DChatGPT Dots for Beginners: The Complete Track

Prices and features checked October 14, 2026. Dots launched September 29, 2026, and are rolling out gradually. Check if you can get it first: you need ChatGPT Pro (from $100/month) outside the EU, UK, and Switzerland, or a Business Premium seat.

This page is a full beginner track. Each part can stand alone as its own web page and video.

What are DDots?

Dots are OpenAI's always-on agents inside ChatGPT. Each dot has its own cloud computer and browser. It learns how you like things done and keeps working toward your goals between chats.

You can message or call your dot in ChatGPT on desktop, web, and mobile. You can also message it in Slack and Microsoft Teams. OpenAI says dots are powered by its GPT-6 Astra model and can connect to over 4,000 apps through plugins.

Key strengths

1. Always on. Your dot can keep making progress on projects between conversations, and do "proactive research" in the background.
2. Its own computer. Each dot works on a cloud computer. Your own computer stays separate unless you connect it.
3. Huge app library. OpenAI says dots can connect to 4,000+ apps through plugins.
4. Works where your team works. Message it in ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams. You can call it in ChatGPT.
5. Custom rules. Choose which actions it takes on its own, which need your OK, and which it hands to you.
6. Doesn't eat your chat limits. Conversations with your dot don't count toward ChatGPT usage limits. (Tasks it starts in Codex or ChatGPT Work do.)

Best use cases

How-to guides

1. How to get a morning brief from your dot

Who it's for: Pro users who want one summary to start the day.

Steps:

1. Open your dot in ChatGPT.
2. Connect your calendar and email in Customize → Plugins.
3. Review each plugin's permissions before connecting.
4. Ask for a brief now.
5. Then ask for it on a schedule.
6. Manage it later under Scheduled.

Copy-paste prompts:

Review my calendar for today and my unread email from the past 24 hours. Give me 5 bullets: meetings, deadlines, and replies I owe. Don't send anything.

Copy

Do this every weekday at 7 AM and send it here.

Copy

Pro tip: Ask your dot to show only items that need a decision. Shorter is better.

Common mistake: Assuming "draft" means "send." OpenAI says asking for a draft doesn't authorize sending it, which is good. Approve sends one by one.

2. How to turn a transcript into show notes and posts

Who it's for: Podcasters, YouTubers, and coaches.

Steps:

1. Attach a transcript with + in the chat.
2. Share 2–3 past posts so it learns your voice.
3. Ask for show notes, clip ideas, and social drafts.
4. Edit one draft.
5. Ask it to carry your edits to the rest.

Copy-paste prompts:

From this transcript, find 5 clip-worthy moments with timestamps, write show notes, and draft 3 social posts in my voice. Don't post anything.

Copy

I edited post 1. Apply the same changes in style to the other drafts.

Copy

Pro tip: Keep a "voice" document and attach it every time until your dot learns it.

Common mistake: Pasting quotes without checking them. Read the timestamps yourself.

3. How to keep a presentation updated

Who it's for: Managers and analysts with a weekly deck.

Steps:

1. Connect the drive or app where your data lives.
2. Share the deck and data sources.
3. Ask your dot to update it when new data arrives.
4. Review the changes before sharing.

Copy-paste prompts:

Update the attached sales deck with this week's numbers from [connected sheet]. List every slide you changed and why.

Copy

Every Friday at 3 PM, check for new data and prepare an updated draft for my review.

Copy

Pro tip: Ask for a "change list." It makes review fast.

Common mistake: Sending the deck without checking the numbers. Your dot can make mistakes.

4. How to use your dot in Slack

Who it's for: Small teams.

Steps:

1. Open ChatGPT on desktop.
2. Set up Slack as a messaging channel from your dot.
3. Message your dot in Slack.
4. Share project context there with your team.

Copy-paste prompts:

@[your dot] summarize this thread and list who owns each next step.

Copy

@[your dot] draft a project update for this channel. Show me before posting.

Copy

Pro tip: Dots carry context across ChatGPT and Slack, so start a project in ChatGPT and continue in Slack.

Common mistake: Sharing private client info in a busy channel. Everyone there can see the dot's answers.

Free vs paid: who can get DDots?

US prices from OpenAI's help center, checked October 14, 2026.

Notes:

• Your first dot is included at no extra cost. OpenAI says you'll be able to add more dots, and more speed or capacity, later.
• Plans include an allowance for "deeper work," with extended limits for the first month after launch.
• Texting your dot is a limited beta for some US Pro users only.

When is upgrading worth it?

• Don't buy Pro just to try Dots unless you'll use it most days. Muse has a free tier; Hermes is free software.
• Pro is worth it if you already use ChatGPT heavily for work and want an agent that keeps projects moving.
• Business Premium suits small teams in the UK or EU, where Pro doesn't include Dots. Remember the 2-seat minimum.

Limitations, and when to use a different agent

• Expensive to start. From $100/month. For a free start, try Muse (US/Canada) or Hermes Agent.
• Regional limits on Pro. Not in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland on Pro.
• Can't call you or have its own email at launch, per OpenAI.
• Want lots of specialist bots with shared routines? Grok Bot lets you create several named Bots.
• Want to self-host and pick any AI model? Hermes Agent.

FAQ

Are ChatGPT Dots free? No. Your first dot is included with ChatGPT Pro (from $100/month) or a Business Premium seat. It's not on Free, Go, or Plus.

Can I use Dots in the UK or EU? Not on Pro, which excludes the EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Business Premium includes Dots in all supported ChatGPT regions.

Is ChatGPT Dots safe? It has safeguards: its own cloud computer, read-only background research, custom rules, and steps that always stay with you. But it can make mistakes. Start with "Ask before taking action" for sending and buying.

Dots vs ChatGPT agent: what's the difference? A regular ChatGPT chat answers and stops. A dot is always on: it has its own computer, remembers context, runs scheduled work, and keeps going between chats.

Is "Dots" the three-dot menu in ChatGPT? No. The "•••" menu is just a settings button. Dots are OpenAI's agents. Search results for "dots AI" also include unrelated products, like an AI model with a similar name, air fryers, and shuttle services.