Idle disconnects on the local computer, Mac and Windows
Reopened for re-test. Staff named a 0.70.2 fix for the unfocused case, but a later staff reply still described the away rule. Screen lock and scheduled-job restart stay open.
Update, Oct 13: Re-open the unfocused-window case for re-test. On Oct 12 at 4:49 PM ET, deanrie repeated that the Mac is treated as away after about 10 minutes out of focus or when the screen is locked, that the helper then stops, and that "the helper doesn't start again automatically when the bot wakes up for a scheduled job." That reply did not mention 0.70.2. mohitjain's earlier posts still say 0.70.2 keeps the helper running for the unfocused case. Until users on 0.70.2 confirm idle drops are gone, keep the known-issue open for unfocused, screen lock, and scheduled-job restart. Workaround from deanrie: bring the Grok Bot window to the foreground a couple of minutes before hourly jobs. gshall's Tailscale path on the machine remains a user workaround. Note: 0.70.2 is a build staff have named on the forum; the changelog now lists it but doesn't mention this fix, and whether it fixes this issue is now disputed.
Update, Oct 14: Staff now say directly that no release is confirmed to fix this. On Oct 13 at 11:51 AM ET, deanrie said "I can't confirm that this version fully fixes the issue," about 0.70.2, and that the behavior "is still being tracked," including away-park, where the Mac is marked "away" after about 10 minutes without focus or when the screen is locked. At 12:59 PM ET deanrie added "I can't confirm that any specific release fully fixes this behavior" and "There isn't a separate setting to disable this behavior yet." The workaround is unchanged: bring the Grok Bot window to the front, or have your Bot do it after each job ([[entry:tip-auto-focus-grok-bot-after-jobs]]).
Update, Oct 12: Staff say Grok Bot 0.70.2 keeps the local helper running when the window has been unfocused for about 10 minutes. On Monday at 2:46 AM ET, mohitjain told a Linux user that "Grok Bot 0.70.2 keeps the local helper running in this case," and at 2:49 AM ET he told a Mac user the build "changes this so your Mac stays connected while you're away." Mac: Settings, Updates, Check for Updates, then Restart to Update. Staff have not said whether 0.70.2 changes the unfocused pause on Windows. Linux: mohitjain said the apt repo "doesn't have it yet," so install the .deb from his post, then fully quit and reopen. Our fix entry has the steps. Screen lock and the Bot's own computer sleep are separate. Status note: the unfocused-window case has a named fix in 0.70.2. The changelog still ends at 0.68.1.
Update, Oct 11: Staff confirmed the same pause on Windows. On Oct 10 at 1:50 PM ET, kevinn said the app treats a computer as away when "The screen locks," "The PC goes to sleep," or "The Grok Bot window stops being the active window," including "a browser with grok.com open, even if Grok Bot stays maximized." The offline message "can show up later than that." There "isn't a setting to turn this off." His advice: keep Grok Bot as the active window, message your Bots from your phone instead of grok.com on that PC, and if a Bot says the computer is offline, click the Grok Bot window: "You don't need to send a message." The user replied that Bots don't retry until he messages them. On Oct 11 at 7:59 AM ET, deanrie said drops on a machine with Grok Bot always in front, or on Linux with no sleep or lock, are "a separate variation," and asked those users for new threads with an excerpt of ~/.grokbot/local-exec-daemon.log. We couldn't try this on Windows. We don't run the desktop app.
Update, Oct 10: On Oct 9 at 12:29 PM ET, deanrie added that the Mac counts as "away" even while you work in other apps, and the helper "doesn't automatically start again when the bot wakes up for a scheduled job." Click in "a couple of minutes before your hourly jobs run." It should reconnect "in about a minute." There's "no separate setting to turn this behavior off yet."
Update, Oct 8: Staff first described this behavior on Oct 5, in a thread about version 0.66.0, and added one more tip for people who reach the Mac remotely. Both are below.
- Status: Open / re-testing. mohitjain named an unfocused-window fix in 0.70.2. deanrie's later same-day reply still described away after ~10 minutes unfocused, screen lock, helper stop, and no restart for scheduled jobs. 0.70.2 was named on the forum, and whether it fixes this is disputed. The 0.70.2 changelog doesn't mention the unfocused-window fix.
- First seen: Oct 4, in a forum report about Grok Bot 0.66.0 on a Mac that stays on but is locked and unattended.
- Symptoms: Chat keeps working, but anything that needs your Mac fails. On builds before 0.70.2, the connection only comes back after someone unlocks the Mac or brings the Grok Bot window to the front. Staff say 0.70.2 keeps the helper running through the unfocused-window case; screen lock is still open.
- Workaround: Keep the Grok Bot window in front and stop the screen from locking, if the Mac is physically secure.
On recent macOS versions, Grok Bot's local computer connection can drop while the Mac is idle. That's the link that lets a Bot run commands on your Mac when you allow it, under Settings, Computer, Execution on this computer.
On Oct 5, Colin, a Cursor community support engineer, called it a power-saving behavior in recent Grok Bot desktop versions. The app stops its local helper when the screen is locked, or the window has been in the background for about 10 minutes, and the Bot's cloud computer has gone to sleep. A Bot asking for your Mac from another device doesn't bring it back yet. Forum staff member deanrie confirmed the same issue on 0.68.1 at 3:03 PM ET on Oct 8. "This is a known issue and we're tracking it," the reply said.
Why it matters#
A Mac mini or desktop left running for a Bot can quietly stop taking local work.
How to use it#
Staff suggested these steps.
- Keep the Grok Bot window open and in the foreground. Don't minimize it or cover it with another app.
- Open System Settings, then Lock Screen, and set "Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off" to Never. The display can still turn off.
- If you connect to the Mac remotely, click into the Grok Bot window during that session. Staff said that brings the helper back within a few seconds.
Good to know#
- Only do step 2 if the Mac is in a physically secure place. It disables the lock screen.
- Quitting and reopening the app while the screen is locked usually comes back without the helper, staff said. A restart watchdog won't help while the screen is locked.
- Staff said this isn't the older helper issue from August, and will post when there's a version to re-test.
