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How to Use ChatGPT with Elysium (BYOAI Setup Guide)

February 23, 2026
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If you're on ChatGPT Plus, you can use it with Elysium's BYOAI feature to manage your schedule in natural language — no extra subscription required. This guide covers the setup.

What you'll need

  • Elysium (macOS or iOS)
  • ChatGPT Plus subscription
  • ChatGPT desktop app (macOS) or access to ChatGPT.com with file upload

How it works

BYOAI works by having ChatGPT read and write .ot files in your Elysium data folder. Elysium generates a README.md in that folder with the complete format reference — so ChatGPT knows exactly what structure to use.

There are two ways to set this up depending on which ChatGPT access you have.

Step 1: Enable BYOAI in Elysium

  1. Open Settings in Elysium.
  2. Navigate to AI → Bring Your Own AI.
  3. Tap Enable. Elysium creates the OpenTime folder and generates a README.md inside it.
  4. Note the folder location — you'll need it for ChatGPT.

Option A: ChatGPT desktop app (macOS) with computer use

The ChatGPT desktop app on macOS can access files on your computer when given permission. This allows it to read and write your schedule files directly.

  1. Open the ChatGPT desktop app.
  2. Start a new conversation.
  3. Grant it access to your OpenTime folder when prompted, or configure this in the app's settings.
  4. Start with: "Read the README.md in my OpenTime folder and then help me plan my schedule."

ChatGPT will read the format reference and your existing .ot files, then you can give it instructions.

Option B: ChatGPT.com with file upload

If you don't have the desktop app, you can upload files directly in a ChatGPT conversation.

  1. Locate your OpenTime folder (shown in Elysium under Settings → AI → BYOAI).
  2. In a new ChatGPT conversation, upload your README.md and any .ot files you want to work with.
  3. Tell ChatGPT: "This README describes the .ot file format. The other files are my current schedule. Help me [add/modify/reorganize] these items."
  4. When ChatGPT generates updated .ot content, copy it and replace your file contents.

Option B is more manual but works with the standard ChatGPT.com interface.

Example prompts

Once ChatGPT has access to your format reference:

"Add a task: write the weekly report. Due Friday at noon. Priority: high."

"Create a habit called 'Evening review' — every weekday at 9pm, takes 15 minutes."

"I need to add a project for the office renovation with three goals: painting, flooring, and furniture. Each goal should have a due date spread across March."

"What's on my schedule for this week? Are there any conflicts or overscheduled days?"

"Move everything from Thursday to Friday — I have an unexpected all-day meeting on Thursday."

Tips

Upload the README at the start of each session. ChatGPT doesn't have persistent context between conversations. Uploading the README each time ensures it understands the format before writing anything.

Ask it to show you the YAML before writing. Request a preview first: "Show me the YAML you'd write, don't save it yet." Review it, then confirm: "That looks right, go ahead."

Verify the output. Always read the YAML ChatGPT produces before replacing your files. The format is straightforward YAML — a quick scan will catch anything off.

Use descriptive IDs. When creating new items, ask ChatGPT to use descriptive IDs (like task-write-report-2026-02) rather than generic ones. This makes your files easier to read and edit manually.

Limitations

ChatGPT file write access depends on the tool configuration available to you. The desktop app's computer use capabilities are the most reliable path for automated file writes. If you're using file upload, the process is manual — you'll need to paste the output back into your files.

For a smoother phone-based experience, the Claude + OpenClaw setup is generally easier. See the Claude guide →

Questions or feedback? Join the community forum.