OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Work: A Codex-Sibling Agent for Long-Running Deliverables

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Work, a new agent inside ChatGPT that OpenAI says is powered by Codex and GPT-5.6. Per OpenAI, Work can take action across your apps and files, stay with a project for hours if needed, and turn a goal into finished work. It sits alongside Chat and Codex as a distinct mode, aimed at long-running research and finished deliverables rather than quick answers or software development. (OpenAI on X, OpenAI Help Center)

Key Takeaways

• New agent mode: OpenAI says ChatGPT Work is a new agent in ChatGPT, powered by Codex and GPT-5.6, that takes action across your apps and files and can stay on a project for hours.
• Three modes now: Per OpenAI's help center, ChatGPT includes Chat (questions and conversation), Work (longer research and finished materials), and Codex (the dedicated software-development agent).
• Work vs Codex: Choose Work for research and deliverables such as a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report, or Site; choose Codex for writing and debugging code, running tests, reviewing changes, or working with a repository.
• Rollout: OpenAI says Work rolled out on web and mobile to Pro, Enterprise, and Edu first, then Plus and Business over the following days. In the desktop app, Chat, Work, and Codex are on every plan including Free, globally.
• File access caveat: Work on web and mobile runs in the cloud and cannot directly reach files on your computer. Desktop Work can use local files and apps with permission, and those files stay local unless you move or share them.
• Automation: Per OpenAI, Work can run once, repeat on a schedule or trigger, or monitor for changes through Scheduled Tasks, and you can review progress, redirect it, and approve important actions.

What OpenAI Announced

OpenAI positions ChatGPT Work as a shift beyond answering questions to getting real work done across web, mobile, and desktop. Per OpenAI, you can ask Work to take on entire workflows with a single request, and it will understand goals and use context. OpenAI says Work is powered by GPT-5.6, which it credits with reasoning through complex tasks and creating materials that match templates, reference files, and preferred style. (OpenAI on X)

The framing is that Work turns a goal into a finished deliverable. Per OpenAI's help center, Work can research a topic, analyze information, or create a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report, or Site. (OpenAI Help Center)

Work vs Codex: The Split That Matters

OpenAI is drawing a clear line between its two agents. Per the help center, Codex remains the dedicated agent for software development and technical work, while Work takes on longer research and creates finished materials. The guidance is direct: choose Work for research and deliverables, or Codex for software development. (OpenAI Help Center)

Per OpenAI, Work follows the same usage structure as Codex; OpenAI points to the Codex pricing page for how included usage and additional credits work, and notes Work usage varies by task. We are not quoting specific pricing here because OpenAI did not attach figures to this announcement. (OpenAI Help Center)

This lands on top of OpenAI's recent GPT-5.6 preview and the earlier Codex arriving in the ChatGPT mobile app.

Rollout and Eligibility

Per OpenAI, on web and mobile ChatGPT Work rolled out first to Pro, Enterprise, and Edu plans, and then to Plus and Business over the following days. In the ChatGPT desktop app, Chat, Work, and Codex are available on every plan, including Free, and are available globally. (OpenAI on X)

OpenAI's help center adds that Work is gradually rolling out to eligible accounts over the coming days, and if it is unavailable, your account may not have access yet. Work is available on ChatGPT web and mobile for eligible paid plans, and in the desktop app when included for your plan and workspace. (OpenAI Help Center)

Cloud vs Desktop: The File-Access Caveat

The most important operational detail is where Work can and cannot reach your files. Per OpenAI's help center:

• Web and mobile Work runs in the cloud and cannot directly access files on your computer.
• Desktop Work can also use local files and desktop apps with your permission. When you open a local folder or project, grant access only to the files the task needs; local files and outputs stay on that computer unless you explicitly move or share them.
• At launch, cloud Work conversations do not appear in desktop Work, and desktop Work threads and local files stay on that computer.

For Codex specifically, OpenAI notes Codex is available as a mode in the desktop app and can work with local folders, repositories, terminals, and developer tools. Codex is not selectable on web or mobile, though supported desktop Codex tasks can be accessed from the Remote tab in the ChatGPT mobile app, and those tasks do not become web or mobile chat history. (OpenAI Help Center)

Automation: Scheduled Tasks

Per OpenAI, Work can run once, repeat on a schedule or trigger, or monitor for changes through Scheduled Tasks. While a task runs, you can review progress, answer Work's questions, change direction, and approve important actions. This is the piece that makes Work more than a one-shot deliverable generator: it can operate as a standing job that watches for changes and acts. (OpenAI Help Center)

What We Are (and Aren't) Claiming

This piece is built on OpenAI's official X announcement and the linked OpenAI help center article. We are claiming only what OpenAI stated: the existence and purpose of ChatGPT Work, the Chat/Work/Codex split, the rollout and eligibility details, the cloud-vs-desktop file-access behavior, and the Scheduled Tasks automation. We are not adding benchmark scores, specific pricing, or capability claims beyond OpenAI's stated text, and where the source announcement text was truncated we have not completed the sentences.

Sources

• OpenAI announcement on X (Jul 9, 2026) -- https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2075274271845404744
• OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT Work and Codex -- https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001275-chatgpt-work-and-codex