How to install Grok Bot on Mac, Windows and Linux in 4 steps, and add your own MCP server
Grok Bot runs in the cloud but installs as a desktop app. The plan you need, the right build for your chip, sign-in, your first Bot and adding an MCP server.
Simon Tański4 min readGrok Bot does its work on a cloud computer, so it is easy to assume there is nothing to install. There is: you drive it from a desktop app for macOS, Windows or Linux, or from the iPhone and Android apps, and the desktop download comes in six builds. Pick the wrong one and it will not start.
This is the install as documented by xAI in October 2026, plus the one thing the official page leaves out: how to give a Bot your own MCP server.
Before you start: do you have access?
Grok Bot is in early beta since August 11, 2026. You need one of these (xAI docs):
- any paid individual Cursor plan, or the Cursor Teams plan;
- a SuperGrok, SuperGrok Plus or SuperGrok Heavy subscription linked to your Cursor account;
- a seat on a self-serve Grok Business plan.
Grok Bot also needs cloud data storage. If your Cursor account uses Legacy Privacy Mode, switch to a supported data setting in Cursor's privacy settings first, or the Bot will not start.
Step 1: download the right build
Downloads are at x.ai/bot. You can also get the link from the Grok Bot page of the Cursor dashboard (Cursor docs). Install only from those two places; search results also show community apps with similar names that are not Grok Bot.
| Your computer | How to tell | Build |
|---|---|---|
| Mac with Apple silicon | Apple menu, About This Mac shows "Chip" | macOS, Apple silicon |
| Intel Mac | About This Mac shows "Processor" | macOS, Intel |
| Windows PC | Settings, System, About, System type | x64 or Arm64 |
| Linux | uname -m: x86_64 or aarch64 |
x64 or Arm64, under More downloads |
Step 2: install
macOS: open the disk image, drag Grok Bot to Applications, open it. If macOS asks, choose Open.
Windows: run the installer and open Grok Bot from the Start menu. If SmartScreen warns you, check that the file came from x.ai before you continue.
Linux: .deb for Debian and Ubuntu, .rpm for Fedora and RHEL, AppImage for anything else. Install with your package manager, or make the AppImage executable and run it:
chmod +x ./<downloaded-file>.AppImage
./<downloaded-file>.AppImage
The app updates itself; to check by hand, Settings, Updates, Check for Updates.
Step 3: sign in
Choose Sign in on the welcome screen and finish in the browser window that opens, then come back to the app. If your access comes from a SuperGrok subscription, link it: on desktop, Settings, Usage & Billing, Get Access with Grok; on a phone, Link Grok Account, then Finished Linking? Refresh My Status (xAI docs).
After the intro, setup runs in the background and opens a chat with your first Bot, called Grok Bot.
Step 4: give the first Bot one job
xAI's advice is one primary job per Bot. A good first message has an outcome, the sources it may use, what it must avoid or ask about, what to hand back, and when to stop for you. Rename a Bot by clicking its name at the top of the chat; add more with New, Create new Bot.
When a site needs a login, choose Take over, type the password, passkey, two-factor code or CAPTCHA yourself, then I'm done. The Bot does not see the password. One thing to know: every Bot on your account shares the same cloud computer, including browser sessions and command-line credentials, so a login one Bot makes is there for the others too (Composio).
Add your own MCP server
The official get-started page only covers plugins (Connect apps in the sidebar). A remote MCP server is added by asking the Bot in chat, according to Composio's guide. Say "custom server" explicitly, or it may install a catalog plugin instead:
Add a custom MCP server called nexteverything at https://mcp.nexteverything.io/mcp
The Bot shows the name and URL and asks you to confirm; click Add it. If the server needs an API key, tell the Bot the header name and value and it stores them on the server entry, not in the URL. For Next Everything that is the header Authorization with the value Bearer nx_live_your_key, the same pair every other client uses (docs). Check it under Settings, Plugins, Yours, and type @ in a chat to attach the server to a task.
A localhost URL will not work: the Bot runs in the cloud, not on your machine. We have not run Next Everything inside Grok Bot ourselves yet; if the flow differs for you, tell us.
With it connected, a Bot can price a KiCad BOM for your board count with check_bom, look for in-stock replacements with find_alternatives and prepare an order that only reaches you as a payment link. Set Grok Bot to ask before purchases anyway; two locks are better than one.
If something goes wrong
Most setup problems clear after you fully quit and reopen the app (xAI docs). Beyond that:
- "Not eligible": link your SuperGrok subscription, or check that your Cursor plan is a paid one.
- Bot will not start: Legacy Privacy Mode is still on.
- Task stuck mid-run: heavy multi-Bot runs can hit the weekly usage limit.
Next
What Grok Bot is good at, and where it differs from Claude Duet, Muse and OpenAI dots, is in our Grok Bot guide. Grok 4.7 itself is reviewed with five other models in the best AI models for hardware engineering, and the MCP background is in MCP for hardware engineers in 5 minutes. Your API key comes with a free account at nexteverything.io/signup.