9 questions answered. Every answer sourced.
ChatGPT Agent: What Happened and What to Use Now
ChatGPT agent mode let ChatGPT browse, click and complete tasks on its own virtual computer. OpenAI has since retired it in favour of ChatGPT Work. Here is what changed and how to get the same results today.
GPTPrompts.AI Editorial
Facts checked against official announcements and documentation, October 2026 · Last updated October 2026
Affiliate link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
01 · Status
What happened to ChatGPT agent
Agent mode was folded into a broader product rather than simply removed.
Is ChatGPT agent still available?
No. OpenAI's help center says ChatGPT agent is no longer available and recommends ChatGPT Work for longer, multi-step tasks and finished deliverables.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent
What did ChatGPT agent mode do?
It let ChatGPT complete tasks on its own virtual computer: browsing with text and visual browsers, running terminal commands, using connectors such as email and calendar, and asking for confirmation before high-impact actions. You could take over the browser for sensitive steps such as logging in.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent
What were agent mode's usage limits?
Monthly message limits applied: 40 messages on Plus, 400 on Pro, and 40 on Business and Enterprise, with each new agent request counting toward the limit.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent
02 · Replacement
ChatGPT Work: the replacement
ChatGPT Work covers what agent mode did and adds app connections and scheduling.
What should I use instead of ChatGPT agent?
ChatGPT Work. It gathers information across your apps and files to create finished slides, sheets, docs and web apps, can stay with a project for hours, and can use your computer and browser on desktop.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent; OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work (ChatGPT Work)
Is ChatGPT Work free?
In the ChatGPT desktop app, Chat, Work and Codex are available on every plan, including Free. On web and mobile it rolled out to Pro, Enterprise and Edu first, then Plus and Business.
Source: OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work (ChatGPT Work)
Can ChatGPT Work run recurring tasks like agent mode did?
Yes. Scheduled Tasks run once, on a schedule or when something changes, using your connected apps and browser, for example a weekly metrics summary.
Source: OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work (ChatGPT Work)
03 · Safe use
Using AI agents safely
The habits OpenAI recommended for agent mode still apply to any agent.
How do I use an AI agent safely?
Connect only the apps a task needs, avoid typing passwords into chat, use takeover mode for sensitive inputs, avoid vague instructions like handle everything in my inbox, and stop a task if anything looks suspicious.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent
What is prompt injection?
Hidden instructions on a web page or in a document that try to hijack an agent. OpenAI monitored for it in agent mode, but no safeguard is perfect, so review what an agent did before acting on it.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent
Do agents keep my browsing data?
Agent mode kept chats, browsing history and screenshots in your conversation history until you deleted them, and did not capture what you typed during takeover. Check ChatGPT Work's data controls for your plan.
Source: OpenAI Help: ChatGPT agent; OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work (ChatGPT Work)
Sources
Read and checked October 2026. Policies change, so confirm anything time-sensitive on the source page.