ChatGPT Agents Architecture: Technical & Operational Analysis (v2.3-beta)

Layer 0: Metacontext and System

• {00a} Identity: OpenAI LLM (cutoff Oct 2023, current date provided)
• {00b} Meta-prompt version and feature flags (not exposed to user)
• {00c} Free/Plus/Enterprise tier distinction affects resources/features
• {00d} Partial awareness of version changes between releases

🧠 Layer 1: Reasoning Core

• {01} LLM optimized for chain-of-thought reasoning (p.7) High
• {02} Explicit meta-prompt, ReAct instruction (p.7) High
• {03} Thought → Action → Observation execution cycle (p.21) High
• {04} Narrates plan and post-execution analysis (p.8) High
• {05} Limited self-correction (single attempt only) (p.25) High
• {06} Stateless between sessions (ephemeral state) (p.17) High
• {07} Output clarity and formatting principles (p.23) Medium
• {08} Style rules: one chart at a time, no seaborn, no color by default (p.24) Medium
• {09} Explicit error and limit reporting (p.23) High
• {10} Architectural distinction: executes actions, not just advises (p.10) High

🛠️ Layer 2: Tool Orchestrator

• {11} Centralized integration of Python, Browser, DALL·E (p.8) High
• {12} Shared folder bridge /home/oai/share (p.17) High
• {13} Transfer by copy, not direct access (p.17) High
• {14} Sequential execution only, no concurrency (p.7) High
• {15} Edge case: potential corruption in binary transfers (p.17) Medium
• {16} Browser has no access to Python interpreter memory (p.17) High
• {17} Package installation blocked inside Python sandbox (p.9) High
• {18} Preinstalled libs: pandas, numpy, matplotlib (p.24) Medium
• {19} DALL·E callable only via LLM, not API directly (p.8) High
• {20} File processing limited by RAM expansion on load (p.15) High
• {21} No network calls from Python, only via Browser tool (p.9) High
• {22} Error propagation consistent across tools (p.8) High
• {23} Workaround: always validate integrity after file copy (p.17) High

🔒 Layer 3: Sandbox / Execution Environment

• {24} Firecracker/gVisor Micro-VM (inferred) (p.13) Medium
• {25} Effective RAM per session: ~7–8GB (total ~10GB) (p.14) High
• {26} Ephemeral state: destroyed after session/error (p.14) High
• {27} Complete network isolation (p.9) High
• {28} VM boot <125ms, overhead <5MB (p.9) High
• {29} Minimalist OS, shared folder at /home/oai/share (p.14) High
• {30} Session time limit: ~5 min wall-clock (p.16) High
• {31} Practical file limit: 100–150MB (p.15) High
• {32} MemoryError → sandbox degradation, restart required (p.14) High
• {33} Python GC limitations, potential memory leak in edge cases (p.16) Low
• {34} No access to disk outside the VM (p.9) High
• {35} Session cost = RAM × time + management overhead (p.9) High
• {36} Workaround: chunk large files to avoid MemoryError (p.17) High

🤝 Layer 4: Human-Agent Interface

• {37} Requests confirmation for costly/irreversible actions (p.10) High
• {38} Allows human intervention; waits for feedback (p.10) High
• {39} Presents reasoning before action (p.10) High
• {40} Fallback behavior: asks for clarification after unresolved error (p.25) High
• {41} Adapts narrative based on prompt context/role (p.23) Medium
• {42} Transparently reports limitations and errors (p.23) High
• {43} Micro-decision making based on user instructions (p.23) High
• {44} Displays steps and process, no hidden execution (p.8) High
• {45} Session is destroyed after inactivity (no persistent warning) (p.14) High

⛔ Layer 5: Edge Cases, Security and Economics

• {46} No direct integration with private/internal APIs (by design) (p.35) High
• {47} Strict limits: ~5 min timeout, ~8GB RAM (p.16) High
• {48} No persistent memory across sessions (p.17) High
• {49} Practical file limit (~100MB) ≠ official upload limit (512MB) (p.15) High
• {50} Edge: occasional binary↔text corruption in transfers (p.17) Medium
• {51} All execution validated; no autonomous decisions (p.23) High
• {52} VM destroyed post-use to reduce attack surface (p.14) High
• {53} Architectural trade-off: prioritizes cost & security over power (p.16) High
• {54} Differences in Enterprise/Plus: more RAM/time (p.43) Low
• {55} Ongoing evolution; feature flags not always documented (p.47) Medium

🔎 Layer 6: Observability and Traceability

• {56} No detailed logs exposed to the end user
• {57} Errors and limitations are reported via messages, not trace dumps
• {58} No external session auditing (for privacy/security reasons)
• {59} Architectural changes only inferable through behavioral shifts
• {60} Confidence levels assigned based on replicable evidence

Example: Item Metadata Table

Legend & Reference Keys

• 🟦 Core (Reasoning engine, LLM, blue)
• 🟨 Tool (Python, Browser, DALL·E, amber)
• 🟩 Sandbox (Micro-VM, isolated environment, green)
• 🟫 Interface (Human collaboration layer, gray)
• 🟥 Edge/Limitation (Security, hard constraints, red/orange)
• 🟪 Observability (Logs, introspection, purple)
• High, Medium, Low: Confidence levels