Grok Bot Linux: Install The .deb, .rpm Or AppImage (2026)

Grok Bot Linux setup takes seven moves: confirm your plan, pick x64 or Arm64, choose between the .deb, .rpm and AppImage builds, install, sign in, decide who controls updates, and fix the three Linux defaults that catch people out.

xAI's Get Started guide lists Linux on both x64 and Arm64 next to macOS and Windows.

The deployment page is where the Linux detail lives: package formats, the release feed, the apt and dnf repositories and the hold commands.

Below is the order I'd run it in, with every file path and menu named the way the docs name it.

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Your Linux box is the cockpit, the cloud computer does the work

The deployment docs describe the desktop and phone apps as clients for chat, review and approvals.

Each Bot works on a hosted computer in the cloud, and that hosted computer itself runs Linux.

Two things follow from that.

Closing the app or the laptop doesn't stop a background turn or a routine, per the Grok Bot FAQ.
Your distro, your desktop environment and your GPU only affect the client window, not what the Bot can do.

So the job on your machine is simple: install a clean client, keep it current, and keep it reachable.

Step 1: Clear the two blockers before you download

Plan. Grok Bot comes with the Premium, Super and Ultra tiers of The X Subscription; Plus leaves it out (Grok Bot on The X Subscription).
Privacy mode. Privacy Mode (Legacy) blocks Grok Bot entirely, so a team admin moves off it first.

Sign-in uses your Cursor account through your normal SSO flow, so there's no separate Grok Bot password to create.

Step 2: Match the build to your CPU

There are two Linux builds: x64 and Arm64.

Run uname -m in a terminal.

x86_64 means you want the x64 build, and aarch64 means Arm64.

Grab the file from one of three places:

the Download Grok Bot row on the Grok Bot page of the dashboard, which installs the app or copies a share link,
the download page, which lists the current installer for every platform and format,
or x.ai/bot.

Step 3: Pick .deb, .rpm or AppImage on purpose

This is the decision that shapes everything after it, because each format updates differently.

Format	Distro family	Who installs updates
`.deb`	Debian, Ubuntu	apt, from a signed repository the package adds
`.rpm`	Fedora and other RPM systems	dnf, from a signed repository the package adds
AppImage	Any	The app itself, via Restart to Update

My rule: one machine you sit at every day can run either, but anything you manage at scale gets a package.

The deployment docs say the same for managed fleets, because package installs move on your schedule, not the app's.

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Step 4: Install it, then confirm the repository landed

On Debian or Ubuntu, install the downloaded .deb with apt or your usual package tool.

On Fedora, install the .rpm with dnf.

Then check the repo file exists, because that file is what keeps you updated:

# .deb installs
cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grok-bot.sources

# .rpm installs
cat /etc/yum.repos.d/grok-bot.repo

Both repositories are signed, and from here on the machine picks up new Grok Bot versions whenever it runs package upgrades.

The AppImage adds no repository; it checks for updates by itself.

Step 5: Sign in and check what you're running

Launch the app and choose Sign in on the welcome screen.

To confirm the build, open the account menu, choose Support, then About.

Copy version info grabs the version, the release track and the operating system in one go, which is exactly what support asks for.

Since V0.31.0 the changelog notes that links which open Grok Bot launch the Linux app, so a link that opens Grok Bot starts the desktop client instead of going nowhere.

Step 6: Decide who moves the version

On a .deb or .rpm install, the app never installs its own updates.

Since V0.45.0 it tells you when an update is out and points you at your package manager.

The update commands, straight from the troubleshooting page:

# Debian or Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade grok-bot

# Fedora or other RPM systems
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh grok-bot

To freeze a machine on a tested build, you have two options.

Hold it: apt-mark hold grok-bot, then release the hold when you're ready.
Switch the repo off: set Enabled: no in grok-bot.sources or enabled=0 in grok-bot.repo, then ship tested package files yourself.

The package rewrites those repo files on every install and upgrade, but it keeps your on or off choice.

The Update required screen still wins over a hold

A held package doesn't escape support limits.

When a build loses support, the app covers its whole window with Update required, and on a package install that screen shows the exact command with a Copy command button.

If the repository doesn't have the new version yet, say because you switched it off, the screen tells you to download the latest package and links to it instead.

Run the step, restart Grok Bot, and you're back.

Your Bots keep running in the cloud the whole time you're on that screen.

Step 7: Fix three Linux defaults

The settings docs call out Linux-specific behavior you'll want to know before your first long task.

Hardware acceleration is off on Linux by default. It's on for macOS and Windows; the toggle lives under System, and if you switch it and the window flickers or stays blank, turn it back off and choose Restart Now.
Desktop notifications behave differently. On Linux, notifications are always suppressed while Grok Bot is focused, and your phone gets notified as usual; the sidebar and dock badge still show unread work.
Hardware security keys aren't supported on Linux yet. The Use hardware security keys setting is a macOS and Windows feature for now, per the approvals and security page.

Open the network path on locked-down Linux machines

If the box sits behind a gateway, allow these before the first launch, as listed on the TLS-inspecting proxies page:

cursor.com and downloads.cursor.com for installs and updates,
*.cursor.sh for chat, sign-in and approvals,
*.cursor-cdn.com and *.cursorapi.com,
both *.cursorvm.com and *.*.cursorvm.com for the hosted computer.

Exempt them from TLS inspection too.

Skip the nested cursorvm.com pattern and the computer view never connects, even though chat looks fine.

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Pilot on two machines before you push the fleet

The rollout checklist in the deployment docs ends with a pilot, and I wouldn't skip it on Linux.

Install the version you chose on one Debian-family machine and one RPM-family machine, for each CPU type you run.

Then push the tested file to every device whose owner has access.

Last, write down the cadence: the checklist asks Linux teams to decide whether devices upgrade from the Grok Bot repository or from packages you ship yourself.

Pick one and put it in the runbook, because a fleet that does both drifts within a month.

Enterprise only: put your network client on the Bot's Linux computer

Your config management reaches the desktop app and stops there.

The hosted computer runs Linux in the cloud and isn't enrolled in MDM, so Ansible won't touch it.

To reach an intranet or a VPC, Enterprise admins use Team Setup Scripts, covered on the private networks page.

The client has to run on Debian-based Linux and install from a shell script; scripts run as the computer user with sudo available.

The docs' Tailscale example installs Tailscale for Linux and uses command -v tailscale as the check script.

Running computers pick up manifest changes roughly once a day, so recreate them if you need the change sooner.

Script the install with the release feed

For Ansible, Puppet or Chef, read the current release from the JSON feed instead of scraping a web page:

curl -s https://api2.cursor.sh/updates/api/download/stable/linux-x64/sand
curl -s https://api2.cursor.sh/updates/api/download/stable/linux-arm64/sand

The fields that matter on Linux are version, commitSha, downloadUrl (the AppImage), debUrl and rpmUrl.

Linux files live under https://downloads.cursor.com/grokbot/stable/{commitSha}/linux/x64/ or the matching arm64 path.

Unlike the Mac and Windows installers, there's no version-only URL pattern, so copy the exact file URLs from the feed and record the full URL next to the version you pinned.

Small desktop fixes worth knowing about

A few changelog lines only matter on Linux, and they explain behavior you may have seen on an older build.

V0.70.2 (11 Oct): a notification on screen no longer freezes the window or blocks quitting.
0.70.2 improvements: reopening Grok Bot while it's still quitting now reopens it once the quit finishes, and copied chat text keeps non-English characters and curly quotes.
0.75.2 improvements (22 Oct): Linux builds detect a 1Password desktop install and suggest linking it.
V0.20.0: press or hold Ctrl+D to dictate into the message field.

If one of those still misbehaves, check your version first; you're probably on an old build.

Keyboard shortcuts on Linux use Ctrl

The chat docs use Ctrl on Linux wherever the Mac uses Cmd.

Ctrl+K opens the search palette, and Ctrl+Shift+F searches Bots.
Ctrl+N starts a new Bot.
Ctrl+Alt+B opens conversation details on Linux.
Ctrl+D dictates while the prompt is focused.
F11 goes fullscreen, and Ctrl+/ lists every shortcut.

Where the Linux app differs from the Mac version

If you run a mixed desk, the Mac walk-through is a different job: one .dmg per chip and app-managed updates only.

Our Grok Bot Mac setup guide covers that side.

On Linux you get the package-manager route, the repo files and the hold commands, which is the better deal if you already patch machines with apt or dnf.

Inside the AI Profit Boardroom we keep the Agent OS workflows that run on the same desk, so the Bot and your local agent never fight over a job.

When Grok Bot on Linux won't update

Work through it in this order.

Check the version under Support → About.
On a package install, run the apt or dnf command yourself; Check for Updates only tells you a version is out.
Fully quit, reopen, and check again.
If the old version keeps coming back, email support from your account address with the version and platform.

Your Bots and chats belong to your account, so reinstalling doesn't lose them.

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FAQ: Grok Bot Linux

Does the Grok Bot .deb add an apt repository?

Yes. Installing the .deb adds a signed apt repository at /etc/apt/sources.list.d/grok-bot.sources, and the machine then picks up new versions whenever it runs package upgrades.

How do I stop Grok Bot updating on Ubuntu?

Run apt-mark hold grok-bot, or set Enabled: no in grok-bot.sources. A held build still shows Update required once it loses support, so upgrade before then.

Which Grok Bot Linux build do I need?

Run uname -m. x86_64 needs the x64 build and aarch64 needs Arm64; both come as .deb, .rpm or AppImage.

Why is there no Automatic Updates switch on my Linux install?

Linux .deb and .rpm installs update through the system package manager, so the app hides that switch. The AppImage keeps it.

Can I use a YubiKey with Grok Bot on Linux?

Not yet. The Use hardware security keys setting is supported on macOS and Windows only for now.

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Install the package that matches your distro, confirm the repo file, and book a free SEO strategy session if you want help choosing the first jobs to run with grok bot linux.