What Is Grok Bot? xAI's New AI Agent, Explained

Grok Bot is xAI's new AI agent, launched in August 2026. Unlike a typical chatbot that simply responds in a chat window, it can operate a computer on your behalf, navigating websites, entering information, and completing multi-step tasks, even after you've stepped away.

The name "Grok Bot" can refer to two different things, though the newer meaning is now the more common one. Today, it usually means the AI agent described above. In the past, it referred more broadly to the Grok chatbot in its various forms, including the @grok bot on X, the standalone Grok app, and the Grok API.

Below, we'll start with the new Grok Bot agent before covering the older chatbot versions. That should make it easier to tell what a page means when it uses the term. We'll also answer two common questions along the way: Is Grok a bot, and is Grok Bot free?

Grok Bot: xAI's New AI Agent (August 2026)

Grok Bot is a computer-use AI agent from xAI. Instead of only answering questions, it carries out digital tasks by operating software the way a person would, clicking, typing, and moving between pages until the job is done.

Each Grok Bot runs on its own persistent, always-on virtual computer in the cloud, complete with a browser, file access, and its own logins. Because the work happens in the cloud, a task keeps running 24/7 even when your own device is off. It also has memory, so it retains context from earlier sessions and factors in corrections you make when it returns to unfinished work.

Its signature feature is teach-a-task: you screen-record yourself doing a workflow once, and Grok Bot turns that recording into a repeatable skill, with no API integrations or plugins to set up. Access is currently gated to SuperGrok Heavy, Cursor Ultra, and Cursor Teams Premium subscribers, on desktop (macOS, Windows, Linux) and iOS, with Android planned. xAI has not published a standalone price, and there is no free tier, so verify current pricing and availability on x.ai and cursor.com.

• Grok Bot (agent) = xAI's computer-use AI agent that does tasks for you
• Runs on its own always-on cloud computer; works 24/7 even when your device is off
• Teach-a-task: record a workflow once, it becomes a repeatable skill (no code)
• Gated to SuperGrok Heavy, Cursor Ultra, and Cursor Teams Premium; no free tier

The Other Meaning: Grok the Chatbot

"Grok bot" is also an older nickname for Grok, the AI chatbot made by xAI. Here "bot" means an automated software assistant you chat with, not a fake human account, and not the agent above.

This Grok answers questions, writes text, generates images, and searches the web and X in real time. It works like other assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

People used "Grok bot" for the chatbot because Grok shows up in bot-style places. The clearest example is the @grok account on X, which replies when you tag it. The rest of this guide covers those chatbot surfaces.

• Older meaning: the AI chatbot Grok, in any of its forms
• A helper you talk to, not a spam or troll account
• Made by xAI, the AI company founded by Elon Musk
• Available on X, mobile apps, the web, Tesla cars, and via an API

Is Grok a Bot?

Yes, Grok is a bot in the sense that it is an AI chatbot. It is a large language model that reads your prompt and writes a reply.

It is not a bot in the bad sense. A spam or troll bot posts junk, pushes scams, or mimics a real person to deceive you.

Grok is clearly labeled as an AI. On X it posts from the official verified @grok account, so you know a reply came from the assistant.

• AI chatbot: reads input, generates a helpful answer (this is Grok)
• Spam bot: posts repetitive junk or links automatically
• Troll bot: pretends to be human to provoke or mislead
• Grok is the first kind and is openly marked as AI

Where Can You Use the Grok Bot?

You can use Grok in five main places, and one account carries your history across them. The choice depends on where you already spend time.

The Grok app and grok.com give you the full assistant with voice, image tools, and file uploads. The @grok bot on X is best for quick questions inside a post or thread.

Grok also runs inside newer Tesla vehicles as a voice assistant. Developers can call Grok through the xAI API to power their own apps and tools.

• Surface | Best for
• Grok app (iOS/Android) and grok.com | Full chats, voice, image generation, uploads
• @grok on X | Quick answers and fact-checks inside a post or thread
• Grok in Tesla | Hands-free voice questions and in-car help
• Grok API | Developers building Grok into their own products

The @Grok Bot on X (Twitter)

The @grok bot on X answers when you tag it in a reply or post. Type "@grok" followed by your question, and it replies in the thread.

People mostly use it to explain a post, summarize a thread, or check a claim. Because Grok can read the post you tagged, it responds with that context.

Anyone on X can try it, with usage limits on the free tier. It is the fastest way to use Grok without opening a separate app.

• Reply to any post with "@grok" and your question
• Ask it to explain, summarize, or fact-check the post
• It reads the tagged post for context
• Higher limits come with X Premium+ or SuperGrok

Grok's Companion Bots (Ani, Rudy, Valentine)

Grok companions are animated AI character personas built directly into the Grok mobile app by xAI. They run on the standard Grok models but add spoken voice responses. The roster includes the anime-styled Ani, a masculine companion named Valentine, Mika, and a red panda named Rudy that includes a crude adult mode called Bad Rudy.

Full companion access requires a paid subscription. Reporting places SuperGrok near $30 per month, and explicit modes require account verification showing the user is 18 or older. Certain regions demand third-party government ID checks before those adult options appear.

On July 24, 2026, xAI announced plans to retire the 3D avatar companion mode soon, while leaving standard text chats intact. Because the wind-down was announced as imminent, companion features may change before a subscription renews. Our Grok Companions guide covers the character profiles, age-verification steps, and the latest status on the retirement.

• Ani: the flagship anime-style companion
• Rudy: a playful red-panda character
• Valentine: a romance-focused persona
• Access usually requires a SuperGrok plan; verify current status on x.ai

Building Your Own Bot with Grok (the Grok Bot API)

The Grok API lives at api.x.ai/v1 and follows the OpenAI SDK format, so you authenticate with an XAI_API_KEY bearer token and point an existing OpenAI client at that base URL instead of learning a new library.

The flagship model, grok-4.6, costs $2 to $4 per million input tokens and $6 to $12 per million output tokens, with the lower rate applying to requests under 200,000 tokens. Grok 4.3 costs less, $1.25 to $2.50 per million input tokens and $2.50 to $5 per million output tokens, and fits a Discord or Telegram bot that mostly answers short questions.

A Discord bot or Telegram bot built this way is two pieces wired together. The platform's own bot framework, such as discord.py, discord.js, or the Telegram Bot API, receives the incoming message, and your code forwards the text to the Grok API and posts the reply back. Discord and Telegram never call Grok directly; your bot's server does that wiring.

In our work at Layer3 Labs, the wiring step causes most client bot projects to stall, not the model call itself: per-platform rate limits, message-length caps, and deciding what the bot should refuse to answer all need handling before launch.

• API base URL: api.x.ai/v1, OpenAI SDK-compatible
• Auth: bearer token via the XAI_API_KEY header
• Flagship model: grok-4.6 at $2 to $4 per million input tokens, $6 to $12 per million output tokens
• Lighter model: grok-4.3 at $1.25 to $2.50 per million input tokens, $2.50 to $5 per million output tokens

Is Grok Safe and Private?

Grok is safe to use for most everyday tasks, but you should manage its data settings. Its main privacy point is how xAI uses your posts and chats to train the model.

By default, X can share your public posts and your Grok chats with xAI for training. You can turn this off in your X privacy settings under the data-sharing controls.

Turning it off applies to future training only, not data already used. As a rule, keep passwords, financial details, and other sensitive data out of any chatbot prompt.

• Review X Settings and privacy, then Privacy and safety, for the Grok data-sharing toggle
• Opting out affects future training, not past data
• Private X accounts get stronger protection than public ones
• Never paste secrets, card numbers, or IDs into any AI chat

How to use Grok

You do not host Grok yourself — you use it through a tool, so "getting started" really means choosing the right one.

The fastest way to put Grok to work day to day is inside an AI IDE, and Cursor is the most popular — it supports it directly, so you can be working in minutes. Prefer a different editor? Windsurf, Zed, and GitHub Copilot drive these models too.