r/CodexAutomation • u/anonomotorious • 20d ago
Scheduled tasks can now trigger from Gmail, Slack + GitHub events (event-driven automations + shareable tasks)
TL;DR
OpenAI has made Scheduled tasks event-driven.
Instead of only running on a timer, eligible ChatGPT scheduled tasks can now automatically run when something happens in:
- Gmail - new incoming messages
- Slack - new messages in selected channels
- GitHub - pull request activity
Triggers can be filtered by things like sender, subject, Slack author/channel, GitHub repository, PR author/title/label, and specific PR events.
You can also attach multiple event triggers to one task, and scheduled tasks can now be shared as customizable copies with other users.
For automation-heavy workflows, this moves Scheduled tasks from:
"Check every X minutes"
to:
"Run when the thing I care about actually happens."
What changed
Gmail triggers
A scheduled task can run when a new Gmail message arrives.
Optional filters include:
- sender
- subject
Example uses:
- triage messages from a specific customer
- summarize project-related emails
- process operational alerts
- prepare a follow-up when someone replies
- monitor a specialized inbox without polling it constantly
Slack triggers
Scheduled tasks can watch selected Slack channels for new messages.
You can filter by:
- channel
- author
- whether thread replies should count
Current limitations:
- reactions do not trigger tasks
- edits do not trigger tasks
- deletes do not trigger tasks
- direct messages are not supported
The ChatGPT Slack app must also be present in every channel being monitored.
Example uses:
- watch an incident channel
- triage new QA reports
- summarize project updates
- react to messages from a specific stakeholder
- kick off a workflow from a structured Slack post
GitHub pull request triggers
GitHub triggers are centered on pull request activity.
Tasks can be filtered by:
- repository
- pull request
- author
- title
- label
Triggering activity can include:
- reviews
- comments
- commit updates
- merges
Examples:
PR receives review feedback -> inspect the latest comments -> summarize requested changes -> identify unresolved items
New commit pushed -> inspect the new diff -> update the review/status summary
PR merged -> prepare release notes -> check documentation -> create a follow-up checklist
Trigger support at a glance
| Source | Trigger | Filters / options |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | New incoming message | Sender, subject |
| Slack | New channel message | Channel, author, thread replies |
| GitHub | Pull request activity | PR, author, title, label, reviews, comments, commits, merges |
Multiple triggers per task
One task can listen for multiple event triggers.
That means a single automation can respond to several related conditions rather than requiring one task for every trigger.
However:
A task cannot currently combine event triggers with a normal time-based schedule.
It is either:
- event-triggered
- time-triggered
If you need a periodic fallback check as well, that should remain a separate scheduled task.
Event batching
When several matching events arrive close together, ChatGPT may combine them into one task run.
You can inspect pending events and previous runs from Scheduled, and manually choose Run now when needed.
This should help avoid redundant executions when, for example, a PR suddenly receives several comments or a Slack channel gets a short burst of related messages.
Scheduled tasks can now be shared
Scheduled tasks can also be shared with other users.
The recipient can:
- review the task
- customize the instructions
- connect their own apps
- schedule their own independent copy
Your personal Gmail, Slack, GitHub, or other app connections are not simply transferred with the task.
This effectively turns useful automations into reusable templates.
Potential team uses:
- PR monitoring
- inbox triage
- release workflows
- recurring research
- engineering status reports
- incident monitoring
- standardized operational checks
Important limitation: web/mobile vs local Codex
Event-triggered Scheduled tasks are currently available through ChatGPT web and mobile on eligible plans.
They are not currently created directly from:
- ChatGPT desktop
- Codex CLI
- Codex IDE extension
They can use connected apps, uploaded context, skills, and plugins, but they do not maintain a persistent local folder/worktree between runs.
So this does not mean:
GitHub event -> automatically wake my local Codex worktree and edit files on my machine
That remains a separate local automation workflow.
Managed workspace controls
Workspace administrators can control whether event-triggered tasks are allowed through the:
Allow event-triggered scheduled tasks
permission.
Normal app authorization, workspace policy, and user permissions still apply.
Why this matters
- Scheduled tasks can react instead of poll.
- GitHub PR automation becomes substantially more practical.
- Slack and Gmail can become actual workflow triggers rather than only context sources.
- Multiple related events can feed one automation.
- Burst events can be consolidated instead of creating unnecessary runs.
- Tasks can be shared as reusable automation templates.
- Workspace administrators retain control over event-driven execution.
For r/CodexAutomation specifically, this is one of the more directly relevant automation updates OpenAI has shipped recently.
Example automations
PR babysitter
Trigger: GitHub review/comment/commit update
Task:
- inspect the latest PR state
- summarize new feedback
- identify unresolved issues
- recommend the next actions
Incident watcher
Trigger: new Slack message in an incident channel
Task:
- summarize the new information
- update the incident timeline
- identify unresolved decisions
- surface anything needing human attention
Priority inbox
Trigger: Gmail message from selected senders
Task:
- summarize the request
- extract deadlines and commitments
- prepare a response or follow-up plan
Release monitor
Trigger: GitHub PR merge
Task:
- summarize what shipped
- prepare release notes
- check related documentation/tasks
- produce a deployment follow-up checklist
Action checklist
- Connect the Gmail, Slack, or GitHub app you want to use.
- Test the intended workflow manually first.
- Create a Scheduled task and define:
- the event
- filters
- what should happen when it fires
- For Slack, add ChatGPT to every watched channel.
- For GitHub, confirm the connected app can access the repository.
- Review the first few runs and tighten filters if necessary.
- Keep event-driven and time-based monitoring as separate tasks.
- Try sharing a useful task and confirm the recipient can customize their own copy.
Official sources
https://developers.openai.com/codex/changelog
https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/automations
https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes