Grok Bot, properly understood

1. Step 1 of 12

   Grok talks; Grok Bot does

   "Grok" means several things:

   • Grok, the app and @grok on X, is a chatbot that answers you.
   • Grok Bot is an app of AI teammates that go and do work on a cloud computer. This guide.
   • @bot on X sends a task from a post to your own Bot.
   • The Grok API is for developers building their own software.

   Grok Bot runs on Cursor's systems, so you will see Cursor's name in sign-in and billing. That is expected.

   Think of it like…

   Grok is the person you ask a question. Grok Bot is the staff member who goes and does the job.

   You’re done with this step when

   You can explain the difference between @grok and your Grok Bot.

   For the curious

   @bot on X does not work in the UK, the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Australia. It stays silent if the post also tags @grok or contains video, and it works only with your own Bot.

   I did this

2. Step 2 of 12

   Install the app and sign in

   1. Download the desktop app from x.ai/bot. On a Mac, drag it into Applications. On Windows, run the installer.
   2. Open it and click Sign in, finish in your browser, then come back to the app.
   3. If you pay for SuperGrok, link that subscription when asked.

   You’re done with this step when

   The Grok Bot app is open and you are signed in.

   I did this

3. Step 3 of 12

   Hire your first Bot

   Click Create your own and give it:

   • a name
   • a title, which is its job
   • a description

   The description is the important part. It holds the Bot's lasting rules, while your chat messages carry the day's tasks. Keep each Bot focused on one goal: focused Bots learn more useful context than one catch-all Bot.

   Think of it like…

   The description is the employment contract. Your messages are today’s to-do list.

   See an example: A vague Bot vs a focused one ▸

   Try this

   Name: Inbox Helper. Title: Email triage. Description: You read my email but never send, delete or archive anything. Each morning you tell me the three most urgent emails and why. When unsure, ask me.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You have a Bot with a name, a job and clear rules in its description.

   I did this

4. Step 4 of 12

   Give it a read-only first task

   Start with a task that only reads, so nothing can go wrong while you learn how it behaves. Say:

   • what you want back
   • where to look
   • when to check with you

   You can type, or dictate with Cmd/Ctrl + D.

   Try this

   Find five bakeries near Camden in London and put their opening hours and prices in a Google Doc, with a link to where you found each fact. Do not contact anyone.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   Your Bot finished a task that only read and reported, and you checked its sources.

   I did this

1. Step 5 of 12

   One shared computer for all your Bots

   Every Bot on your account uses the same cloud computer. Each gets its own screen, but they share:

   • browser sign-ins and cookies
   • files
   • saved passwords and keys

   The shared folder is called /workspace.

   xAI is explicit: the screens are separate work surfaces, not separate security boundaries. If one Bot is signed in to a site, every Bot can use it.

   Think of it like…

   One shared office computer with several desks around it. Anyone at any desk can open what is logged in.

   Try this

   Ask one Bot to save a short note to /workspace, then ask another Bot to read it.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You can explain why signing one Bot in to your email lets the others use it too.

   For the curious

   Each Bot runs one task at a time. Files and sign-ins are designed to survive the computer being updated or recovered.

   When a site needs you, open Agent Computer, sign in yourself (including any two-step code), and hand control back. Your password goes into the website, never into the chat.

   I did this

2. Step 6 of 12

   One long conversation per Bot

   Each Bot has a single continuous chat. It never starts over. As that conversation grows towards the limit of what the model can hold at once, its context window, the older parts are summarised to make room.

   Summaries keep the gist but drop detail, so early specifics can quietly fall away.

   The fix: keep key decisions in a file (in /workspace or your own documents), not only in the chat.

   Think of it like…

   One endless notebook, where the oldest pages get condensed into notes in the margin.

   You’re done with this step when

   You know where you will keep the decisions you do not want your Bot to lose.

   For the curious

   xAI’s own docs give no thread-length limit. The summarising is confirmed by Cursor staff on their forum. Resetting a Bot’s chat keeps its settings but erases the transcript.

   I did this

3. Step 7 of 12

   Memory: useful, not the record

   A Bot keeps stable preferences, important facts and summaries of its work, rather than replaying everything it ever saw.

   That memory is a recollection, not the record. xAI advises:

   • Keep facts that change in the source system, such as your spreadsheet or CRM.
   • For anything consequential, ask the Bot to check the current source.

   Duplicating a Bot copies its setup, not its memory.

   Think of it like…

   A colleague’s recollection versus the official file.

   Try this

   Before you answer, check the current version of the spreadsheet rather than what you remember.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You know when to tell your Bot to check the source instead of trusting memory.

   I did this

1. Step 8 of 12

   Skills, routines and "Teach a task"

   Three ways to make work repeatable:

   • A skill is a reusable set of instructions for how to do a task. It is available to all your Bots. Type / to use one.
   • A routine tells one Bot when to run something: on a schedule, or after an event like a new message.
   • Teach a task lets you do the job once while it records your screen (up to 10 minutes, no microphone). The Bot drafts a skill from it.

   Give event triggers a narrow rule, so they don't fire on everything.

   Think of it like…

   A recipe card, a cooking rota, and cooking the dish once while someone films you.

   See an example: A skill and the routine that runs it ▸

   Try this

   Every Monday at 8am London time, export last week’s expenses from my email receipts into a spreadsheet with date, vendor and amount.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You saved one skill or routine, or know exactly how you would.

   I did this

2. Step 9 of 12

   Connectors: the official way in

   Connectors are proper integrations with apps like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar and Slack. You install them from the Marketplace. In a chat, type @ to point a task at one.

   A connector is faster and more reliable than the Bot clicking around a website. Prefer it when one exists.

   Connectors are installed for your whole account, not per Bot.

   Think of it like…

   An official phone line to the company versus someone clicking through their website on your behalf.

   Try this

   @Slack summarise what happened in #support today.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You can say why a connector beats the Bot using a website, and where to install one.

   For the curious

   Plugins and MCP servers can extend Bots further. MCP allowlists are an Enterprise feature, and team-managed connectors may act with a shared team account.

   I did this

3. Step 10 of 12

   Approvals: Allow once, Always allow, Deny

   When a Bot wants to do something that needs your OK, the chat shows exactly what it will do and with what. You choose:

   • Allow once
   • Always allow, which saves a rule
   • Deny

   Keep Always allow for low-risk, repetitive actions only.

   Stop now ends work in progress, but it does not undo what the Bot already did. xAI is frank that its defences against tricked instructions "reduce, but do not eliminate, risk".

   Think of it like…

   A bank text asking you to confirm an unusual payment.

   You’re done with this step when

   You have seen an approval card and know which choice you would make for sending an email.

   I did this

4. Step 11 of 12

   Several Bots working together

   In a group chat, two to six Bots can work together with visible hand-offs. A researcher gathers, then a writer drafts. Bots can also message each other behind the scenes and reply later.

   xAI's advice: start with one Bot that owns the outcome, then add specialists only when the work clearly splits.

   You can share a Bot as a template. The other person gets a copy of its setup, never your logins or history.

   Think of it like…

   A project channel where the researcher hands findings to the writer.

   See an example: A group chat hand-off ▸

   Try this

   @Researcher gather sources on electric bikes and link every claim. @Writer turn the findings into a one-page summary.

   Copy

   You’re done with this step when

   You know when you would add a second Bot, and why you would start with one.

   I did this

5. Step 12 of 12

   Your allowance, and cleaning up properly

   Usage comes from a weekly allowance. It is measured in steps and tokens, not messages, so long and large jobs use more. It resets weekly, and you can carry on with pay-as-you-go billing if it is turned on.

   Deleting a Bot does not remove what it could reach. To really clean up:

   1. Sign out of each website inside Agent Computer.
   2. Remove connectors, and revoke their access in Google, X and so on.
   3. Delete sensitive files from /workspace.
   4. Pause or delete its routines. Hiding a Bot does not stop them.

   Think of it like…

   A weekly fuel card, and handing back every key when someone leaves the company.

   You’re done with this step when

   You know the four steps to fully remove a Bot’s access.

   I did this

Worth knowing

• It is a beta. Expect changes, and occasional outages that stop every Bot at once.
• All your Bots share one computer and its sign-ins, so sign in only to what the job needs.
• A Bot’s memory can be wrong. For anything important, ask it to check the source and show you.

Where this comes from

• Grok Bot
• Overview
• Get started
• Bots
• Computer and apps
• Skills, routines and automations
• Security
• Tag @bot on X
• Plans (Cursor help)
• Cursor forum: long Bot conversations

Checked against the sources on 2026-10-08. These tools change quickly.