How to use OpenAI dots: a step-by-step setup guide

Before you start

• An eligible plan: Pro (outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK), Business Premium, or Enterprise with the beta enabled by your admin. See availability.
• You’re 18 or older. Dots isn’t available to under-18s (OpenAI Help Center).
• A computer with the ChatGPT desktop app (Mac or Windows) or a desktop browser.
• A little patience: the rollout is gradual and can take several days to reach your account (OpenAI Help Center).

Set up your dot in 6 steps

1. 1

   Open ChatGPT on a computer

   Use the ChatGPT desktop app or ChatGPT in a desktop browser. The official entry point is chatgpt.com/dots ↗ (official site, opens in a new tab). Need the app? Get it from chatgpt.com/download ↗ (official site, opens in a new tab).

2. 2

   Follow the onboarding prompts

   ChatGPT walks you through creating your dot the first time you open it.

3. 3

   Give it a name

   The default handle is @yourname-dot. Once you name it, the handle becomes @yourname-agentname. You can rename it later from its profile (pencil icon).

4. 4

   Pick an avatar

   Choose one of the available characters or a pet. Your dot may also generate a pet for you.

5. 5

   Connect your apps

   Select a supported app and review its permissions before connecting. Plugin permissions are shared across dots, ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work and Codex (OpenAI Help Center).

6. 6

   Connect messaging channels (optional)

   From desktop, connect Slack, or texting if your account has the limited US beta (OpenAI Help Center).

Give your dot its first tasks

Describe what you want done and share the details it needs, such as reviewing your calendar, researching a topic, or reminding you about something later. Reply in the conversation to add information or change the request, and use + to attach a file or photo (OpenAI Help Center).

A few starter prompts (our examples, not OpenAI’s):

• “Every weekday at 8am, check my calendar and tell me which meetings need prep.”
• “Watch #bugs in Slack and draft a fix plan for anything reported twice. Ask before posting.”
• “Research our three main competitors and keep a running summary updated every Monday.”

Open your dot’s profile on desktop to follow its work under In progress, Scheduled and Completed, or open its computer to watch and interact (OpenAI Help Center).

Connect apps and (optionally) your computer

On mobile, apps live under your dot’s profile → Customize → Plugins. You can disconnect an app at any time, but that doesn’t delete what your dot already learned from it; to delete that, you need to reset the dot (OpenAI Help Center).

Local computer access starts off. To turn it on, open the ChatGPT desktop app on that computer and confirm Allow access; confirm Revoke access to stop it. Camera, microphone and screen access also need permission in your device settings (OpenAI Help Center).

Set custom rules

Custom rules decide what your dot can share, buy or access on its own. On mobile, open Customize → Custom rules, describe the action, and choose one of four behaviours (OpenAI Help Center):

• Take action without asking
• Take action if pre-approved (you explicitly asked for it in your prompt)
• Ask before taking action
• Hand off to you

Schedule tasks and reminders

Just ask, for example: “review my calendar each morning and tell me what’s coming up.” Scheduled runs and updates appear in the conversation. To manage them, open Scheduled in your dot’s profile, where you can see active, paused and completed tasks and change the repeat schedule, time or completion notifications (OpenAI Help Center).

Use your dot on your phone

After creating it on desktop, you can talk to your dot in the ChatGPT mobile app once mobile access reaches your account. On mobile, the dot’s computer opens under your control. Mobile web isn’t supported (OpenAI Help Center).

If you use the texting beta, reply STOP to stop outgoing texts, and note that message and data rates may apply.

Pause, reset or start over

• Pause: open the ••• menu in the dot’s profile and select Pause. Resume with “Paused • Tap to resume”.
• Reset: ••• menu → Reset deletes the dot, including its conversations, saved memories and scheduled tasks. Files, Codex threads and ChatGPT conversations it created are stored separately and are not deleted (OpenAI Help Center). Afterwards you can create a new dot on desktop.