AI Tools · 6 min read
Open Dot: The Open-Source Version of OpenAI's Dots, Plus the Mac Setup
OpenAI launched Dots on September 29 for Pro plans. The same day, an open-source version showed up on GitHub. Here is what Open Dot does, what it costs, and the exact steps to run it on your Mac.
Came from the reel?
If you just want it running, skip the explainer. The setup takes about 15 minutes on a Mac.
Skip to the Mac setup ↓"Key Takeaways"
- Open Dot is a community-built, open-source take on OpenAI's Dots. It is not made by OpenAI.
- It runs as a desktop app on your own Mac, with your own OpenAI key or an OpenRouter key for open models. No ChatGPT Pro plan needed.
- Each dot gets its own browser that stays logged in, and it connects to Gmail, Slack, Notion, GitHub and 1,500+ other apps through Composio.
- It reads on its own but asks before it sends, posts, pays for or changes anything. You write the rules in plain English.
- The app is free. You pay for your own model usage, so set a spend limit on your API key before you start.
Summarize this article with
What happened on September 29
OpenAI launched Dots: personal agents that keep working in the background on their own computers. To use them you need ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium.
On the same day, a repo called open-dot appeared on GitHub under composio-community. Five days later it has over 500 stars. Its pitch is simple: the same idea, running on your own Mac, paid for with your own API key.
What a dot can actually do
- Browse for you. Every dot has its own Chrome profile that stays logged in. You can watch it work, and take over when it hits a login or a captcha.
- Use your apps. Gmail, Calendar, Slack, Notion, GitHub and 1,500 more connect through Composio.
- Take a phone-style call. Talk to it out loud, hang up, and whatever you asked for keeps running. The whole call lands in the chat as text.
- Run on a schedule. For example, a brief of your inbox and calendar every weekday at 8.
- Wake up on triggers, like an email from your bank or a new issue on your repo. This part is optional and needs a Composio API key.
- Hand work to each other. Make a few dots with different jobs (Inbox, Research, Sales) and they can pass tasks along.
The part I like: it asks first
Most agent demos skip this. Open Dot reads freely, but anything risky (sending, posting, paying, changing something) stops and shows you an approval card in the chat. You tap approve or deny.
You also decide what counts as risky. Rules are plain sentences, like "when it wants to reply to an email, ask first". A small model checks every risky action against your rules before it happens.
Saved passwords are encrypted with a key in your macOS Keychain and typed straight into the page, so the model never sees them.
What it costs
| Piece | Cost |
|---|---|
| The Open Dot app | Free |
| The AI model | Billed to your own OpenAI or OpenRouter key, per use |
| Voice calls | Need an OpenAI key (Realtime), billed per use |
| Cloud computer (optional) | An E2B key, if you want dots working while your Mac sleeps |
| App connections | A free Composio sign-in; triggers need a Composio project key |
Set a spend limit before you start
The default model is OpenAI's top model, and dots keep working in the background. Set a budget on your OpenAI account first. One catch: OpenAI's monthly budget now only emails you when you cross it, it doesn't switch your key off. Start with one dot and watch the usage page for a day.
Set it up on your Mac
- Install Node.js 22 or newer (nodejs.org, the LTS button) and Google Chrome.
- Open Terminal and install pnpm: npm install -g pnpm
- Download the code: git clone https://github.com/composio-community/open-dot.git then cd open-dot
- Build the app: pnpm install then pnpm desktop:build. This creates a .dmg file in the dist folder.
- Open the .dmg and drag Open Dot into Applications.
- First launch: right-click the app and choose Open. The build isn't notarized yet, so a normal double-click gets blocked.
- In Settings, paste your OpenAI API key (platform.openai.com, API keys) or an OpenRouter key. Keys are stored encrypted on your Mac.
- Sign in with Composio to connect your apps. It opens in your normal browser.
- Add your first rule before anything else: ask me before replying to any email, and before paying for anything.
Stuck on the terminal part?
Paste this into Claude Code, ChatGPT or Claude and it will walk you through the build one step at a time:
Help me build and install Open Dot on my Mac from https://github.com/composio-community/open-dot. I'm not a developer. Check whether I have Node 22+, pnpm and Google Chrome first, then give me one terminal command at a time and wait for me to paste the result before the next step.
Honest notes
It's a community project, not affiliated with OpenAI. The repo has no license file yet, so check back before using it for client or commercial work.
There's no login screen. Run it on your own Mac, never on a public server.
Routines and triggers only run while the app is open. Closing the window keeps dots working; quitting with Cmd+Q stops them.
Open models through OpenRouter don't get OpenAI's computer tool. They click by reading the page text, which works on most sites but not on canvas-drawn ones.
Quick questions
Is this the real OpenAI Dots?
No. It's an independent open-source project built around the same idea. OpenAI's Dots still need a ChatGPT Pro or Business Premium plan.
Does it work on Windows?
The app is built for macOS. Developers can run it from source in a browser (pnpm dev on localhost:3100), but the supported path today is the Mac app.
Can I use it without an OpenAI key?
Yes, with an OpenRouter key you can pick open models like Kimi, DeepSeek, Qwen and GLM. Voice calls still need an OpenAI key.
Will it send emails or pay for things on its own?
Not unless you let it. Sending, posting, paying and changing things go through an approval card, and your rules decide what needs asking.
The Chai Takeaway
Don't start with ten dots. Make one Inbox dot, give it the "ask before replying" rule, and let it draft for a week. If you trust its drafts by Friday, then give it a schedule.
Open the repo on GitHub