OpenAI Rolls Out Scheduled Tasks to Free Users with Limits
新智元 · wechat · 2026-08-30
OpenAI has expanded its Scheduled Tasks feature to all free users, previously a paid-only capability. Users can now set one-time reminders, recurring tasks, and monitoring tasks (e.g., tracking prices, stocks, or job listings), allowing ChatGPT to run in the background and push results based on conditions. Paid users (Plus and above) gain access to event-driven triggers, integrating with Gmail, Slack, and GitHub for automated responses to specific activities.
Free users face strict limits: a maximum of 3 active tasks, recurring tasks restricted to once daily, and vague time slots (morning/afternoon/evening). Plus users can create up to 5 tasks with minute-level precision and hourly execution limits, with higher tiers offering up to 15 tasks. Task sharing via link is available to all users.
The article traces the feature's evolution: a rudimentary Tasks beta in early 2025, followed by the Pulse initiative for Pro users, which was abandoned in June 2026 due to lack of adoption. Pulse's replacement, the rebuilt Scheduled Tasks, emphasizes user control over AI curation. Opening this to free users marks ChatGPT's first major step towards background-resident Agents for the mass market, serving as a freemium funnel to drive subscriptions.
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