ChatGPT Scheduled Tasks
ChatGPT Tasks lets you schedule recurring or one-off AI jobs that run automatically — even when you're offline. Think of it as a cron job powered by ChatGPT: web browsing, research summaries, reminders, briefings, all delivered on a schedule you define in plain English.
What Is It?
Tasks launched in beta on 14 January 2025 for paid ChatGPT subscribers. You describe what you want in natural language — "every Monday morning, summarise the week's AI news" — and ChatGPT schedules it. Results are pushed to you via notification or email at the scheduled time. No code, no cron expressions, no infrastructure.
Tasks are managed at chatgpt.com/schedules. From there you can view upcoming runs, pause tasks, or delete them.
Plan Availability
| Plan | Access | Monthly Task Quota |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ❌ Not available | — |
| Plus ($20/mo) | ✅ Yes | 40 tasks/month |
| Pro ($200/mo) | ✅ Yes | 400 tasks/month |
| Team | ✅ Yes | Per seat (similar to Plus) |
| Enterprise | ✅ Yes | Negotiated |
All plans: maximum 10 active (concurrent) tasks at any time. You must pause or delete one before creating an 11th. Tasks are created as runs against this quota — not just stored schedules.
How It Works
1. Describe in plain English
Tell ChatGPT what you want and when. Recurrence (daily, weekly, monthly), one-off (Friday at 3pm), or conditional triggers all work.
2. ChatGPT confirms the schedule
ChatGPT shows you the interpreted schedule and asks for confirmation before saving. You can adjust the time, frequency, or scope before accepting.
3. Runs autonomously
At the scheduled time, ChatGPT browses the web, retrieves content, and generates its output. You don't need to be online.
4. Delivers via push/email
Results arrive as a push notification on mobile/desktop, or via email — your choice. The output appears as a new conversation you can follow up on.
What You Can Automate
News & Research
- Weekly AI news digest every Monday
- Daily market/industry briefing
- Monthly trend summary in your domain
- Research topic updates when new info appears
Reminders & Planning
- Remind me to review this proposal on Friday
- Weekly review prompt every Sunday evening
- Pre-meeting prep brief 30 minutes before
- Monthly goal check-in
Monitoring
- Check a website for changes daily
- Track competitor announcements weekly
- Summarise a newsletter or RSS topic
Content & Writing
- Generate a weekly draft for your blog
- Weekly social media idea batch
- Routine report template fill
Limitations
- ❌ No file uploads or custom GPTs — tasks run with standard ChatGPT only
- ❌ No purchases or transactions — ChatGPT won't take actions with real-world consequences
- ❌ No Pro-tier models (o1 Pro etc.) — tasks use standard models (GPT-4o)
- ❌ Windows app not yet supported — web, iOS, Android, and macOS only
- ❌ 10 concurrent task limit — must manage your active task count manually
- ❌ Rate limits still apply — tasks consume your plan's normal usage quota
- ❌ No persistent memory across task runs — each run starts fresh unless you design the prompt to retrieve prior output
Tasks vs Claude Scheduled Actions
| Feature | ChatGPT Tasks | Claude Scheduled Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | Jan 2025 | Feb 2026 (via Cowork) |
| Plans | Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise | Pro+ (paid plans) |
| Quota | 40–400 tasks/month | Not published |
| Max concurrent | 10 | Not published |
| Delivery | Push + email | In-app (desktop) |
| Web browsing | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Tasks
- Be specific about the time zone in your schedule request — ChatGPT defaults to your browser's time zone but confirm it in the schedule confirmation step.
- Keep tasks focused on one deliverable. "Summarise AI news and write a tweet thread and draft a blog post" is too broad — split it into two or three tasks.
- Use the task output as a starting point, not a final product. The browsing quality is good but not perfect — you'll want to review before publishing anything external.
- Periodically audit your active tasks list at
chatgpt.com/schedules— stale tasks eat your quota. - If you need tasks to chain outputs (yesterday's news → today's analysis), prompt the task to retrieve and reference a previous result URL or paste from prior output.
Checklist: Do You Understand This?
- ChatGPT Tasks lets you schedule recurring or one-off AI jobs in plain English
- Available on Plus (40/mo), Pro (400/mo), Team, and Enterprise — not Free
- Maximum 10 concurrent active tasks across all plans
- Tasks can browse the web but cannot make purchases, use file uploads, or run custom GPTs
- Results are delivered via push notification or email
- Managed at chatgpt.com/schedules