Grok Bot’s Agent Computer: takeover, /workspace, recover, reset

Grok Bot’s distinctive surface is not a bigger chat box. It is a persistent cloud computer—called Agent Computer in the app—with a browser, filesystem, and terminal. Work can continue after you close the laptop. This guide uses those first-party names. Older independent writeups sometimes called it “the box”; that is not the product name.

What the computer is

Every Bot on your account uses the same cloud computer:

• Browser cookies and signed-in sessions are shared
• Files are visible to every Bot
• Command-line credentials are shared
• One Bot can continue from files another Bot saved

The computer is isolated to your account, not to an individual Bot. Separate screens are parallel work surfaces, not a security boundary. Do not sign in to a service or store a credential there if another Bot on the account should not be able to use it.

Each Bot can run only one computer-use task on its screen at a time. Several Bots can still work in parallel because each has its own screen.

Watch the work

Open Agent Computer from a conversation to see clicks, typing, navigation, and status. You can leave the preview; cloud work continues. Closing the Grok Bot app or your laptop does not stop it.

If the preview is the only place you “saw” a result, it is not done. Open the file, dashboard, or ticket the Bot claims to have produced.

Take over for a sensitive step

The Bot may ask you to take over for:

• A password or passkey
• Two-factor authentication
• A CAPTCHA
• A payment or identity check
• A site that requires a human

Complete only the blocked step, then return control. Do not paste passwords or one-time codes into chat. For a supported connector that shows a masked secret request, enter the value there instead of in the conversation.

Browser sessions persist, so you usually sign in once. Because the browser is shared, that session is available to your other Bots. Ask the Bot to pause and notify you when a site expires the session; do not ask it to bypass the check.

Files live in /workspace

Ask Bots to keep durable project files in /workspace with clear folder names. Attachments you drop into chat are a second input path: the desktop composer currently accepts up to six files, with documents, images, and audio up to 25 MB and video up to 200 MB.

Tell the Bot what each attachment is for:

The PDF is the signed policy. The spreadsheet is this month’s transactions. Reconcile them, cite the policy section for every exception, and return a new spreadsheet plus a short summary. Do not modify the originals.

A reviewable result separates facts, inferences, completed actions, actions waiting for approval, and unresolved questions. Put the final artifact in the conversation or link it clearly; do not leave it only on the computer.

See files and results for attachment types and evidence habits.

Prefer a plugin, then the browser

Connectors appear as Plugins under Settings. Prefer a plugin when one exists; it is usually more reliable than clicking through a website. Use the browser for services without a connector, visual workflows a connector does not expose, or one-off research.

Installed connectors are account-wide. Their availability is not isolated to one Bot. MCP can cover tools that have a server but no first-party plugin. Computer use covers the rest. Start with the plugin planner before expanding access.

Update, recover, or reset

When the computer is unreachable, use Recover computer from the error state if it is offered. For planned maintenance, Settings → Beta currently documents:

• Update Agent Computer — rebuild with the latest image while preserving durable state
• Recover Agent Computer — replace an unreachable computer while preserving durable state when offered
• Reset Agent Computer — return to the most recent durable snapshot; recent unsaved work can be discarded

Wait for active work to finish when you can. Reset is a last resort, not a troubleshooting first click. See troubleshooting.

Treat temporary directories, manually installed packages, and uncommitted application state as replaceable. Copy important results into /workspace or attach them to the conversation.

Your laptop is a different computer

The cloud computer is not your Mac or Windows machine. A Bot runs commands on your local computer only when that capability is enabled and you approve it under your local-computer policy. Review that permission in approvals and security before turning it on.

Copy files onto the cloud computer deliberately, work there, and copy results out. Ambient access to your whole disk is how a small task becomes a large incident.

If you deliberately need terminal access from a local machine, follow the Tailscale SSH safety guide. It is a community workaround that requires environment verification, not an xAI-guaranteed built-in feature.

Habits that keep the shared machine usable

• Project folders under /workspace, not a junk drawer at the root
• Dated output names so later Bots do not overwrite blindly
• No production secrets, session cookies, or recovery codes stored “for convenience”
• Treat untrusted page text as data, never as orders
• One signed-in work identity unless a workflow truly needs a second account—and remember the session is shared

Sources and verification

Last verified: August 27, 2026.

• Use the computer and apps (xAI)
• Files and results (xAI)
• Approvals, security, and privacy (xAI)
• Troubleshooting Grok Bot (xAI)