Grok Bot Computer Use: Set Up The Cloud Screen In 8 Steps (2026)

Grok Bot computer use runs on an always-on cloud machine with its own browser, terminal and file system, and here's how I'd set it up so it works without surprises.

The docs say it plainly: work continues while your laptop is closed, and files, sign-ins and browser sessions persist between tasks (Use the computer and apps).

That's the upside.

The catch is that every Bot on your account shares that one computer, so the setup order matters more than the prompt.

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What you're actually setting up

You're configuring three layers, in this order.

First, the cloud computer itself and how your Bots share it.

Second, the approval rules that stop a Bot before it sends, buys or deletes.

Third, the sign-in path, so no password ever lands in chat.

Get those three right and the screen work becomes boring, which is exactly what you want.

Layer	Where it lives	What I set
Plan access	The X Subscription	Premium, Super or Ultra
Local machine	Settings → Computer → Your computer	Execution on this computer: Never allow
Approvals	Settings → General → Bot	Auto-review on, plus narrow Ask first rules
Sign-ins	Settings → Vault	Logins saved, cards left out
Network	Settings → Computer → Your computer	Route traffic through this computer, only when a site blocks cloud traffic

Step 1: Confirm your plan includes Grok Bot

Grok Bot is included on the Premium, Super and Ultra plans of The X Subscription (docs.x.ai/x-subscription/grok-bot).

The Plus plan doesn't include it.

Usage draws from a weekly shared pool across Grok, Grok Bot and Cursor, so long screen jobs eat into the same allowance as your chats.

Check the Usage page on grok.com/dashboard before you schedule anything heavy.

Step 2: Shut the door on your own laptop first

The cloud computer and the Mac or Windows machine in front of you are separate.

A Bot only runs commands on your desktop when you allow it under Settings → Computer → Your computer → Execution on this computer (Approvals, security, and privacy).

The default is Ask every time.

xAI's own advice is to use Never allow unless a Bot has a specific reason to touch local files.

I'd take that advice on day one.

Everything in this walkthrough happens on the cloud screen, so you lose nothing.

Step 3: Turn on Auto Review and write narrow Ask first rules

Auto Review is on by default and checks each action before the Bot runs a command, uses an app or uses its computer.

When it needs you, an approval card shows the operation and its inputs.

You get Allow once, Always allow or Deny.

Deny means the Bot stops and won't retry until you send another message.

The cap is 20 rules of each kind with 1,000 characters per rule, and if an Allow rule and an Ask first rule both match, Ask first wins.

These are the three I'd add before the first browser job:

Ask first before sending any external email.
Ask first before submitting any order or payment.
Ask first before deleting files or changing account settings on any website.

Keep each rule to one action and one scope.

The docs warn against broad rules like allowing everything in the browser, because websites change.

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Step 4: Load Vault before the first sign-in

When a Bot needs to sign in, it tries a login saved in Vault first, then a connected password manager such as 1Password, then a Secure Form.

Values from Vault and Secure Forms go straight into the page without the Bot seeing them.

So open Settings → Vault, choose New item, and add the logins for the sites you'll automate.

Use the Hints field to say when each login applies, like "use for the supplier portal".

Vault is account-wide, so every Bot on your account can use what you save there.

You can't limit an item to one Bot.

Step 5: Leave cards out of Vault unless you want silent checkout

This is the gotcha I'd flag to anyone.

Per the Vault page, a stored card gets used at checkout with no per-purchase prompt, and there's no toggle to force one.

The Grok Bot changelog for v0.77.0 (26 October 2026) says you still approve every purchase.

Those two lines don't match, so don't bet money on either one.

When a Secure Form requests a card, untick Securely save to Bot's vault, and keep the Ask first rule on orders from Step 3.

That way the card is used only in that chat and every order still stops for you.

Step 6: Watch the first run, then take control only for the blocked step

Click the computer preview in the right-hand panel of the conversation to watch clicks, typing, navigation and status.

Since v0.70.2 (11 October 2026), the full-screen computer view opens in Watching mode until you press Take control.

That's a good default, because a stray click from you can't derail the run.

The Bot hands you the computer when a form can't do the step: single sign-on, a passkey, a CAPTCHA it couldn't get past, an approval on another device, a QR code, a bank card verification, or a site that requires a human.

Choose Take over, finish only that step, choose I'm done, and tell the Bot to continue.

Never paste a password or one-time code into the chat.

Step 7: Route traffic through your desktop when a site blocks cloud computers

Some websites refuse traffic from cloud machines.

Under Settings → Computer → Your computer, the Route traffic through this computer switch sends the Bot computer's web traffic through your current desktop, so destinations see your desktop's IP address.

It applies to new connections, and only one of your computers routes at a time.

Sites that resolve to a private or VPN address stay blocked unless your organisation allows them.

Switch it on for the job that needs it, not as a standing default.

Step 8: Teach one browser workflow by demonstration

When Teach a task is available, open a one-to-one Bot conversation and its computer view, choose Teach a task, describe the result, and do the workflow once (Skills, routines, and automations).

Recording runs for up to ten minutes and doesn't capture microphone audio.

The Bot turns it into a draft skill.

Add decision rules, failure handling and approval points that one demo can't show.

Then test the skill on a safe example before you put it on a schedule.

If the button isn't there yet, ask the Bot to write a skill from written steps and a finished task instead.

How the shared screens behave when several Bots run at once

Each Bot gets its own screen on the shared computer.

Several Bots can use browser and desktop tools in parallel.

One Bot runs one computer-use task on its screen at a time.

Cookies, files and command-line credentials are shared across every Bot, so signing in once for one Bot signs in all of them.

The docs are blunt here: the screens are separate work surfaces, not separate security boundaries.

Don't split sensitive work across Bots and assume they can't see each other's sessions.

If a login shouldn't be reachable by every Bot, keep it off the computer.

One fix worth knowing: v0.62.0 (28 September 2026) made deleted Bots free their screens, so other Bots' browser actions stop failing because every screen is taken (x.ai/changelog/bot).

If you've been stacking test Bots, delete the ones you don't use.

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Workspace hygiene: what survives and what gets wiped

Keep durable files in /workspace, in clear project folders.

Files, browser state and supported sign-ins survive normal updates and recovery.

Temp directories, manually installed packages and folders like node_modules or a Python virtual environment don't, so plan to reinstall them.

When the disk is almost full, the Bot names the biggest folders and offers to delete them, and nothing goes unless you say yes.

Deleting a Bot doesn't remove shared-computer files or browser sessions, so clean those up by hand when a project ends.

When the computer stops responding: work the recovery order

Go from the least destructive option to the most, exactly as the docs list it.

Wait, then choose Retry if it says Reconnecting or Couldn't Reach Grok Bot's Computer.
Fully quit Grok Bot and reopen it, and check for an app update.
Use Update Bot's Computer in Settings → Computer if one is offered.
Choose Recover computer if it still can't reconnect.
Use Reset Bot's Computer only after all of that.

Recover and Reset both keep the Bots, files and logins that were saved, and remove installed apps and packages.

Don't start a second Update or Reset while one is running.

The changelog fixes that change how I'd configure it

Version	Date	What changed on the screen
v0.68.1	7 Oct 2026	Screen raised to 1920 × 1200 from 1280 × 800; actions settle sooner and screenshots return quicker; checkout card fields get a Secure Form instead of a screen handoff
v0.70.2	11 Oct 2026	Full-screen view starts in Watching mode and you click Take control to drive; Bot checks your own messages for approval before sending, posting, buying or deleting
v0.75.2	22 Oct 2026	Before a browser or desktop task that takes a few minutes, the Bot says it will take a while
v0.77.0	26 Oct 2026	Auto-review cards stay open 30 minutes instead of 10
v0.78.1	27 Oct 2026	Form input arrives keystroke by keystroke, with real cursor movement, on every site

The v0.78.1 typing change is the one that matters for forms.

Sites that watch how a field gets filled now see keystrokes and mouse movement rather than an instant paste.

Expect form-heavy jobs to take a little longer as a result.

Gotchas I'd check before the first real job

Apps beat the screen: if Gmail, Notion or Slack has a connected app, use it, because the docs call apps more reliable than clicking through a site.
An Added app isn't a signed-in app; look for Needs auth or Disconnected and choose Authenticate.
Approval cards raised by a routine expire after 30 minutes; cards from your own chat message wait for you.
If a site keeps expiring its session, tell the Bot to pause and notify you rather than work around the check.
Hardware security keys work through Settings → General → Security Key on macOS and Windows, and every use asks you first.

Pick one browser task you repeat every week, run it watched, and move on to the next only when that one is clean.

If you'd rather build it alongside people already running agents, the AI Profit Boardroom has the walkthroughs and the Agent OS ready to install.

Also On Our Network

FAQ: Grok Bot Computer Use

Where do I watch Grok Bot work on its computer?

Click the computer preview in the right-hand panel of the conversation. Since v0.70.2 the full-screen view opens in Watching mode until you press Take control.

Should I let Grok Bot run commands on my own laptop?

Set Execution on this computer to Never allow unless a Bot has a specific reason to touch local files. That's xAI's own recommendation in the approvals docs, and it doesn't stop work on the cloud computer.

How many Auto-review rules can I add?

Up to 20 Allow automatically rules and up to 20 Ask first rules, each up to 1,000 characters. When both kinds match an action, Ask first wins.

What happens to my files if I reset the Bot's computer?

Reset rebuilds the computer from your last saved data and keeps the Bots, files and logins that were saved. Installed apps and packages are removed, so reinstall them afterwards.

Why does Grok Bot type slowly into forms now?

Version 0.78.1 on 27 October 2026 made the browser type one character at a time and move the mouse on every website it fills in.

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About Julian

I'm Julian Goldie, an SEO entrepreneur, author and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.

I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.

I've built a 7-figure SEO and link building agency, Goldie Agency, with a team of 70+ SEO experts.
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I wrote "Link Building Mastery".
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Lock the laptop, write the rules, load Vault, then run one watched job: that's the order that makes grok bot computer use safe, and if you want help picking the job, book a free SEO strategy session with my team.