ChatGPT added scheduled tasks a while back, and OpenAI just rolled out a significant update with better controls, a dedicated management page, and more flexible scheduling. If you have not looked at this feature since it launched, it is worth another look. This builds on recent ChatGPT features like Memory and shows how OpenAI is pushing ChatGPT from a reactive chatbot into something proactive.
Here is the full breakdown of what ChatGPT scheduled tasks can do, how to set them up, and where the limits might trip you up.
What Are ChatGPT Scheduled Tasks?
Scheduled tasks let ChatGPT run actions automatically — on a one-time or recurring basis — without you needing to be in the chat. Think daily news briefings, weekly market check-ins, package delivery monitoring, or morning reminders. You set the schedule, ChatGPT does the work, and you get a notification when it is done.
This is different from just asking ChatGPT something in a conversation. Tasks run in the background. You can have several going at once, and they keep running until you pause or delete them.
Who Can Use It
Scheduled tasks are available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users globally. It works on the ChatGPT web app and mobile app (iOS and Android). Two important caveats:
- Desktop app and Codex app are not supported yet. You need to use the web or mobile version to create and manage tasks.
- Go plan users have limited access. More on that below.
Task Limits by Plan
OpenAI caps the number of active tasks per plan. Here is the current breakdown:
| Plan | Maximum active tasks |
|---|---|
| Go | 3 |
| Plus | 5 |
| Business / Edu | 10 |
| Pro / Enterprise | 15 |
Tasks cannot run more than once per hour. If you hit your plan’s task limit, ChatGPT will not create a new task until you pause or delete an existing one, or until a task completes on its schedule.
Unattended tasks may also pause automatically after a period of inactivity.
How to Create a Scheduled Task
There are two ways to create a task.
Method 1: From the Scheduled Page
Open the ChatGPT sidebar on web or mobile and look for the Scheduled page. From there, you can create a new task, set the schedule, and choose when it runs. OpenAI recently added more flexible scheduling windows — morning, afternoon, or evening — so you do not need to pick an exact time if a rough window works.
Method 2: Ask ChatGPT Directly
You can create a task just by asking. Try something like:
- “Send me a daily news summary every morning”
- “Remind me to check my flight status daily this week”
- “Let me know when my package gets delivered”
- “Give me a weekly recap of AI industry news on Friday afternoon”
If you create a task inside a project that has files attached, the task will not have access to those project files. That is a current limitation worth noting.
ChatGPT will confirm the task with a message showing the schedule and details. Once confirmed, it runs on autopilot.
What Types of Tasks Exist
There are three kinds of scheduled tasks in ChatGPT today.
One-time tasks. A single reminder or action at a specific time. Good for “remind me to submit this report tomorrow at 2 PM.”
Recurring tasks. Repeating actions on a daily, weekly, or custom schedule. Good for “send me a stock market recap every weekday at market close.”
Monitoring tasks. These are interesting. You tell ChatGPT to watch for a change and notify you only when something meaningful happens. For example, “monitor this GitHub repo for new releases and tell me when there is a significant update.” ChatGPT remembers previous runs and can stop the monitoring automatically when conditions are met.
There is also ChatGPT Pulse, which runs asynchronous research once a day based on your past chats, memory, and feedback. The results arrive as visual summaries you can scan, expand, save, or follow up on. Pulse and tasks share the same management interface.
Managing Your Tasks
You can view and manage every task from Settings > Notifications > Manage tasks. This shows everything — active, paused, and completed tasks. From here you can:
- View task status and next run time
- Pause or resume a task
- Edit the schedule or instructions
- Delete a task entirely
You can also click the task pill or title in your chat history to open a sidebar with the same controls.
One edge case worth knowing: if you delete a chat that has a task attached, the task pauses automatically. Deleting the task from the Scheduled page does not delete the chat. They are independent records.
Notifications
Tasks send notifications when they complete. You can choose between push notifications, email, or both. Configure these from Settings > Notifications on ChatGPT Web.
Browser notifications require permission. If ChatGPT detects that browser notifications are off, it will prompt you to enable them. On mobile, creating your first task triggers a permission request for push notifications. Once granted, notifications arrive across any platform where you use ChatGPT.
What Does NOT Work With Tasks
Scheduled tasks have limitations. Here is what is currently not supported:
- Voice chats. You cannot use scheduled tasks with voice mode.
- GPTs. Custom GPTs are not supported in scheduled tasks.
- Pro models. Tasks run on standard ChatGPT models, not the Pro tier.
- Desktop and Codex apps. The Scheduled page is web and mobile only.
- Webhooks. No webhook triggers for event-driven automation.
- More than one run per hour. The minimum interval between task runs is 60 minutes.
Practical Use Cases
Here are some ways to put scheduled tasks to work.
Daily briefing. Have ChatGPT summarize AI news, tech updates, or industry developments every morning. Set the window to “morning” and you have a briefing ready when you start work.
Package tracking. Ask ChatGPT to monitor shipping updates and notify you when a package is delivered or delayed. This is a monitoring task use that actually saves you from refreshing tracking pages.
Weekly review. Set a recurring task for Friday afternoon to recap the week — market moves, product launches, notable blog posts. ChatGPT will gather and summarize based on the context you have given it.
Market monitoring. If you have ChatGPT Health and Finance set up, you can create tasks for portfolio updates after market close or biweekly spending reviews.
Learning reminders. Set a daily task that quizzes you on a topic you are studying or sends you a new concept to learn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plan do I need for scheduled tasks?
Scheduled tasks are available on ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans. Go users get 3 active tasks, Plus gets 5, Business and Edu get 10, and Pro and Enterprise get 15. Free tier users do not have access.
Can tasks run more than once per hour?
No. Tasks are capped at one run per hour minimum. If you need more frequent checks, scheduled tasks are not the right tool.
Do scheduled tasks work on the ChatGPT desktop app or Codex?
No. The Scheduled page is only available on the ChatGPT web app and mobile apps. Desktop and Codex apps are not supported for task creation or management.
Will deleting a chat delete my scheduled task?
No, but it will pause the task. You can resume it later from the Scheduled page. Deleting a task directly from the Scheduled page does not remove the associated chat — they are independent.
Why did my task pause automatically?
Tasks pause automatically after a period of inactivity or if the associated chat is deleted. Check the Scheduled page for paused tasks — you can resume, edit, or delete them from there.
Can scheduled tasks use connected apps like Gmail?
Yes, if apps like Gmail are enabled for your account. Go to the Apps tab in ChatGPT to see what is connected. For Business and Enterprise users, app availability depends on workspace settings.
What is the difference between a task and ChatGPT Pulse?
Tasks are actions you schedule explicitly — daily briefings, reminders, monitoring. Pulse is a separate feature that runs asynchronous research once a day based on your chat history, memory, and feedback, delivering visual summaries proactively. They share the same management interface but serve different purposes.
Bottom Line
ChatGPT scheduled tasks are genuinely useful now. The recent update added a proper management page, better scheduling flexibility, and monitoring tasks that actually reduce noise. The limits are reasonable for most users — 5 active tasks for Plus, 10 for Business, 15 for Pro.
The main gaps are the lack of desktop app support, no GPTs or voice mode integration, and the one-run-per-hour cap. If you need event-triggered automation or high-frequency checks, this is not the right tool. But for daily briefings, reminders, and monitored alerts, it works well.
If you have a Plus or higher plan, give it a shot. Start with one recurring task and see how the notification cadence feels. You can always tweak the schedule or turn it off.
