A business agent answers customer questions about your products and policies using information you provide. OpenAI limits it to eligible ecommerce and online service businesses in the U.S. with a website, and the business must also meet the industry requirements in OpenAI's Business Agents Policy.
How is an agent set up?
After your claim and Persona verification are approved, you open your business in the Business tab.
- Open the draft agent if Shopify setup created one, or create an agent if the option is available
- Review the information the agent will use, such as product details and your return policy
- Preview it with a question customers often ask, and fix the information or instructions if the answer is wrong
- Select Publish. Customers can only chat with a published agent
What can an agent not do?
It cannot complete purchases, make bookings, or check a customer's order. It explains products and policies and links to your website, where customers complete those actions.
Why can you not create one?
Check that you are using the claimed profile and that your Persona verification was approved. You cannot create an agent while verification is pending or after it fails. Some businesses can manage a profile without being eligible for an agent.
Do you need Shopify?
No. Eligible businesses can set up an agent whether or not they use Shopify. A Shopify product feed can share product details, prices, and availability, and you still review and publish the agent separately.
Where these facts come from. Platform details were checked against OpenAI's help article, Setting up your business on ChatGPT, on November 11, 2026. The product is in beta and the rules change.
Hi Dev is an independent software studio. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of OpenAI. Eligibility, verification, and approval are decided by OpenAI.