OpenAI’s Dots: Background on Its Always-On Agent
OpenAI introduced dots on September 29 as ongoing agents inside ChatGPT. The agents can work between conversations on connected tasks; current access depends on plan, region, age, and workspace settings.
- Announcement
- Sep 29, 2026
- Reported here
- Oct 26, 2026
The September 29 introduction
OpenAI introduced dots on September 29, 2026. A dot is an always-on agent in ChatGPT, not a separate foundation model: OpenAI says dots are powered by GPT-6 Astra and use their own cloud computer to work toward tasks between conversations. The launch described agents that can keep project context, use connected apps, and bring completed work or decisions back to the person who assigned it. This article is background on that September release, not a new announcement for October 26.
How a dot works
OpenAI’s help documentation says users can give a dot an ongoing responsibility, define how independently it may act, and review its activity. A dot can make progress between messages, run scheduled checks, use connected apps, and ask the user to decide when a task needs their judgment. App permissions are shared with other ChatGPT experiences, and the user can disconnect an app. OpenAI notes that information a dot has already obtained may remain in its saved context until the dot is reset.
Availability depends on account and workspace
At launch, OpenAI described a gradual rollout to Pro and Business Premium users in eligible markets, with an Enterprise beta that workspace administrators must enable. Its current getting-started guidance lists Pro access for adults outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; Business Premium availability in supported regions; and admin-enabled beta access for Enterprise, Edu, and Healthcare workspaces.
Controls and limits
Dots are not available to users under 18, and they are not supported on mobile web. Texting is a limited beta for some US Pro users. OpenAI says consequential actions may require approval or user takeover, and advises people to review important work. Availability is still subject to gradual rollout.
Go to the source.
Official announcements are the basis for this report. They describe the providers’ claims; they aren’t independent performance tests.