ChatGPT Agent Mode: How to Access and Use It

OpenAI just dropped a major upgrade to ChatGPT, and it’s called Agent Mode.

This new feature gives ChatGPT the ability to actually handle tasks on your behalf by tapping into a virtual computer built directly into the tool.

It combines things like web browsing, data analysis, code execution, and document handling, all under one tool. In short, you now have your own AI assistant that can think and do.

Agent Mode has been making waves across the internet, with people calling it everything from a game-changer to a glimpse of what “real” AI feels like.

So if you’re wondering what ChatGPT Agent Mode is (or just “ChatGPT Agent” as some call it), how to access it, and what you can do with it, this post breaks it all down.

What Is ChatGPT Agent Mode?

ChatGPT Agent Mode is a powerful new feature within ChatGPT that merges and enhances features ChatGPT already had, like browsing the web, analyzing files, or writing code into one power tool within the ChatGPT interface.

Instead of being fragmented, these capabilities are now unified into an agent that can complete a task from start to finish.

Here’s the shift:In regular ChatGPT, if you ask, “How do I plan a birthday party?” it gives you a checklist.In Agent Mode, you can say, “Plan a Dracula-themed party for a 5-year-old and order everything I need,” and ChatGPT can actually handle the task; researching, picking vendors, preparing a list, even visiting websites, clicking links, and preparing items for checkout.

It’s a tool that can:

• Browse the web like a human; clicking buttons, filling forms, navigating pages
• Run code, analyze data, and generate visual reports
• Connect to tools like Gmail, GitHub, Notion, or your calendar via connectors
• And handle multi-step workflows using all of these capabilities together

You can ask it to go through your emails, extract specific data, summarize reports, and even turn the results into a presentation. And for high-impact tasks (like purchases or personal data), it’ll pause and ask for confirmation before proceeding.

Agent Mode is ChatGPT doing the work for you, not just advising on it.

Who Has Access to ChatGPT Agent Mode?

As of now, ChatGPT Agent Mode is available to users on a paid plan, specifically:

• ChatGPT Pro users
• Some ChatGPT Team and Enterprise accounts
• Only in eligible countries; currently not yet available in the EEA or Switzerland due to regulatory rollout timing

If you’re on the free plan, you won’t see Agent Mode yet.

To check if you have access:

1. Open ChatGPT
2. Select a relevant GPT-4 model from the top of the screen
3. In the message bar or tool dropdown, look for Agent Mode or type /agent to trigger the mode

If Agent Mode is available, ChatGPT will confirm and begin operating in that context. Otherwise, it’ll either fall back to regular tools (like browsing or code interpreter) or let you know it’s not yet supported on your plan.

What Are People Saying About ChatGPT Agent Mode?

I think this feature is very powerful and genuinely has a lot of potential.

In my own testing, Agent Mode did work as advertised in many cases. It browsed websites, pulled data from PDFs, and even helped draft a detailed product comparison from live search results. It felt almost like having a junior assistant that could take initiative.

But I also hit a few snags. There were moments where it completely stalled in the middle of a task. In some other cases, it got the order of steps wrong, like trying to summarize a file before it had actually opened it, or mixing up dates in a calendar review task.

That said, I’m not here to throw criticism at it too hard. The Agent Mode is still fresh. It’s clearly in its early stages and needs a lot of iteration to become what it's aiming for. But it’s pointing in the right direction.

After trying it out myself, I did what most people do—I jumped on Reddit to see what others were saying. And as expected, the response was a mix of optimism and critique.

Some users were blown away by the autonomy:

“It can read everything on a screen, summarize what it sees, click around, write… I spend almost the entire appointment time talking with the patient… and it really doesn’t seem that far off at all.” — source

But others were quick to point out some real gaps in execution:

“The demo itself… is broken! ChatGPT in the very first response forgets what the wedding date is.” — source

There’s even some light sarcasm around how the agent sometimes tries to do too much, too fast:

“It opened a browser tab and started typing… then froze halfway through clicking the next step. It was like watching my dad try to buy something online.” — source

So yeah—it’s not just me. The potential is real, but the execution still has gaps.

Right now, Agent Mode feels like something in public beta; a preview of what’s coming, not the final product. But even with its flaws, it’s already proving to be more than just a gimmick. It’s a shift toward actual AI-powered task execution.

If OpenAI keeps iterating fast (which they usually do), I wouldn’t be surprised if Agent Mode becomes one of the most impactful updates in ChatGPT’s history.

Everyone’s Hyped About AI Agents — But Chatbase Has Been Shipping

So yes, Agent Mode is exciting. You can browse docs, fetch data, and even chain steps together. It’s promising.

But if you’re looking to use an AI agent to handle real-world customer service tasks, not just demo workflows in a playground, you don’t have to wait.

That’s exactly what Chatbase has been doing.

Chatbase AI agents don’t just talk. They act. They’re already helping real businesses run smoother, faster, and with less handholding.

Here’s what a Chatbase AI agent can do for your customer support operations:

• Resolve actual customer queries, 24/7. Not just answer FAQs, but handle layered, follow-up questions in full context.
• Track order status, check availability, and pull product data from Shopify, and more in real time.
• Book appointments and sync with your calendar — no “please contact support” dead ends.
• Trigger backend actions via API — like issuing refunds, escalating tickets, or routing leads.
• Create and manage support tickets in platforms like Zendesk when human help is needed.

No coding prompts. No tab switching. Just drop the agent on your site or chat channel, and it works.

Ready to try one?

→ Get started with AI Agent for Customer Support