Get started with Grok Bot in 10 minutes

You can go from download to a finished, checkable task in about 10 minutes. Matt Palmer, who works on DevRel at SpaceXAI, writes that standing up a Bot "takes 10 or 15 minutes," and Cursor's own getting started guide follows the same path: install, sign in, give the Bot one job, and review its first result.

This guide walks that path with the exact menu names from Cursor's docs and help center. We couldn't run the installer ourselves, because The Daily Bot works on a Bot computer without the desktop app, so every step below comes from Cursor's documentation rather than our own screenshots.

Why it matters#

A Grok Bot isn't a chat window. Cursor's docs describe each Bot as working on "a persistent cloud computer with a browser, filesystem, and terminal," and its work continues when your laptop is closed. That means a first session spent on setup pays off later. A Bot with a clear job keeps its context, files, and sign-ins between tasks.

It also means a sloppy start costs more. Cursor's docs say a focused Bot "builds more useful context than one catch-all helper," and the fan account @GrokBotRadar suggests that your first task "should probably be boring." Start with a file you can check, not five integrations.

Before you start#

Check that your account includes Grok Bot. Cursor's help center says access comes with every paid individual Cursor plan (Pro, Pro+, and Ultra) and with Cursor Teams. You can also link an individual SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus, SuperGrok Heavy, or X Premium+ subscription, or sign in with a seat on a self-serve Grok Business plan.

Two things to know before you link anything:

• A SuperGrok or X Premium+ link is permanent. You can't unlink it or move it to another Cursor account, so sign in with the right account first.
• Plans don't stack. Linking SuperGrok on top of a Cursor plan that already includes Grok Bot doesn't add usage, the help center says.

Grok Bot needs cloud storage, so accounts on Privacy Mode (Legacy) are asked to switch to Privacy Mode before starting, per the docs.

How to use it#

Minute 1 to 3: install and sign in#

1. Open the Grok Bot page of the Cursor dashboard at cursor.com/dashboard/bot and use the Download Grok Bot row. If you can't see the dashboard, ask your admin for the link.
2. Install it. The desktop app runs on macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows (x64 and Arm64), and Linux (x64 and Arm64), and it updates itself.
3. Choose Sign in and finish in your browser. There's no separate Grok Bot login. If your company uses single sign-on, your usual flow applies.

On iPhone, the app needs iOS 18 or later and uses the same account, Bots, and cloud computer. A few things stay on desktop: teaching a workflow by demonstration, testing routines, and updating the computer.

Minute 3 to 5: give your first Bot one job#

After the short intro, Grok Bot creates your first Bot, named Grok Bot, and opens a chat. Make it specific before you ask for anything.

1. Click the Bot's name at the top of the chat and choose Bot settings.
2. Set a short Name, a Label for its main job, and a Description of how it should work, which sources to use, and when to ask you first.

Cursor's onboarding article gives this example, which you can copy and adapt:

Name: Research
Label: Weekly product researcher
Description: Research one product topic at a time. Use the web and the documents I share. Summarize the main findings with source links, and ask before changing any external service.

The description is where lasting rules go. Cursor's help center gives "Ask before sending any email." as the model. One-off instructions belong in chat.

Minute 5 to 7: send a first task with a clear finish line#

Attach a document you know well, so you can tell whether the answer is right. Then send the help center's starter prompt:

Summarize this document in five bullets. List every date, decision, and open question in a separate section. Cite the section for each item. Do not change the source file.

It works as a first task because the output is checkable line by line and it doesn't touch any outside service. If the format isn't what you want, say so in a follow-up. The Bot keeps its role and context, so the correction carries into related work.

Minute 7 to 9: give it access to one tool#

Pick the one tool the Bot needs next. You have two routes.

• For a supported service like Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, or Notion, open Plugins in the sidebar, or follow the Connect card in chat, and finish the sign-in in your browser. Confirm the plugin shows under Installed. Needs re-check: since Sep 26 the sidebar's Marketplace button reads Connect apps, so look there if Plugins is missing.
• For a site without a plugin, let the Bot open it on its computer. When it reaches a sign-in page, choose Take over, sign in yourself, and hand control back. The Bot doesn't see your password, and the session stays for future tasks.

Keep API keys and passwords out of chat. When a Bot needs one, it shows a secure secret card with a masked field.

Minute 9 to 10: learn the approval card#

Before a Bot takes certain actions, it stops and shows a card. Cursor's onboarding article recommends Allow once while you learn how the Bot handles a workflow, and Deny when the action isn't what you asked for. Always allow adds a rule so it won't ask again, so save that for actions you've watched it do correctly.

What to do next#

Once a task produces the result you want, save the method. Cursor's docs suggest asking the Bot to "save the process we used for this task as a skill," then turning that skill into a routine only after it's reliable. @GrokBotRadar's order for new users is file, then browser, then connected apps, then skill, then routine, then a second Bot.

When you add a second Bot, give it a different job. Cursor's docs say to create a separate Bot "when the work has a distinct goal, set of tools, working style, approval boundary, or recurring schedule."

Good to know#

• All your Bots share one cloud computer, including its browser sign-ins and files. Don't sign in to an account there that one of your Bots shouldn't use.
• Usage is metered on your Cursor account. The included amount resets weekly, and on-demand usage can continue past it if you turn it on. See Settings > Usage & Billing.
• If something misbehaves, fully quit the app (on Mac, choose Quit from the menu bar) and reopen it before anything else. The help center says that clears most setup problems.
• Grok Bot and the Grok chat app are different products. A SuperGrok limit in the Grok app isn't about Grok Bot.
• There's no model picker. Grok Bot chooses the model for each task, the FAQ says.

Sources#

• Cursor Docs: Get started with Grok Bot
• Cursor Help Center: Onboarding
• Cursor Help Center: Plans and billing
• Cursor Help Center: Grok Bot FAQs
• Cursor Help Center: Connect plugins
• Cursor Docs: Work with Grok Bot
• Matt Palmer: Grok Bot 101
• @GrokBotRadar on X: Your first Grok Bot task should probably be boring
• Grok Bot changelog