OpenAI makes ChatGPT Work tasks event-driven across Gmail, Slack, and GitHub

OpenAI has added event triggers to ChatGPT Work scheduled tasks. Eligible Plus and Pro users can now have a task react when something changes in Gmail, a selected Slack channel, or a GitHub pull request instead of waiting for a fixed time. OpenAI also says scheduled tasks can be shared so another person can review the setup and create an independent copy.

ChatGPT Work can wake up on app activity

The change moves scheduled tasks from clock-based automation toward event-driven workflows. A task can monitor a connected Gmail account, Slack channel, or GitHub pull-request activity and start when a matching event arrives. OpenAI’s release notes list the feature for ChatGPT Work on the web and mobile apps, with Plus and Pro eligibility for the webhook triggers.

That distinction matters for practical use. A fixed schedule is useful for a daily briefing; an event trigger is better for triaging a new customer email, summarizing a project-channel message, or preparing a response when a pull request changes. The task still runs inside ChatGPT’s connected-app and approval boundaries.

The first triggers are Gmail, Slack, and GitHub

OpenAI currently names three supported event sources:

• Gmail: new incoming messages can start a task.
• Slack: activity in a connected channel can start a task.
• GitHub: pull-request activity can start a task.

The connected app remains the access boundary. The Slack help documentation says the app must be connected, workspace administrators may control availability, and a shared task does not transfer the creator’s app connection, credentials, channel access, or message history.

Independent coverage from Impress Watch confirms the event-triggered behavior and the ability to share tasks as customizable copies. That is a useful operational detail: sharing distributes the task definition, not the underlying authorization.

Sharing creates a copy, not a shared credential

Shared tasks are designed for reuse. Another user can review the instructions, connect their own eligible apps, and schedule an independent copy. This avoids silently extending the original creator’s Gmail, Slack, or GitHub permissions to someone else.

Teams should still inspect the trigger, filters, connected account, and action permissions before enabling a copy. A task that summarizes an event is lower risk than one that drafts or sends messages, edits files, or changes a pull request. OpenAI’s notes state that actions requiring approval pause until the user reviews them.

Availability and limits to verify

The release is not a blanket promise that every account or region has every connector. Slack’s help page notes that the Slack app is not currently available to Plus and Pro users in the EEA, Great Britain, and Switzerland. Workspace administrators can also restrict app access and actions.

Before relying on a task, confirm that the required app is visible in ChatGPT, that the workspace allows the connection, and that the trigger fires only for the intended sender, channel, repository, or pull-request event. Treat prompts and external app content as data: event-driven automation increases responsiveness, but it also increases the importance of narrow filters and approval gates.

The practical milestone is simple: ChatGPT Work can now wait for a connected event instead of polling on a timer. The next question for teams is whether its connector permissions and approval model are narrow enough for unattended monitoring.

Sources and availability caveat

OpenAI’s ChatGPT release notes are the primary source for the August 25 update. Impress Watch and TechTimes independently report the Gmail, Slack, and GitHub trigger rollout; the OpenAI Slack help page supplies current connection and regional availability constraints.