select reasoning effort, or esc to dismiss.