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OpenAI Dots: Astra agents, access and the controls to know

OpenAI’s Dots use GPT-6 Astra to coordinate ongoing work. Here’s who can access them, how cloud and local tasks differ, and how to stop them.

Michel Elijah ·

Conceptual illustration of a glowing blue AI companion beside a project checklist and an abstract cloud computer.

OpenAI has introduced Dots, agents powered by GPT-6 Astra that it says can keep work moving between conversations. The idea is to give an agent an ongoing responsibility, then return to its results and decisions as the work develops. For users, the first questions are access, where the work runs and how to stay in control.

What you need to know

Dots are rolling out to eligible Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise accounts. They work in the cloud and can coordinate tasks on a connected computer. Check the activity and schedule controls: pausing the main task does not stop every delegated task or future scheduled run.

OpenAI’s launch announcement

URL: https://x.com/OpenAI/status/2104984504133918973

Author: OpenAI (@OpenAI)

Date: 30 September 2026, as displayed in the Australian browser

Text: Introducing dots, powered by GPT-6 Astra.

Excerpt from OpenAI’s original post. Product capabilities below are attributed to its documentation.

What does a Dot actually do?

OpenAI describes Dots as agents for research, documents, data analysis and software work. That is a description of intended capabilities, rather than a measured promise that a Dot will finish any assignment correctly.

The useful question is whether it can carry a particular job through to a result you can inspect. A polished update is only part of that. For a research task, you want the underlying sources; for a spreadsheet, the calculations; for software, the change and its verification.

Can it work while your laptop is off?

Cloud work can continue with your own devices switched off. A Dot has a separate cloud computer and browser, including separate website sessions. Being signed in on your personal browser does not sign the Dot in.

Local work has a different requirement: your connected computer must stay online with the ChatGPT app open. Review which computer a task uses before walking away from work that depends on local files or applications. Supported plugins also retain their connected-account permissions.

Who gets access in Australia?

OpenAI lists Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500 for users over 18 outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland. Australia falls within that regional scope, although eligibility does not guarantee immediate access. Business Premium is rolling out worldwide; Enterprise requires an administrator to enable Dots.

Setup is on the desktop app or a desktop browser. Conversations with a Dot do not count towards ChatGPT limits, but the Work and Codex tasks it coordinates consume those products’ allowances.

Start with one responsibility you can check

Our suggested first assignment is a small, bounded job: prepare a comparison of three supplier quotes you provide. Specify the quantities, delivery deadline, required inclusions and where the result should be saved. Ask for missing charges to be flagged and keep acceptance of a quote with you. This is an illustrative assignment, not a task we have tested with Dots.

For a recurring check, specify the task, time zone, end date, notification conditions and destination, then ask the Dot to confirm the saved schedule. Its task context and saved notes are selective; they are not a complete transcript of every conversation.

A precise instruction makes the result easier to assess. “Compare these quotes using the same quantities and show any missing information” gives you a clearer review than an open request to manage suppliers. Expand the responsibility after you have checked a few useful outputs.

For the model’s launch context, read our report on GPT-6 Astra and its work capabilities.

The controls to learn before leaving it running

Open the Dot’s profile and Activity to inspect progress, files and results. Use Scheduled to inspect recurring work. OpenAI says actions affecting accounts or sharing information undergo review against instructions, permissions and safeguards; drafting a message does not itself authorise sending it.

Pause stops the current main task. Delegated tasks need to be stopped in Activity, and recurring tasks disabled or deleted in Scheduled. Stopping work does not undo completed actions.

For an ongoing assignment, agree on the moment you need to hear from it: a missing source, an unexpected cost or a decision only you can make. That keeps the review focused on the job’s outcome. This launch report is based on OpenAI’s documentation; we have not tested a Dot’s reliability or checked access in an Australian subscriber account.

If you notice an unfamiliar account sign-in, our ChatGPT security-history guide explains what to check.

Sources and further reading