Working with work already underway

You can skip this guide until you have work to coordinate. A first conversation needs neither a coding project nor an automation.

Identify the work you mean

OpenAI’s October update reports better use of existing ChatGPT and Codex context, including continuing Codex threads and reading or editing ChatGPT Work automations. That is documented capability, not a test of your account or every thread type.

Try: “Use the existing Codex thread called ‘Workshop registration’. First show me its current goal, what is finished, and what is blocked. Ask me if more than one thread matches.”

Give a title or link and the outcome you want. Review the selected work before authorizing a follow-up. Ask dot to continue the existing thread when that is your intention. Context access is selective; a new delegated task does not automatically receive your entire history.

Check where it runs

• Dot’s cloud computer: has its own files and browser sessions; work there can continue while your device is off.
• Connected personal computer: needed for its local files, apps, or existing local Codex tasks. Keep it online with the ChatGPT app open. Dot access is separate from a Codex connection or Work Sync.
• Codex cloud environment: prepare the repository and environment in Codex first for coding work that needs that setup.

Open Activity to inspect the task and its outputs. Changing the selected computer does not move an existing task. If something is unavailable, ask what part can proceed and what is waiting for the original environment.

The cloud browser does not inherit your personal browser’s logins. Use a private sign-in request or browser takeover when prompted; do not paste passwords into conversation. An active session and a saved login are different: reusing a saved login for a new sign-in requires confirmation. See computers and apps.

Review an automation before changing it

Try: “List the ChatGPT Work automations you can access for this project. Show their instructions, schedule and time zone, destination, and status. Do not change them yet.”

Then name the exact automation and change: “For the workshop review, change the notification rule to new blockers only. Keep its sources and end date.” Check the saved result in the relevant automation controls. Listing work is not a request to create another copy.

There are three different arrangements:

• Schedule: a saved run at a specified time. Review timing, time zone, end date, instructions, and destination.
• Supported event monitor: work triggered by an agreed event from a service that supports it. Confirm the source, event, scope, notification rule, and how to disable it. Connecting the service is only one prerequisite.
• Contextual suggestion: dot may connect information it can read with something you care about. Timing and usefulness vary; do not rely on it as a guaranteed monitor. Proactive research itself is read-only, while any follow-up action needs the applicable authorization.

Keep four kinds of control separate

Conversation: explain priorities, tone, update preferences, and specific actions you authorize.

App and computer access: determine which accounts, tools, files, and actions are available. Review those actual permissions separately.

Custom Rules: optional saved action instructions under Settings → Personalization → Permissions. They can request approval or authorize a defined action, but do not create app access. Workspace policy may disable them; rules are not infallible.

Built-in safeguards and action review: still apply alongside your instructions. A rule cannot remove mandatory protections or every confirmation.

See the boundaries lesson and official controls guide.

Finish, stop, and check

Ask which responsibilities remain active. Pause the main task, stop delegated tasks in Activity, and disable or delete unwanted recurring tasks in Scheduled separately. Inspect Work automations and any event monitors relevant to the project too; verify their individual status. These actions do not recall messages or undo edits already made.

Check important files and actions before relying on them. If a result is missing, ask for the remaining blocker and a concrete next step. When your dot needs steering has shorter messages for those moments.

Availability and evidence

Plan, gradual rollout, workspace policy, plugin permissions, and the execution environment all matter. Work and Codex tasks use those products’ usage allowances. Check current access. Official sources reviewed October 14, 2026; these suggested workflows have not been hands-on tested by Just the Dots.