Most AI tools stop at the chat window: they write you a draft, and you still copy it into your email, your CRM and your spreadsheet. Grok Bot from xAI goes a step further. Each bot works on its own cloud computer with a real browser, files and a terminal, so it can do the task in your actual tools and keep going after you close your laptop.
This guide explains what Grok Bot is, what it costs, how to set it up step by step, and the permission settings a small business should use from day one. Details are from xAI’s official Grok Bot guides and documentation as of October 2026. It’s a new product that changes quickly, so check x.ai/bot for the latest.
What Grok Bot actually is
The official Grok Bot 101 guide puts it simply: Grok Bot is an agent with a computer. In practice that means:
- Named bots with memory. Each bot has a role (“Inbox assistant”, “Invoice chaser”) and its own conversation, and it remembers how you like things done.
- A persistent cloud computer. Bots work in a browser, a file workspace and a terminal hosted in the cloud, not on your PC.
- Stays signed in. Log in to a website once and the session stays available.
- Keeps working in the background. Closing the app or your laptop doesn’t stop cloud work.
- Routines. Run a bot on a schedule (every weekday at 8 AM) or when an event happens.
- Skills. Save a way of doing a task once and reuse it. On desktop you can also teach a task by recording yourself doing it (up to ten minutes); the bot turns it into a draft skill for you to review.
- Connected apps. Built-in connections include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, GitHub, QuickBooks Online, Zoho, WhatsApp Business, Stripe Link and X, plus any website it can use through the browser.
- Teamwork between bots. Bots can message each other, share group chats and hand tasks over, so an intake bot can pass a new client to an onboarding bot.
Grok Bot vs the Grok chatbot
| Grok chatbot | Grok Bot | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | Text answers | Finished work in your tools |
| Works when you’re away | No | Yes, in the cloud |
| Uses websites and apps | No | Yes, through its browser and connected apps |
| Runs on a schedule | No | Yes, with routines |
| Asks permission first | Not applicable | Yes, for sensitive actions |
Which plan you need
There’s no standalone Grok Bot subscription. As of October 2026, access comes with eligible plans:
- Cursor paid plans (Pro, Pro+, Ultra) and self-serve Cursor Teams, where every member has access. Grok Bot signs in with a Cursor account.
- The X Subscription at Premium, Super and Ultra levels (not Plus or Free).
- Linking an individual subscription: SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus, SuperGrok Heavy or X Premium+. The link can’t be undone later.
Usage comes from a weekly allowance that resets each week, with optional paid extra usage. Plans don’t stack; you get whichever allowance is larger. A free trial gives a one-off credit inside a seven-day window. For a small team that wants everyone on it, a Cursor Teams plan is usually the simplest route. Check current prices on xAI’s and Cursor’s pricing pages before you buy, because they aren’t fixed in the docs.
How to set up Grok Bot, step by step
- Install the app. Download it from x.ai/bot. On Mac choose Apple silicon or Intel and drag it to Applications; on Windows choose x64 or Arm64 and run the installer; on Linux use the .deb, .rpm or AppImage. Mobile apps exist for iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Sign in. Choose Sign in and finish in the browser with your Cursor account (or Get Access with Grok under Settings → Usage & Billing if you’re using a SuperGrok plan).
- Meet your first bot. After a short intro, your cloud computer sets itself up in the background and a first bot called “Grok Bot” opens.
- Give it one job. In the first message, describe the job and ask it to remember how to work. Rename it by clicking its name. Create more bots with New → Create new Bot, one per job.
- Run a safe first task. A good structure is: the outcome you want, where the information is, the limits, what to hand back, and when to check with you. For example: “Summarise this attached document in five bullet points with citations. Don’t change the file.”
- Sign in to your tools yourself. When a site needs a login, choose Take over, type the password or 2FA code yourself, then choose I’m done. The bot never needs to see your password.
- Answer approvals carefully. When a bot wants to do something sensitive, it shows the action and asks: Allow once, Always allow or Deny.
- Turn the task into a routine. Once it works, save it as a skill, attach it to a routine, and use Test before relying on it.
Permission settings for a small business
Grok Bot’s design has one detail every business owner should understand: all your bots share one cloud computer. They see the same files, the same signed-in browser sessions and the same saved credentials. Each bot has its own screen, but that’s a workspace, not a security wall.
So from day one:
- Only sign in to accounts every bot may use. If one bot shouldn’t touch your bank or payroll, don’t log in to it on that computer.
- Never choose “Always allow” for sending, paying or deleting. Keep those on Allow once so a person approves every client email, payment and deletion.
- Add your own rules. Under Settings → General → Auto-review → Custom Rules, mark the actions that must always ask first. When rules conflict, “Ask first” wins.
- Use the secure secret request when a bot needs an API key, so it isn’t saved in the chat history.
- Keep client ID numbers and bank details out of chat, as with any AI tool.
Advanced controls such as network policies, team-enforced rules and audit logs are for Enterprise plans, so on smaller plans these habits are your main protection.
Five first routines worth setting up
| Routine | When | What the bot hands back |
|---|---|---|
| Morning briefing | Weekdays, 8 AM | Urgent emails, today’s meetings, overdue tasks |
| Inbox drafts | Weekdays, 9 AM | Draft replies to client emails, waiting for approval |
| Overdue invoices | Mondays | A list of unpaid invoices with a polite reminder drafted for each |
| Portal check | Weekly | Downloads statements or reports from a website that has no integration |
| Lead research | When a new lead arrives | A one-page brief before the first call |
Start with one. Every routine run uses part of your weekly allowance, even when it finds nothing to do, so a routine every 15 minutes (96 runs a day) adds up fast. Daily or weekly schedules are enough for most small businesses.
Limits to know before you commit
- It’s new. Grok Bot launched in 2026 and behaviour on messy real-world workflows is still being proven, so check its work closely for the first few weeks.
- Websites change. A task recorded on one page layout can break when the site is redesigned, and some sites block cloud-hosted browsers or show CAPTCHAs.
- Teach-a-task is desktop only and rolling out gradually, so it may not be on every account yet.
- Usage is shared. Busy routines and chatty multi-bot conversations use the weekly allowance quickly.
- Not for precise, rule-based jobs. For “every time X happens, do exactly Y”, a rule-based automation tool like n8n, Zapier or Make is cheaper and more predictable. Use Grok Bot for work that needs a browser and judgment.
Not ready for Grok Bot? Alternatives
The one-bot-one-job approach works with other tools too: ChatGPT (agent mode and custom GPTs), Claude (projects and connectors), Microsoft Copilot for firms that live in Microsoft 365, or n8n, Zapier and Make for rule-based automations with an AI step. Many businesses combine an automation tool for the predictable steps with an agent like Grok Bot for the rest.
Where to go next
For a full picture of a team of bots running a firm’s day, from lead qualification to invoice follow-up, read how an AI assistant for accounting firms runs your daily work. For quick wins without any setup, start with 10 practical ways to use AI this week. Want help setting it up for your business? Get in touch.
Questions
What is Grok Bot?
Grok Bot is an AI agent product from xAI. Each bot is a named assistant with memory that works on a persistent cloud computer with a browser, files and a terminal, so it can carry out tasks in your real tools instead of only replying in a chat. It keeps working after you close your laptop.
How is Grok Bot different from the Grok chatbot?
The Grok chatbot answers in text. Grok Bot acts: it opens websites, works in apps you connect, handles files and runs tasks on a schedule or when something happens, asking for your approval before sensitive actions.
How much does Grok Bot cost?
There is no separate Grok Bot price. As of October 2026 it is included with eligible plans, such as paid Cursor plans (including self-serve Cursor Teams) and The X Subscription at Premium, Super and Ultra levels, or by linking an eligible SuperGrok or X Premium+ subscription. Usage comes from a weekly allowance. Check xAI and Cursor’s pricing pages for current details.
Is Grok Bot safe to use with business accounts?
It has an approval system (Allow once, Always allow, Deny), an automatic review layer for risky actions, and it hands control back to you for passwords and two-factor codes. But all of your bots share one cloud computer with the same signed-in sessions and files, so only sign in to accounts every bot may use, and keep human approval on for sending messages, payments and deletions.
Can Grok Bot run tasks on a schedule?
Yes. Routines run a bot on a schedule (at least five minutes apart) or when an event happens, such as a new Slack message. Each bot can have up to 50 routines. Every run uses part of your weekly allowance, even when it finds nothing to do.
What can a small business use Grok Bot for?
Good first jobs are a morning inbox and calendar briefing, a weekly list of overdue invoices with reminder drafts, collecting reports from web portals that have no integration, researching leads before calls, and preparing a first draft of routine client emails for a person to approve.
Does Grok Bot work on Windows?
Yes. The desktop app is available for macOS, Windows and Linux, with mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.