How to create your dot in ChatGPT

Creating a dot takes a few minutes, but where you do it matters: setup only works on a computer. This page covers what OpenAI documents about setup, from who can start to what the handle looks like, and then suggests what to do in your first session so your dot is useful from day one.

Before you start

Run through this list first. Each item comes from OpenAI’s help center or release notes. If one fails, the create option usually won’t show up at all.

• An eligible plan. Dots are rolling out to Pro users in markets outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK, and to Business Premium users in all supported ChatGPT regions. Enterprise users can try the beta once a workspace admin turns it on, since it is off by default. See availability and pricing.
• Age 18 or older. OpenAI says dots are not yet available to users under 18.
• A supported region. For Pro, that means outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK at launch.
• A computer. You need the ChatGPT desktop app or ChatGPT in a desktop browser.
• Some patience. “Dots are rolling out gradually. Access may take several days to reach your account.”

If everything checks out and you still see nothing, go to dots not showing.

Where you can create a dot

Here is the same information by device. Creating and talking are separate steps, and they have different rules.

Device	Create a dot	Talk to your dot afterward
ChatGPT desktop app (also on Windows)	Yes	Yes
ChatGPT on desktop web	Yes	Yes
ChatGPT mobile app	No	Yes, “when mobile access is available”
ChatGPT on mobile web	No	Not supported

Step by step

OpenAI describes setup as an onboarding flow in ChatGPT. It doesn’t publish every screen, so the steps below stick to what it does document.

1. Open ChatGPT on a computer. Use the desktop app or a desktop browser, signed in to your eligible account.
2. Follow the onboarding. ChatGPT walks you through creating your primary dot. In OpenAI’s words, you can “start with your primary dot, give it a name, and make it your own.”
3. Name your dot. Your handle starts as @yourname-dot. After you name your dot, it changes to @yourname-agentname.
4. Pick a look. “You can choose from the available characters or select a pet for your dot. Your dot may also generate a pet for you.”
5. Finish setup, then keep going. Your dot now has a profile, which on desktop shows its activity under In progress, Scheduled, and Completed.

Naming and changing your dot later

The name isn’t permanent. To change it or the avatar, select your dot’s name or avatar to open its profile, then choose the pencil icon.

After setup: where to talk to your dot

Once your dot exists, you are no longer tied to the desktop for conversations.

• Mobile app. “After creating your dot, you can talk to it in the ChatGPT mobile app when mobile access is available.”
• Messaging channels. OpenAI says to “use desktop to connect messaging channels, such as Slack or texting.” Texting is a limited beta for Pro users in the US. See texting your dot.
• Desktop and web. OpenAI’s announcement says you can message or call dots in ChatGPT on desktop, web, and mobile.

Plan to do channel setup at your computer, even if you mostly use your phone afterward.

Your first three moves

A new dot knows little about your work. These three steps give it the access, the limits, and a first job.

1. Connect the apps it needs. Connected apps give your dot access to information, and it can review that information proactively and form memories from it. Start with one or two. See connect apps.
2. Review the default custom rules. Rules decide which actions your dot takes on its own, which need your confirmation, and which it hands back to you. Check them before you give it anything that sends messages. See custom rules.
3. Give it a small first task. Describe what you want in plain language, and attach files with the + button if they help.

What setup costs

OpenAI’s announcement says your first dot is included in your Pro or Business Premium plan at no extra cost. For the next month, OpenAI says dots usage won’t count toward eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users’ plan allowances, and it will share usage terms for each plan after that. Details are on the pricing page.