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OpenAI Dots Custom Rules can allow supported actions, require approval, or block them. A useful rule does more than say “handle it”: it identifies the action, sets a clear boundary, says when the dot may proceed, and specifies what to do when information is missing. The seven criteria below are practical editorial guidance based on OpenAI’s documentation—not an official checklist. Custom Rules cannot override built-in safeguards, and OpenAI cautions that dots can make mistakes, so review consequential work.
What Custom Rules control—and what they do not
OpenAI describes dots as ChatGPT agents that can take on ongoing work and operate across connected apps. Custom Rules let users set behavior for supported actions: a dot may act without asking, act when pre-approved, ask before acting, or hand the task back to the user. OpenAI’s setup guidance describes choosing an action and its behavior, saving the rule, and reviewing it under Custom Rules. OpenAI Help Center
These controls operate within the capabilities of the dot and its connected services. They do not create a capability that is unavailable, and they do not supersede product safeguards or requirements for user takeover. OpenAI describes multiple safety layers, including plugin permissions, Custom Rules, automatic review of certain planned actions, and safety monitoring. Its examples include requiring the user to take over to change a password, and approval potentially being required to permanently delete data or install software. OpenAI Dots safety FAQ
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →OpenAI says users can follow a dot’s progress and redirect it, and advises reviewing consequential work. As OpenAI puts it: “Your dot can make mistakes, including when following your rules.” OpenAI Help Center
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Seven acceptance criteria for a clear rule
Use these checks to decide whether a rule is specific enough to guide an action. They are practical guidance derived from OpenAI’s documented controls and cautions, not an OpenAI-published standard.
- Name the action. Say what the dot may do, such as send a message or install software. Avoid vague instructions like “handle it.”
- Bound the scope. Identify the recipient, resource, project, or other boundary when relevant. “Send the update to the project team” is more constrained than “send an update.”
- State observable conditions. Explain what must be true before the dot proceeds. Say what to do if a required detail is missing or ambiguous—for example, ask rather than guess.
- Choose the approval behavior. Make clear whether the dot may act without asking, may act on an action explicitly requested in the prompt, should ask first, or should hand the task back to you.
- Keep permission from expanding. Limit approval to what was authorized. OpenAI notes that an approved message does not automatically grant ongoing permission to contact that person, and a one-time approval is not blanket permission for other recipients or future actions.
- Respect built-in controls. Do not write a rule as if it can bypass safety requirements or a required user takeover. Custom Rules cannot override built-in safeguards.
- Set a review point. For consequential work, check the result rather than treating the rule as a guarantee of correct execution.
A practical pattern for drafting a rule
Use this as a writing aid, not as a quoted OpenAI rule or a guarantee that the action is supported:
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For [specific action] involving [bounded recipient or resource], proceed only when [clear condition]. If [required detail] is missing or ambiguous, ask me. Use [approval behavior]. Do not treat this rule as permission for other actions.
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For example, a message-sending rule should identify who may receive the message and what condition permits sending. If the recipient or required content is unclear, specify that the dot should ask. An approval for one message should not be phrased as continuing permission to message that recipient or anyone else.
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Choose approval behavior deliberately
OpenAI’s Help Center describes four behaviors in user-facing language. The distinctions matter: “pre-approved” means an action explicitly requested in the prompt, not standing permission for unspecified future work.
- Take action without asking: Use only where the action is supported and the scope and conditions are sufficiently clear.
- Take action if pre-approved: The prompt must explicitly request the action. This is not blanket permission for future actions.
- Ask before taking action: The dot requests approval before proceeding.
- Hand off to you: The dot returns the action or task for you to handle.
OpenAI also notes that recurring messages may in some cases be approved in advance. Approval remains limited to what was authorized; it should not be treated as permission to contact someone in other circumstances. OpenAI Dots safety FAQ
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Custom Rules are not Custom Instructions
The names are similar, but the controls serve different purposes. Custom Instructions shape how ChatGPT responds; Dots Custom Rules govern supported actions, including whether a dot may act, needs approval, or should not take an action. They are complementary, not interchangeable. OpenAI Help Center: Custom Instructions
OpenAI’s current Help Center page says Custom Instructions are available across plans and gives separate settings paths for web/desktop and mobile. The original announcement, dated July 20, 2023, described tailoring ChatGPT responses and a beta rollout that began with Plus; that is historical context, not a guide to current availability or settings. Current Custom Instructions help · July 20, 2023 announcement
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What Enterprise workspace admins should check
OpenAI’s workspace-controls page says “Use custom rules for dots” is off by default in Enterprise workspaces, and admins control whether members can add or edit rules. Default action rules still apply when Custom Rules are unavailable. Disabling Custom Rules does not make every action require approval, and Custom Rules cannot override built-in safeguards. Because workspace policy and product availability can change, admins should check their current settings rather than infer permissions from a general description. OpenAI Help Center: workspace controls
Match the rule to the dot’s actual capabilities
A rule can govern only actions the dot and connected service support. OpenAI says proactive research, for example, cannot directly message people, change content through plugins, or control a browser or computer. Do not write a Custom Rule as though it can grant those abilities. Check the relevant product and workspace controls for the action you intend to govern. OpenAI Dots safety FAQ
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