# Event trigger

> A start signal for a ChatGPT task that fires when something happens in a connected app: a new Gmail message, a Slack channel message, or GitHub pull request activity.

**Category:** ChatGPT

**An event trigger starts a task the moment something happens**, instead of at a set time. ChatGPT supports three sources: **new Gmail messages** (you can filter by sender or subject), **new messages in a Slack channel** (add @ChatGPT to that channel), and **pull request activity** in an authorised GitHub repository.

Event-triggered tasks run in [Work](/glossary#chatgpt-work), need Plus or higher, and together can run up to 30 times an hour and 720 times a day. Because they read content written by others, they are a doorway for [prompt injection](/glossary#prompt-injection): keep sending and sharing behind your approval.

## At work

Set a trigger on email from your three biggest clients: Work summarises each one in two lines with a suggested next step, and never replies by itself.

## Often confused with

A schedule. A schedule fires at a time you set; an event trigger fires when something happens, whenever that is.

## Related terms

- Scheduled task (ChatGPT)
- App (ChatGPT)
- Prompt injection

## See it in a lesson

[Scheduling and automation](/en/learn/chatgpt/advanced/scheduling-and-automation)

## Further reading

- [Scheduled tasks in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/10291617-scheduled-tasks-in-chatgpt): Event sources, filters, and rate limits.
- [ChatGPT Work and Codex](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001275-chatgpt-work-and-codex): How event tasks run in Work.
- [Connected apps in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11487775-apps-in-chatgpt): Connecting Gmail, Slack, and GitHub first.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary