What are ChatGPT dots?

Dots are OpenAI’s new always-on agents, launched on September 29, 2026. If you already use ChatGPT, the easiest way to understand a dot is to compare it with the chat you know. A chat answers while you are in it. A dot is set up to keep working on a goal after you leave. This page covers what OpenAI has documented so far and where the gaps still are.

The short definition

The announcement adds that dots can “work towards your goals 24/7” and, through OpenAI’s plugin ecosystem, “readily connect to over 4,000 apps.” You give your dot a goal, decide what it may do on its own, and it comes back to you for decisions that need your judgment.

Regular ChatGPT chat vs your dot

The right-hand column below is what OpenAI documents about dots. The left-hand column is a plain-language contrast for orientation, not a technical claim about how ChatGPT works internally.

	Regular ChatGPT chat	Your dot
When it works	While you are in the conversation	Keeps making progress between conversations
Where the work runs	In the chat you’re looking at	On its own cloud computer, which you can open from its profile
Starting work	You send a message	Can also start without a new message: background research, proactive review of connected apps, scheduled reminders and recurring tasks
Channels	ChatGPT apps and web	ChatGPT on desktop, web and mobile; Slack and Teams per the announcement; texting as a limited beta
Memory	ChatGPT memory, if you have it on	Receives memories from ChatGPT and creates its own, including from connected apps
Usage limits	Counts toward your plan’s ChatGPT limits	Conversations with your dot don’t count toward ChatGPT usage limits; tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do
Who can use it	All ChatGPT plans	Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise beta at launch. See availability

Its own cloud computer

Each dot has a cloud computer it works on. From your dot’s profile on desktop you can see activity grouped as In progress, Scheduled and Completed, and you can open the dot’s computer from there. OpenAI’s help center notes that on mobile, the computer opens in your control.

Separately, you can give your dot permission to use your own laptop. That is optional and starts turned off. You connect a computer from the ChatGPT desktop app on that machine, and you can revoke access later. Details are in our local computer access guide.

Proactive research is read-only

A dot doesn’t only wait for instructions. OpenAI says it can review information from your connected apps proactively and form memories from it. That background work is deliberately limited.

Anything that acts on the outside world goes through your custom rules and OpenAI’s built-in approvals. The most sensitive actions, such as changing a password or transferring money, always come back to you.

Where you can talk to your dot

• ChatGPT desktop, web and mobile. OpenAI says you can message or call dots in ChatGPT on all three. You create the dot on desktop, then use the mobile app afterwards.
• Slack and Teams. The announcement names both. The help center currently documents Slack, set up from desktop. It doesn’t yet describe a Teams setup.
• Texting. The announcement said texting was “coming soon.” The help center now describes it as a limited beta run through a third-party provider, open only to Pro users in the US and not to every one of them. See texting your dot.

OpenAI says dots “carry context across every channel,” so a thread started in Slack and continued in the app is meant to be one ongoing piece of work.

Memory

Your dot receives memories from ChatGPT and can also create its own, including from connected apps. Conversations with your dot can in turn contribute to memory in ChatGPT. Turning off ChatGPT Memory stops that sharing, but it doesn’t delete what your dot already received.

One dot now, more later

At launch you start with one primary dot. You can name it, pick a character or pet, and make it your own. OpenAI’s stated direction is “teams of dots working together,” and the pricing section of the announcement says you’ll be able to add more dots in the future. No date or price has been published for that.

For organizations, OpenAI is previewing specialist dots. According to the announcement, they have their own identity, can run on IT-provisioned hardware, and start with focused enterprise pilots. OpenAI also says a Microsoft Agent 365 integration is in progress. None of this is part of the standard rollout yet.

What it can’t do at launch

OpenAI’s help center lists a few limits plainly:

1. It can’t call you. You can call your dot, but it cannot start a call to you at launch.
2. It has no email address of its own. You can connect your personal email, but you can’t give your dot a standalone address.
3. It can’t be created on mobile. Setup happens in the ChatGPT desktop app, including on Windows, or in ChatGPT on desktop web. Mobile web isn’t supported at all.
4. It isn’t for under-18s. OpenAI says dots are not yet available to users under 18.

Where to go next

• Check whether your plan and region have access: availability.
• Ready to set one up: create your dot.
• Decide what it may do on its own: custom rules.
• Comparing agents: dots vs Meta Muse.