OpenAI dots FAQ: 16 questions answered from OpenAI's own docs

Every answer below traces to an OpenAI publication read on 2026-09-30 (launch post, getting started, dots FAQ). Where OpenAI has published nothing, the answer says so. Because dots launched on 2026-09-29 and is still rolling out, treat availability answers as perishable.

Basics

What are OpenAI dots?

Always-on agents inside ChatGPT, announced 2026-09-29 at DevDay. Each dot runs on GPT-6 Astra, has its own cloud computer, works across the apps you connect, and keeps making progress between conversations rather than resetting each time you type.

Is dots the same as dots.llm1 or the dots3 models?

No — and this is the single most common confusion (Dots Studio). dots.llm1, dots.vlm1, dots.ocr, and dots3-note are open-weight models from Dots Studio, a different organisation. OpenAI's dots are a product inside ChatGPT. If a page talks about Apache-2.0 weights, mixture-of-experts sizes, or Hugging Face downloads, it is about the other one.

What is the relationship between dots and GPT-6 Astra?

Astra is the model; dots are the product built on it. OpenAI also ships Astra in ChatGPT work, Codex, and the API. See GPT-6 Astra explained.

Money and limits

Is dots free with ChatGPT Pro?

OpenAI says your first dot is included with Pro and Business Premium at no additional cost, and that your plan includes credits for deeper work, with higher credits during the first month. Credit amounts are not published.

Does using a dot consume my ChatGPT usage limits?

Conversations with your dot do not count against your ChatGPT usage limits. Work the dot starts or manages in Codex or ChatGPT work does count as normal. That distinction is the one to remember when estimating cost.

How long is usage excluded from my allowance?

OpenAI states the first month is excluded from eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise plan allowance counting, and that it will publish usage terms per plan afterwards.

What does a second dot cost?

Not published. OpenAI describes additional dots, and paying for more speed or higher monthly work volume, as future capabilities without pricing.

Access

Can I create a dot on my phone?

No. Creation requires the ChatGPT desktop app or desktop web. After that you can message it from the mobile app when mobile access is available. Mobile web is not supported.

Which plans and regions can use dots?

• Pro: excluding the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK
• Business Premium: all supported ChatGPT regions
• Enterprise / Edu / Healthcare: beta, off by default, admin-enabled
• Under 18: not available

Why can't I see dots on my Pro account?

Check the three usual causes: gradual rollout, the EEA/Switzerland/UK exclusion for Pro, and — for enterprise accounts — an admin who has not enabled the beta.

Control and safety

What can a dot do without asking me?

Within rules you set, it can read what it has access to, analyse, and prepare drafts. Sending messages or sharing files requires authorisation scoped to that task, and OpenAI notes that approving one message does not grant ongoing permission.

What always needs my confirmation?

Permanently deleting data, installing or running software from unknown sources, granting new security-sensitive access, and card purchases on merchant sites where you saved a payment method.

What can a dot never do for me?

Changing passwords and transferring money between financial accounts are always handed back to you. Core safety requirements cannot be overridden by approval, and Auto-review checks cannot be disabled.

How does proactive research work?

Background research runs in the dot's own cloud environment with read-only tools and produces private notes. Those tools cannot send messages, change connected apps, or control your browser or computer, per OpenAI's documentation.

Is my data used for training?

Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces: OpenAI states no training on your data by default. Personal plans: the "Improve the model for everyone" setting controls it, and that can include actions dots take and data from connected apps used to inform conversations. Proactive research and its notes are not directly used for training, but information later pulled into an eligible conversation may be.

What happens when I reset a dot?

It deletes the dot — conversations, saved memories, and scheduled tasks included.

Open questions

What is still unconfirmed?

Credit amounts; pricing for extra dots and speed or volume add-ons; the full eligible-market list for Pro; whether dots are exposed through an API; and any date for EEA, Swiss, or UK availability. Our source index tracks these, and we label them inline everywhere on the site rather than guessing.

Next: what dots are, setup walkthrough, or the risks OpenAI documents.

Found an error or a fact that has changed since our last update? Tell us — corrections are published, not quietly edited.