ChatGPT scheduled tasks for recurring client work
A scheduled task is useful when it produces something you would otherwise have to remember to request. Choose the work, the inputs and the stopping point as carefully as the time.
Create and manage the task
Open Scheduled, describe the job and set its schedule. Review the confirmation. Open the task to edit, pause or delete it; set delivery preferences separately under Settings → Notifications. These controls and the account-dependent availability are documented in OpenAI's scheduled-tasks guide, checked 21 October 2026.
What your plan changes
The same instruction behaves differently by account. These limits are quoted from OpenAI's scheduled-tasks guide, checked 21 October 2026; OpenAI says limits for other eligible plans depend on the account or workspace.
Scroll sideways to compare all columns.
| Limit | OpenAI's wording | What it means for client work |
|---|---|---|
| Active tasks | “Active task limits depend on the plan: 3 for Free and Go, 5 for Plus, 10 for Business and Edu, and 15 for Pro and Enterprise.” | Count your weekly reviews and client briefs before you build them. At the limit, OpenAI says to pause or delete an active task, or wait for one to finish. |
| Delivery time | “Free tasks use flexible scheduling windows, such as morning, afternoon, or night. Hourly schedules and exact delivery times require an eligible paid plan.” | A brief that must land before a 9 am call needs a paid plan; on Free, expect a window rather than a minute. |
| Frequency on Free | “Free users can schedule a one-time task or a recurring task no more than once per day.” | Daily is the ceiling on Free; hourly checks need an eligible paid plan. |
| Event-triggered tasks | “Free and Go accounts cannot create event-triggered tasks, and event-triggered tasks are not available in FedRAMP workspaces.” | Work that starts when a message arrives, rather than at a set time, needs an eligible Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu plan. |
| Where tasks cannot run | “Scheduled tasks do not support: Voice chats, GPTs, Locked chats” | Create the task in an ordinary, unlocked chat. |
| Project files | “If you create a task in a project, it cannot access uploaded files or files stored in that project.” | Give a Project-based task its source another way, or keep document work outside the task. |
Three useful jobs, with different input needs
These are suggested instructions, not records of completed runs. All three name an exact time, which OpenAI says requires an eligible paid plan; on Free, the same task runs in a flexible window such as morning or afternoon. Start with the first example if you want to test timing without providing work material.
1. A Friday client-commitment review
Every Friday at 3 pm Europe/London, remind me to review my open client commitments. Include this checklist: promised deliverable, owner, agreed date, evidence of completion, next question. Ask me to open my current list; do not invent its contents.
Why this is a useful first trial: the content is deliberately fixed. You can judge whether it arrives at the right local time and helps you finish a weekly review. It needs no mailbox connection and makes no claim to have inspected your commitments.
2. A pre-call information check
At 8:30 am Europe/London every Tuesday, remind me to prepare for the supplier review. Ask me to check the latest agreed scope, the last reply, the document version and any unanswered question. Keep it under 80 words.
What it does: prompts your preparation at a known time. The fixed Tuesday schedule does not establish a link to an actual calendar event. If the meeting moves, update the schedule; if you want event-aware preparation, evaluate that as a separate requirement.
3. A recurring brief from a supported connected source
Every weekday at 8 am Europe/London, review the authorized source I identify for the Birch client engagement. Report only changes since the previous workday, with dates and source references. Separate a new request from an accepted commitment. If the source is unavailable, report that instead of saying nothing changed. Prepare the brief for me; do not send a reply.
Replace the source description with one your task can actually access. Complete any authorization it asks for, then read a completed run. A useful first result should identify the material it used and the interval it covered. A polished but undated summary cannot tell you whether it found yesterday's change or last month's plan.
Separate the trigger, the inputs and the notification
| Question | What to check |
|---|---|
| When does it start? | A selected time, or supported app activity for an eligible event-triggered task |
| What can it read? | Supported connected apps, such as Gmail, Slack or GitHub, within the permissions you granted. A task created in a Project cannot access that Project's uploaded or stored files |
| How will I hear about it? | The delivery preferences and device notification permission |
| What stops it? | The task's pause or delete control, checked separately from notification settings |
OpenAI also documents event-triggered work; it is distinct from a time schedule and depends on eligible plans, apps and workspace access. See the source above before designing a document-based recurring job.
Check the first result before adding five more
Before the first run, write down when it should arrive, including the time zone. Then treat the next three runs as the test:
- Run one: compare its source dates with the period you asked for.
- Before run two: make one harmless change in a test source, such as a different meeting date or a clearly labelled new question, and look for that change in the result.
- Before run three: make the source unavailable. “No changes” and “I could not check” need to remain different outcomes.
If a run never arrives, look in Scheduled for a paused task first: OpenAI says a task may pause if it is inactive, requires additional action, or its associated chat is archived or deleted. Pause or delete the task when you no longer need it; on Free and Go, three active tasks is the most you can have at once.
For a brief tied to the client meeting itself
Equerry's Meeting Prep is a narrower option: save the Routine, allow calendar access and supply the client context you want available. It runs 15 minutes before each meeting. The calendar supplies timing and meeting details; it does not give Equerry your mailbox.
| What you send | A Birch thread you forwarded or CC'd to Equerry and your own saved note about the previous supplier review. |
|---|---|
| What you ask | “What changed since our last supplier call, and which question is still open?” |
| What you get back | A reply grounded in what you supplied, with a source chip for a saved note it uses. With Meeting Prep saved and calendar permission, a notification leads to the meeting brief in the app. |
A Morning Brief is another Routine you set up for a regular catch-up. Choose based on the result you need: a fixed reminder, a source-based morning review or preparation before a meeting. Equerry's calendar access is read-only; client replies remain yours to send.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find ChatGPT tasks?
Open Scheduled. You can also reach it through Settings → Notifications → Manage tasks, or from a conversation: select the more options menu (•••), then select See scheduled tasks. Availability depends on your account, app and app version.
Can a task use the files in my ChatGPT Project?
OpenAI says a task created in a Project cannot access uploaded files or files stored in that Project. That specific restriction does not describe ordinary Project conversations.
How do I stop a recurring task?
Open the task in Scheduled, or select the task title in its conversation, and use the task panel to pause or delete it. Changing notification preferences is a separate action; check the task itself when you want the work to stop. OpenAI also notes that deleting a chat associated with a scheduled task pauses the task but does not delete its shared task link, and that inactive tasks may pause automatically.
What should a client-work task contain?
Give it an explicit schedule and time zone, a defined source scope, a short output format and a rule for missing information. Test the completed result before relying on it.
Last updated 2026-10-21.
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