diff --git a/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py b/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
index 8779ef3f12..635838a324 100644
--- a/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
+++ b/agent/chat_completion_helpers.py
@@ -785,13 +785,18 @@ def should_use_direct_api_call(agent) -> bool:
     thread pools that wedge before the socket opens when the request is pushed onto
     yet another daemon worker. Running inline drops the deepest layer; interrupts
     still work because the inline path registers ``agent._active_request_abort``,
-    which ``interrupt()`` invokes cross-thread (#72227). Native/Codex/Bedrock/MoA
-    keep their workers: their cancellation and client ownership differ.
+    which ``interrupt()`` invokes cross-thread (#72227). Cron also inlines Codex
+    Responses (#69734): its dispatch builds the client via ``make_client``, so the
+    inline stale watchdog aborts it like a chat_completions call. Delegated children
+    and Native/Bedrock/MoA keep their workers: cancellation and client ownership differ.
     """
-    if getattr(agent, "api_mode", None) != "chat_completions" or getattr(agent, "provider", None) == "moa":
+    api_mode = getattr(agent, "api_mode", None)
+    if getattr(agent, "provider", None) == "moa":
         return False
     if getattr(agent, "platform", None) == "cron":
-        return True
+        return api_mode in {"chat_completions", "codex_responses"}
+    if api_mode != "chat_completions":
+        return False
     # Delegated child — via the execution ContextVar set by _run_single_child,
     # with the agent's platform stamp as a fallback for callers that bypass it.
     with contextlib.suppress(Exception):
@@ -953,7 +958,7 @@ class _InlineRequest:
             return newly_stale
 
     def make_client(self, reason: str, kind: str = "openai"):
-        # Only OpenAI-wire requests reach direct_api_call; ``kind`` exists
+        # Only OpenAI-wire / Codex requests reach direct_api_call; ``kind`` exists
         # for signature parity with the dispatch helper.
         client = self.agent._create_request_openai_client(reason=reason, api_kwargs=self.api_kwargs)
         with self.lock:
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_cron_inline_api_call.py b/tests/agent/test_cron_inline_api_call.py
index 5422b5d67c..7aed428aaf 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_cron_inline_api_call.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_cron_inline_api_call.py
@@ -46,7 +46,11 @@ def test_should_use_direct_api_call_only_for_cron_openai_wire():
     assert should_use_direct_api_call(_make_agent(platform="telegram")) is False
     assert should_use_direct_api_call(_make_agent(platform=None)) is False
 
-    for api_mode in ("codex_responses", "anthropic_messages", "bedrock_converse"):
+    codex = _make_agent(platform="cron")
+    codex.api_mode = "codex_responses"
+    assert should_use_direct_api_call(codex) is True  # #69734
+
+    for api_mode in ("anthropic_messages", "bedrock_converse"):
         agent = _make_agent(platform="cron")
         agent.api_mode = api_mode
         assert should_use_direct_api_call(agent) is False
diff --git a/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call.py b/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call.py
index 40d5d20699..ccea3f8f61 100644
--- a/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call.py
+++ b/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call.py
@@ -35,7 +35,11 @@ def test_should_use_direct_api_call_only_for_cron_openai_wire():
     assert should_use_direct_api_call(_make_agent(platform="telegram")) is False
     assert should_use_direct_api_call(_make_agent(platform=None)) is False
 
-    for api_mode in ("codex_responses", "anthropic_messages", "bedrock_converse"):
+    codex = _make_agent(platform="cron")
+    codex.api_mode = "codex_responses"
+    assert should_use_direct_api_call(codex) is True  # #69734
+
+    for api_mode in ("anthropic_messages", "bedrock_converse"):
         agent = _make_agent(platform="cron")
         agent.api_mode = api_mode
         assert should_use_direct_api_call(agent) is False
diff --git a/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call_watchdog.py b/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call_watchdog.py
index c996306782..d1089f6f36 100644
--- a/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call_watchdog.py
+++ b/tests/cron/test_cron_direct_api_call_watchdog.py
@@ -87,6 +87,29 @@ def test_stalled_inline_call_is_aborted_and_raises_retryable_timeout():
 
 
 
+def test_stalled_inline_codex_call_is_bounded_by_stale_watchdog():
+    """#69734: cron Codex runs inline, bypassing the worker-only TTFB/idle
+    watchdogs — the inline stale watchdog must still abort a silent Codex stream."""
+    agent = _make_agent(stale_timeout=0.2)
+    agent.api_mode = "codex_responses"
+    aborted: list[str] = []
+    released = threading.Event()
+    agent._abort_request_openai_client.side_effect = lambda client, reason: (aborted.append(reason), released.set())
+
+    def _silent_codex_stream(api_kwargs, client=None, on_first_delta=None):
+        assert client is agent._create_request_openai_client.return_value
+        if not released.wait(timeout=5.0):
+            raise AssertionError("watchdog never aborted the stalled Codex stream")
+        raise ConnectionError("socket shut down")
+
+    agent._run_codex_stream = _silent_codex_stream
+    started = time.time()
+    with pytest.raises(TimeoutError):
+        direct_api_call(agent, {"model": "gpt-5-codex", "input": []})
+    assert aborted == ["stale_call_kill"]
+    assert time.time() - started < 4.0, "inline watchdog did not bound the Codex call"
+
+
 def test_watchdog_kill_feeds_the_cross_turn_stale_circuit_breaker():
     """Without a bump the #58962 breaker can never trip for cron sessions."""
     agent = _make_agent(stale_timeout=0.2)