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Ali Farhat
Ali Farhat Subscriber

Posted on • Edited on • Originally published at scalevise.com

ChatGPT Agent Not Working? Here's How to Fix Common Issues

ChatGPT Agents offer powerful browser-based automation — but they don’t always work as expected. From frozen agents to browser errors and incomplete tasks, there are several frustrating issues users encounter.

This no-fluff guide walks you through the most common problems and how to fix them — fast.

Also See: Latest GPT-5 Bugs and Reports


🔄 1. Agent Not Responding at All

If your agent seems to “freeze” after launching:

  • Check your input format: The agent might expect a URL, file, or prompt structure.
  • Restart the agent: Use the stop icon and re-launch. This solves most temporary glitches.
  • Clear browser sessions: Old sessions may conflict with new ones.

🔐 2. Session or Login Errors

Agents that interact with authenticated services (like Gmail, Notion, or internal dashboards) might fail due to:

  • Expired sessions
  • Logged-out tabs
  • Incorrect browser state

Fix:

  • Head to Settings → Custom Browsing in ChatGPT
  • Re-authenticate and save the session
  • Try again with a fresh start

🛑 3. Agent Gets Stuck or Times Out

Some agents appear to hang mid-task or show no progress.

Quick fixes:

  • Reduce task complexity (don’t ask for 10 steps at once)
  • Split large prompts into smaller ones
  • Avoid unsupported browser actions (like drag & drop)

⚠️ 4. ChatGPT Agent Can’t Click or Navigate

Agents often rely on semantic understanding of a web page. If the UI changes or is too dynamic, clicks may fail.

Tips:

  • Use precise language like: “Click the blue button labeled ‘Download’”
  • Include full URLs instead of partial references
  • Avoid iframes or complex shadow DOM components

🔄 5. Agent Repeats Itself or Loops

If your agent keeps repeating or gets stuck in a loop:

  • Check the prompt history for confusing logic
  • Rewrite instructions using numbered steps
  • Avoid vague phrases like “go to the next one”

👷‍♂️ Bonus: Build Your Own Reliable Agent

Sometimes, building a custom agent through the OpenAI platform or using Make.com can offer more stability and flexibility.

Want to explore this?

→ See how we build ChatGPT Agents that don’t break


🧠 Why ChatGPT Agents Fail: The Deeper Problem

Most of the frustrations users face with ChatGPT Agents stem from one key fact: they’re built on a general-purpose AI interacting with an unpredictable browser interface.

Unlike traditional automation tools like Selenium or Make.com, which follow strict rules and known UI elements, ChatGPT Agents rely on natural language reasoning to simulate human behavior. This means:

  • Agents don't have a DOM-level understanding of pages
  • They might misinterpret labels or interactive elements
  • They can’t "see" real-time UI changes like humans do

While this allows for more flexibility, it also introduces uncertainty. This is especially risky in:

  • Dynamic SPAs (Single Page Applications)
  • Web apps with custom elements (e.g. React or Vue components)
  • Sites with session timeouts or CAPTCHAs

In short: ChatGPT Agents are smart, but not precise.


🛡️ Pro Tip: Combine Agents with API Automation

If your workflows rely on consistency, consider combining ChatGPT Agents with API-based tools.

For example:

  • Use an agent to fetch data from a UI when no API is available
  • Then pass that data into a Make.com scenario or Zapier flow
  • Let the structured automation handle the logic and reliability

This hybrid approach can give you the best of both worlds — flexibility plus dependability.

Also See: ChatGPT Agents Pricing


Want to build resilient automations that don't break every week?

→ Talk to Scalevise about custom AI + automation setups


Final Thoughts

OpenAI's ChatGPT Agents are still in early development. Expect bugs — and prepare workarounds. But when they work, they can truly transform how you automate tasks.

Having trouble with deeper agent tasks?

→ Run our AI Scan and get practical advice on how to integrate agents into your workflows.

Top comments (3)

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kinjal profile image
Kinjal

This is solid. The part about agents breaking on dynamic SPAs hit home — we once had one silently fail inside a dashboard built on Vue and nobody noticed until data went missing 😬

We’ve been experimenting with pairing agents + API-driven internal tools lately. Still early days, but combining structured UI logic with flexible AI seems to reduce a lot of surprises.

Curious if others here are trying hybrid setups?

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rolf_w_efbaf3d0bd30cd258a profile image
Rolf W

Thank you!

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hubspottraining profile image
HubSpotTraining

Great article!

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