OpenAI Launches dots: Always-On Agents in ChatGPT With Their Own Cloud Computer
OpenAI's dots are always-on agents in ChatGPT, powered by GPT-6 Astra, that keep working between conversations using their own cloud computer and the apps you connect. They are rolling out gradually to eligible Pro users outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK and to Business Premium, and usage won't count toward eligible plan allowances for the next month.
OpenAI introduced dots at DevDay 2026 on September 29: always-on agents in ChatGPT that can take on ongoing work and keep making progress between conversations. You give your dot a goal, connect the apps it needs, and define what it can do on its own. Powered by GPT-6 Astra, your dot has its own cloud computer and can bring results back for your review. (ChatGPT release notes)
The short verdict: if you are on Pro outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK or on Business Premium and you have recurring work that spans your calendar, inbox, Slack, and code, set one up this week, because usage is not metered against your plan for the first month. If you need predictable costs, a shared team agent, or Pro access in the EEA, Switzerland, or the UK, wait. The same keynote brought GPT-6.1 Sol and a new Pro 500 plan with Astra Ultrafast; dots run on GPT-6 Astra, not on the new Sol model.
Key Takeaways
- A dot is a standing agent, not a chat. OpenAI's help center says it can take on ongoing responsibility, keep making progress between conversations, and remember context for ongoing work. (OpenAI Help Center)
- It works on its own cloud computer. Access to your local computer is optional and starts turned off. (OpenAI Help Center)
- You set the autonomy. For some actions, you can set rules for what your dot can share, purchase, or access. (OpenAI Help Center)
- Access is narrow at launch: Pro and Business Premium users aged 18 and older, with Pro access excluding the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK. (ChatGPT release notes)
- The first month is off the meter. For the next month, dots usage won't count toward eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users' plan allowances, and OpenAI has not yet said what comes after. (OpenAI Help Center)
- It can hand work to Codex. Your dot can create cloud tasks in Codex cloud environments. (OpenAI Help Center)
- ChatGPT Space and the Meetings plugin launched alongside it as the shared workspace and meeting-notes layer. (ChatGPT release notes)
Who Can Get dots, and Where
Dots are rolling out gradually to eligible Pro and Business Premium users aged 18 and older in supported markets. Pro access excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK at launch. Enterprise access is a beta and is off by default. (ChatGPT release notes) The help center adds that dots are available to Business Premium users across all supported ChatGPT regions, and that access may take several days to reach your account. (OpenAI Help Center)
| Your plan | Access at launch | What to do now |
|---|---|---|
| Pro, outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK | Rolling out gradually | Watch for onboarding in the ChatGPT desktop app or desktop web |
| Pro in the EEA, Switzerland, or the UK | Excluded at launch | Nothing to set up yet |
| Business Premium | Rolling out gradually across all supported ChatGPT regions | Create a dot on desktop and connect the apps it needs |
| Enterprise | Beta, off by default | Ask your workspace admin to enable it |
OpenAI's DevDay recap extends the beta line to Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare users, who can try the beta when their workspace admin enables it; it is off by default. (OpenAI DevDay 2026 recap)
Dots run in ChatGPT on web, mobile, and desktop, but you cannot currently create a dot on mobile, and dots are not supported on mobile web. (OpenAI Help Center)
What a dot Does
A dot takes a goal instead of a single prompt. The help center says you give your dot a goal and define what it can do on its own; it can work through complex problems, figure out what needs to happen next, and bring results back for your review. It turns to you for decisions that need your judgment. (OpenAI Help Center)
The everyday examples in the help center are modest: review your calendar, research a topic, or remind you about something later. You can also ask it to run a recurring check, such as reviewing your calendar each morning and telling you what's coming up. (OpenAI Help Center) Bloomberg reports that OpenAI said its engineers are using the virtual assistant to fix dozens of software bugs per day. (Bloomberg)
Its Own Cloud Computer, Your Apps, and Memory
Your dot has its own cloud computer, and you can open that computer from its profile to view and interact with it. (OpenAI Help Center) If you connect a local machine through the ChatGPT desktop app, your dot can create Work or Codex tasks, use local skills, and use your local browser when its cloud browser is blocked. (OpenAI Help Center)
Connected apps are how a dot sees your work. You connect them as plugins, reviewing each app's permissions before connecting it, and your dot can also review that information proactively and form memories from it, even when you haven't asked a specific question about it. (OpenAI Help Center) CNBC reports that dots can connect to more than 4,000 apps and learn from feedback over time. (CNBC)
Memory has one sharp edge worth knowing before you connect anything sensitive. Disconnecting an app does not delete information your dot has already obtained from it. To delete that information, or your dot's own saved memories, you have to reset your dot, which deletes its conversations, saved memories, and scheduled tasks. (OpenAI Help Center)
What It Does on Its Own vs. What It Asks You
For some actions, you set the rules. In Custom rules, each rule gets one of four behaviors: Take action without asking, Take action if pre-approved, Ask before taking action, or Hand off to you. "Pre-approved" means you explicitly requested the action in your prompt. (OpenAI Help Center) Bloomberg quotes Sam Altman: "This allows you to trust your dot with as much responsibility as you're comfortable with." (Bloomberg)
Without a new message from you, your dot can research in the background and suggest ways to help, review connected information proactively, and run reminders or recurring tasks you've scheduled. You can pause your dot from the menu in its profile when you don't want it to continue. (OpenAI Help Center) OpenAI's own caveat applies to every rule you write: your dot can make mistakes, including when following your rules. (OpenAI Help Center)
Slack, Teams, Email, and Texting
You can connect your dot to Slack and set up messaging channels from desktop. You can also connect your personal email account, but at launch you cannot give your dot its own standalone email address, and your dot cannot initiate calls to you. (OpenAI Help Center) CNBC reports that users can message their dots within ChatGPT, Slack, and Teams. (CNBC)
Texting is the least available channel. Where available, texting uses a third-party provider and is offered as a limited beta, limited to Pro users in the US and not available in Business or Enterprise workspaces. (OpenAI Help Center) CNBC reports that OpenAI said texting is coming soon, so most Pro users should not expect it on day one. (CNBC)
How dots Usage Is Billed
There is no separate dots price yet. For the next month, dots usage won't count toward eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users' plan allowances. After this period, OpenAI says it will share usage terms for each plan. (ChatGPT release notes)
Use the free month to measure, not just to explore. An always-on agent on a frontier model with its own computer is the kind of workload that can eat an allowance, and nothing OpenAI published today says how dots will count once the month ends. If you are sizing a Pro tier around dots, read our Pro 500 and Astra Ultrafast coverage and hold the upgrade until the usage terms are out.
How to Set Up a dot
Setup happens on desktop. Create your dot in the ChatGPT desktop app or in ChatGPT on desktop web and follow the onboarding prompts; the desktop app is also available on Windows. (OpenAI Help Center)
- Create and name it. You can name your dot during setup. Its default handle is
@yourname-dot, and naming it changes the handle to@yourname-agentname. You can choose from the available characters or select a pet for your dot. (OpenAI Help Center) - Connect apps. On mobile, open your dot's profile and go to Customize, then Plugins; select a supported app and review its permissions before connecting it. (OpenAI Help Center)
- Write custom rules for the actions that support them before you give it a real goal.
- Connect messaging channels such as Slack from desktop, then talk to your dot in the ChatGPT mobile app when mobile access is available. (OpenAI Help Center)
- Optionally connect your computer. Local access starts turned off; turn it on through the ChatGPT desktop app on that computer. For Codex work, create the environment in Codex before asking your dot to use it. (OpenAI Help Center)
- Review its work. Your dot's profile on the desktop app shows activity under In progress, Scheduled, and Completed. (OpenAI Help Center)
ChatGPT Space and the Meetings Plugin
ChatGPT Space is the shared workspace that launched with dots. Space brings your Pages, files, and related work together in ChatGPT: you create a space for a project, add the material you need, and share it with other people. Space replaces Library for accounts with access, and your existing Projects remain separate. (ChatGPT release notes) OpenAI's recap pitches it as a dedicated space where teammates, ChatGPT, and your dot can build on shared knowledge. (OpenAI DevDay 2026 recap)
Space is available to eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users in the ChatGPT desktop app and on the web. Sharing in managed workspaces follows your organization's settings, and Enterprise sharing is an opt-in preview. (ChatGPT release notes) On mobile, the recap says finding, reading, and sharing pages is available, while mobile creation and editing are coming soon. (OpenAI DevDay 2026 recap)
The Meetings plugin feeds Space. It takes notes based on what's said in the meeting and saves personalized summaries with action items in ChatGPT Space, which you can keep private or share with your team. Audio is deleted once your notes are ready and can't be accessed or replayed. It is available in beta in the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS to Pro and Business users, with Enterprise coming soon. (ChatGPT release notes)
How dots Compare: Codex, Workspace Agents, Muse, and Claude Code Routines
Dots sit above OpenAI's other agents rather than replacing them. TechCrunch's read is that much of this functionality was already possible through Codex and similar agentic harnesses, and that dots bundle those features into a new package focused on independent agentic actions. (TechCrunch)
| Agent | Who it serves | How it runs | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAI dots | One person on Pro or Business Premium | Own cloud computer, connected apps, memory, custom rules | You want a standing assistant across your apps |
| Codex | Developers | Cloud tasks in reusable environments, or locally | The work is code in a repository |
| ChatGPT workspace agents | Business and Enterprise teams | Shared agents built for repeatable workflows, scheduled or in Slack | A team needs one governed agent for a known process |
| Meta Muse | Consumers | Meta's agent, which Bloomberg says takes on tasks like online shopping | You want a consumer assistant rather than a work agent |
| Claude Code Routines | Claude Code users on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise | Saved Claude Code configurations run on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure | The trigger is a schedule, an API call, or a GitHub event |
Codex. Your dot can create cloud tasks in Codex cloud environments, and with local computer access it can create Work or Codex tasks. (OpenAI Help Center) Codex Cloud itself gives each task its own isolated workspace, and tasks can continue while your computer is asleep. (ChatGPT release notes) Treat the dot as the dispatcher and Codex as the place the code actually gets written.
Workspace agents. ChatGPT workspace agents let you build agents for repeatable tasks and workflows, test them before publishing, connect them to apps and tools, share them with your workspace, use them in Slack, and run them on a schedule. (OpenAI Help Center: workspace agents) The difference is ownership: a workspace agent is a published workflow you can share with your workspace, while a dot is your own agent with your memories and your connected accounts.
Meta Muse. Semafor called dots a new competitor to Meta's popular Muse system and reported that Muse has been downloaded more than 3 million times. (Semafor) TechCrunch noted that the dots branding presents a bubbly, cartoonish persona similar to Muse. (TechCrunch) CNBC reports that Altman said Muse "seems like a nice product" but that he is not threatened by Mark Zuckerberg. (CNBC)
Claude Code Routines. Anthropic's closest product that we have covered is Claude Code Routines: a routine is a saved Claude Code configuration that executes on Anthropic-managed cloud infrastructure and triggers on a schedule, an API call, or GitHub events. Routines are in research preview and available on Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. (Claude Code docs) Routines are repository-first; dots are person-first.
Enterprise direction. TechCrunch reports that individual dots can be provisioned with specific identities, credentials, and tools through existing systems, and that OpenAI is working with Microsoft to integrate into its Agent 365 security controls. (TechCrunch) Bloomberg reports OpenAI is testing specialist dots aimed at enterprise customers for things like email marketing, accounting, and legal analysis. (Bloomberg)
Verdict: Who Should Try dots Now
Try a dot now if you hold an eligible Pro or Business Premium seat and have recurring, cross-app chores: a morning calendar and inbox brief, a standing research watch, follow-ups after meetings, or handing well-scoped fixes to a Codex environment you already maintain. The unmetered first month is the right time to find out how much of that work it can carry and what it would cost you.
Dots are not yet the right tool for:
- Team processes that need one governed owner. Use workspace agents for those; a dot belongs to one person.
- Cost-sensitive workloads. Usage terms after the first month are unpublished.
- Sensitive data you may want to pull back selectively. Disconnecting an app does not delete what your dot already learned from it; only a full reset does.
- Mobile-first or phone-first use. You cannot create a dot on mobile, it cannot call you, and texting is a limited US beta.
- Pro users in the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK, who are excluded at launch.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center, "Getting started with your dot": https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001530-getting-started-with-your-dot
- OpenAI Help Center, "ChatGPT release notes," September 29, 2026 entries: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes
- OpenAI, "DevDay 2026 Recap," September 29, 2026: https://openai.com/index/devday-2026-recap/
- OpenAI Help Center, "ChatGPT Workspace Agents for Enterprise and Business": https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001143-chatgpt-workspace-agents-for-enterprise-and-business
- Claude Code docs, "Automate work with routines": https://code.claude.com/docs/en/routines
- TechCrunch, "OpenAI launches Dots, its bubbly agentic avatar," September 29, 2026: https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/29/openai-launches-dots-its-bubbly-agentic-avatar/
- CNBC, "OpenAI DevDay 2026 live updates," September 29, 2026: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/openai-devday-2026-live-updates.html
- Bloomberg, "OpenAI Unveils Always-On AI Agent Dots, New $500 Paid Tier," September 29, 2026: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-29/openai-unveils-always-on-ai-agent-dots-new-500-paid-tier
- Semafor, "OpenAI unveils its Muse competitor: Dots," September 29, 2026: https://www.semafor.com/article/09/29/2026/openai-unveils-its-muse-competitor-dots
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a dot in ChatGPT?
A dot is an always-on agent in ChatGPT that can take on ongoing work and keep making progress between conversations. OpenAI says it is powered by GPT-6 Astra, has its own cloud computer, works across the apps you connect, and brings results back for your review.
Who can use OpenAI's dots?
Dots are rolling out gradually to eligible Pro and Business Premium users aged 18 and older. Pro access excludes the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK at launch. Enterprise access is a beta that is off by default, so a workspace admin has to enable it.
How much do dots cost?
OpenAI has not published dots pricing. For the next month, dots usage won't count toward eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise users' plan allowances. After that period, OpenAI says it will share usage terms for each plan, so treat the first month as a free trial of the workload.
Can a dot use my own computer?
Only if you allow it. Your dot has its own cloud computer, and access to your local computer is optional and starts turned off. You connect a computer through the ChatGPT desktop app on that machine, and you confirm Revoke access to stop your dot working on it.
How are dots different from Codex and workspace agents?
A dot is a personal agent with its own memory and cloud computer, and it can create cloud tasks in Codex cloud environments you have already set up. Workspace agents are agents that Business and Enterprise teams build for repeatable workflows, can share with the workspace, run on a schedule, and use in Slack.
What is ChatGPT Space?
Space brings your Pages, files, and related work together in ChatGPT, and OpenAI pitches it as a place where teammates, ChatGPT, and your dot build on shared knowledge. It replaces Library for accounts with access, while existing Projects stay separate.