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OpenAI Dots are persistent AI agents inside ChatGPT. Give one an ongoing goal and it can continue working between conversations using a cloud computer, apps you connect, and saved context. It can act within the permissions and rules you set, then return for your input when a decision or approval is needed. That is different from a one-off chat—but “independent” does not mean unrestricted. Access is rolling out, and availability depends on your plan, region, and workspace settings.
What are OpenAI Dots?
A Dot is an always-on agent in ChatGPT designed to take responsibility for work that unfolds over time. OpenAI’s Help Center describes it as an agent that can keep making progress between conversations. Instead of repeating the background and next step each time, you give the Dot a goal, define what it may do, and let it track the work and return when it needs your judgment.
Each Dot has its own cloud computer and browser, and can use apps you choose to connect. Its cloud work can continue while your own devices are off. OpenAI says Dots are powered by GPT-6 Astra and can connect through its plugin ecosystem to more than 4,000 apps. That count is OpenAI’s 2026 product statement; it is not an independent audit or a promise that every integration supports every action.
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The key distinction from a conventional chat is persistence: a Dot can resume work as circumstances change, use relevant saved context, and communicate through supported channels. It is best understood as an ongoing workflow assistant—not a general-purpose user with unrestricted control of your accounts or computer.
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Can a Dot work across my apps?
Yes, when the apps you need are supported and you connect them with the appropriate permissions. You select services and review their access before connecting them. OpenAI says connected apps can supply information for assigned work and can be used for proactive review and memory formation.
Local-computer access is separate from app connections. It is optional and starts off; enabling it allows the Dot to access files and work on your computer. The desktop app is required to connect a local computer, and you can revoke that access.
Connecting an app does not mean every task is possible in it. What a Dot can see or do depends on the integration, the permissions granted, and the rules that apply to the task.
What can an OpenAI Dot do on its own?
A Dot can continue an assigned workflow, keep track of progress, use connected app information, and perform supported actions within its configured permissions. OpenAI’s examples include investigating a Slack bug, keeping a planning cycle on schedule, turning a design into a working app, and drafting creator materials for review. Its Help Center and ChatGPT Learn also describe workflows such as calendar review, research, reminders, tracking deadlines, updating proposals as requirements change, and revising study materials as measurements arrive. These are examples of intended use, not independently verified performance results.
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Proactive research is read-only
OpenAI says proactive background research uses connected apps with read-only tools. In this mode, the Dot cannot send messages, change app content, or control the browser or computer. This limit applies to proactive research; it does not mean that every other assigned task is read-only.
Other actions follow permissions and safeguards
For other supported work, app permissions, built-in rules, and any custom rules you set govern what the Dot can do. Some actions require your approval. Sensitive actions—for example, changing a password or transferring money—require you to take over. OpenAI also describes safeguards and safety monitoring, but those are the company’s statements about its controls, not a guarantee that errors cannot happen.
You can inspect activity, review task steps, add context, redirect work, or ask the Dot to stop. Stopping does not necessarily undo actions already completed; whether an action can be reversed depends on the action and the app. Review consequential results rather than assuming a stop command rolls them back.
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OpenAI says Dots are created in the ChatGPT desktop app or on desktop web. Mobile can be used to continue with a Dot when the supporting update is available, but current guidance says you cannot create a Dot on mobile and mobile web is unsupported. The desktop app is also required for local-computer access.
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As described in OpenAI’s Help Center, access is rolling out gradually:
- Pro: rollout is for users outside the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
- Business Premium: rollout is for users across supported ChatGPT regions.
- Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare: access is available when a workspace administrator enables the beta.
An account that fits one of these categories may not have access yet because the rollout is gradual. Check the current Help Center guidance and your workspace settings before relying on availability. OpenAI says the first Dot is included in Pro or Business Premium at no extra cost, with an allowance for deeper work and extended limits for the first month after launch. The published guidance does not establish durable future quotas or a comparable total cost.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens to a Dot’s memory and data?
A Dot can retain conversation and plugin context for as long as the Dot exists. OpenAI says users currently cannot view, delete, or directly edit individual Dot memories. Disconnecting an app stops future access through that connection, but it does not erase information already incorporated into the Dot’s context. Deleting the Dot removes its own context; files, Codex threads, and ChatGPT conversations it created may be stored separately.
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For its safety and app controls, OpenAI says Dots use existing ChatGPT app permissions and include safeguards against malicious instructions. These are descriptions of the company’s controls, not independent assurances that a Dot will always interpret instructions correctly.
Is an OpenAI Dot right for your workflow?
A Dot is most relevant when work spans multiple conversations and benefits from ongoing context—for example, tracking an evolving proposal, keeping a project schedule current, or preparing material for your review as new information arrives. For a single question or a task that should not retain context or act through connected services, an ordinary ChatGPT conversation may be a better fit.
Before assigning meaningful work, decide which apps and data it needs, what actions it may take without asking, and which steps should wait for your approval. Start with a task whose progress and results you can check. OpenAI’s materials do not establish a controlled performance comparison with other agents or independent reliability measures, so documented features are a sounder basis for evaluating Dots than claims that they outperform alternatives.
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Quick Recap
Official sources
- OpenAI: Introducing dots
- OpenAI Help Center: Getting started with your dot
- OpenAI Help Center: Dots privacy, security, and safety FAQs
- ChatGPT Learn: Meet dots
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