ChatGPT Tasks: How to Schedule Them and What They Do

Most of what I ask ChatGPT happens in the moment: draft this, fix that, explain this. Tasks flip that around. You tell ChatGPT what to do and when, and it does the job on schedule and tells you when it's done. For a busy owner, that's a morning summary you didn't have to request, a weekly content nudge, or a reminder that turns up with the draft already written.

The feature has moved around a bit, so a lot of what you'll read online is out of date. This guide follows OpenAI's current help page for scheduled tasks. I've added the business jobs I'd hand over first and prompts you can paste straight in.

What are ChatGPT tasks?

OpenAI now calls them scheduled tasks. In OpenAI's words, ChatGPT can run one-time or recurring tasks, monitor for changes, and respond to supported events. You set the instruction once and ChatGPT runs it for you, then notifies you with the result.

There are three kinds worth knowing:

• One-time tasks: a single job at a set point, such as a reminder with a draft attached.
• Recurring tasks: the same job on a repeating schedule, such as a Monday planning summary.
• Monitoring tasks: ChatGPT checks for changes and only notifies you when something relevant happens, stopping when an end condition is met.

On higher plans there's also a fourth kind, event-triggered tasks, which I cover further down.

Where are tasks in ChatGPT now?

Tasks live on a page called Scheduled, which OpenAI added to the sidebar so you have one place to see every active task. You can also get there from Settings, then Notifications, then Manage tasks, or from the three-dot menu in a conversation that has a task attached.

You may have seen tasks mentioned alongside Pulse. OpenAI briefly managed tasks there, but it's now sunsetting Pulse and moving those proactive updates into scheduled tasks. So if you're looking for tasks, look for Scheduled.

One practical tip from OpenAI's help page: if Scheduled doesn't appear in the ChatGPT desktop app, use ChatGPT on the web.

How do I create a task in ChatGPT?

There are two ways, and the second is the one I'd use most:

1. From the Scheduled page. Open Scheduled in the sidebar and set up a new task.
2. By asking in a normal chat. Describe what you want and when. OpenAI's own example is as plain as it gets: "Let me know when my package is delivered."

The more specific your instruction, the more useful the result. Say what to produce, when, for whom and in what format. Here's a starter you can adapt.

Copy this prompt

Every [weekday] at [time], give me a short plan for my [type of business].
Include: three priorities for the week, one thing to follow up on, and one content idea for [platform].
Keep it under [number] bullet points and write it so I can read it in two minutes.

How do I get notified when a task runs?

Go to Settings, then Notifications, and choose Push, Email or both. If you want push notifications on your phone, OpenAI says to create the task in the mobile app and allow notifications when asked.

Email is my pick for anything you'll want to forward or file, such as a weekly summary. Push is better for nudges you need to act on straight away.

How many tasks does each plan allow?

OpenAI sets a limit on active tasks by plan:

Plan	Active tasks
Free and Go	3
Plus	5
Business and Edu	10
Pro and Enterprise	15

Free users can run tasks once or at most daily, in flexible windows such as morning, afternoon or night. OpenAI says hourly schedules and exact delivery times need an eligible higher plan. If you're on Free, choose your three tasks carefully: the ones that save you thinking time every day.

How do I edit, pause or delete a task?

Click the task's title in its conversation to open the task panel, or go to the Scheduled page. From there you can edit, pause, resume or delete it.

Tasks can also pause on their own. OpenAI lists three reasons: the task has been inactive, it needs more action from you, or the chat it belongs to has been deleted. If a weekly summary goes quiet, check Scheduled first.

What are event-triggered tasks?

These react to something happening rather than a time on the clock. OpenAI says event-triggered tasks run in ChatGPT Work and respond to supported Gmail, Slack or GitHub activity. They aren't available on Free or Go.

Tasks that send messages or change data through connected apps may pause for your approval. That's a sensible safety net. I'd keep it that way for anything that writes to a client.

What can't tasks do?

• Scheduled tasks don't work in voice chats or with GPTs.
• A task created inside a project can't use the files uploaded to that project, so paste key details into the instruction itself.
• OpenAI doesn't publish a list of models, only that tasks support eligible ChatGPT models.

Ten tasks worth setting up for a small business

• A Monday morning plan with three priorities.
• A Friday wrap-up prompt: what went well, what to carry over.
• A weekly list of five content ideas for your main platform.
• A daily reminder to follow up on open quotes, with a short draft message.
• A monthly prompt to review your top service and one way to improve it.
• A weekly round-up of news in your industry, in plain language.
• A reminder before a launch with a checklist of what's left.
• A monitoring task that tells you when a topic you follow changes.
• A quarterly prompt to update your website's about page.
• A daily two-minute learning tip on one AI tool you're trying.

Copy and paste this prompt

Every Friday at [time], ask me three questions about my week:
what worked, what didn't, and what I'm carrying over.
Then give me a short summary I can paste into my notes, plus one suggestion for next week based on my answers.

Before you set up a batch of tasks, add custom instructions so every result answers in your voice, and use ChatGPT Projects to keep the related chats together.

Can I share a task with my team?

Yes, for eligible tasks. Use the three-dot menu, choose Share and copy the link. The person you share it with can review the instructions and create their own separate copy. OpenAI says shared links don't include your chat history, memories or files, which is reassuring if your instructions sit next to client work.

Tools that work with ChatGPT tasks

Tasks cover the reminder and the draft. The rest of the routine usually lives elsewhere. Gmail and Slack connect to event-triggered tasks on higher plans. Google Calendar or Outlook is where the actual appointment goes. Notion, Todoist or Trello is a good home for the to-do list a task produces, and Zapier or Make can carry results into other apps if you need a fuller automation.

If you'd like help working out which routines to hand to AI first, this is how I work with business owners.

Frequently asked questions

Does ChatGPT still have tasks?

Yes. OpenAI now calls them scheduled tasks, and they live on the Scheduled page in the sidebar. They can run once, on a schedule, monitor for changes, or respond to supported events.

How do I schedule a task in ChatGPT?

Ask ChatGPT in a chat to do something at a set time, such as a weekly summary, or open the Scheduled page in the sidebar and create one there.

Can free ChatGPT users use scheduled tasks?

Yes. Free users can have up to three active tasks and run them once or at most daily. Hourly schedules and exact times need an eligible higher plan.

How many scheduled tasks does ChatGPT allow?

OpenAI lists three active tasks for Free and Go, five for Plus, ten for Business and Edu, and fifteen for Pro and Enterprise.

Why did my ChatGPT task stop?

A task may pause if it's inactive, needs more action from you, or its chat was deleted. Check the Scheduled page to resume it.