A first recurring task should be easy to inspect

A useful first recurring task is a read-only summary. For example: “Every Monday, review messages in the project channel from the past seven days. List decisions, open questions, and anything I should check. Do not reply, change records, or contact anyone.”

The task has a source, a time window, an output, and a clear stop before any external action. If the summary is wrong, you can correct the scope before it has permission to act on what it found.

Reading and acting are different permissions

OpenAI’s Dots documentation says a Dot can review connected information proactively and form memories from it, even when you have not asked a new question. A connection therefore affects more than the task you happen to be looking at.

Before connecting an app, decide what information the recurring task needs. Then decide separately what the assistant may do with that information. A summary can be allowed to run on a schedule while sending a message, editing a calendar, or changing a file still requires your approval.

Dots custom rules include taking an action without asking, acting when pre-approved, asking first, or handing the action back to you. OpenAI defines “pre-approved” as an action you explicitly requested in your prompt. For a first run, “ask before taking action” gives you a chance to inspect the proposed change.

Review one run before repeating it

Run the task once and compare its summary with the source. Check whether it included the right messages, respected the date range, separated decisions from guesses, and left the source unchanged. Then narrow or expand the task based on what you observed.

Only after that review should you set a recurring schedule. Keep the first interval short enough that an error is easy to catch. If the task’s source, permissions, or purpose changes, pause and review the instructions again.

Disconnecting is not the same as deleting

OpenAI says disconnecting an app stops future access but does not erase information the Dot already obtained. Resetting a Dot deletes the Dot, its conversations, saved memories, and scheduled tasks. That difference matters when choosing what to connect in the first place.

For the current controls and their limits, see the OpenDots guide to Dots permissions and check the OpenAI Help Center instructions. Product availability and settings can change.