ChatGPT Agent Mode: How to Access, Use, and What to Watch
- Patrick Law
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
ChatGPT Agent Mode launched in mid-July 2025, bringing a mini-browser, code terminal, and file manager directly into your chat window—so ChatGPT can now plan, browse, code, and act autonomously on your behalf TechCrunch.
How to Enable Agent Mode
Subscribe to a paid plan: Agent Mode is available to Pro (and soon Plus/Team) subscribers; it’s not on the free tier TechCrunch.
Open the Tools menu in any ChatGPT conversation and select Agent.
Grant Connector permissions under Settings → Connectors to apps like Google Drive, HubSpot, or custom APIs.
What Agent Mode Can Do
Autonomous browsing & data gathering: Watch it click through websites, scrape information, and synthesize findings.
Code execution: Run Python or JavaScript in a built-in terminal to process data, generate charts, or automate tasks.
File management: Read from and write to your cloud drives, producing tables, reports, or presentations without manual downloads TechCrunch.
Real-world use cases: In early tests, users had the Agent prepare their BAS tax table, process image receipts into expense sheets, summarize CRM pipelines, and even build bilingual slide decks—all with minimal supervision Mumbrella.
Where to Be Cautious
Connector hiccups: It can struggle to locate or authenticate to your files, requiring manual log-ins.
Odd decisions & hallucinations: From misreading a “fried chicken sandwich” as a Minecraft meme to exporting the wrong file format, Agent Mode still needs human oversight MumbrellaTechCrunch.
Privacy & data use: By default, OpenAI may use your connector data to improve its models. If you handle sensitive information, disable “Improve model for everyone” under Data Controls and enable two-factor authentication Mumbrella.
Best Practices
Start small: Delegate routine, repetitive tasks first—invoice pulls, report generation, data clean-up.
Stay in the loop: Watch the activity log, request numbered steps, and verify key outputs against known benchmarks.
Iterate & refine: Tweak your prompts, adjust autonomy settings (when available), and rebuild workflows as the tool matures.
ChatGPT Agent Mode is like an AI intern on steroids—capable of real-world workflows yet still imperfect. Use it to reclaim hours on boilerplate work, but keep your expertise front and center.
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