The Grok Bot Mac app is a native desktop app for both Apple silicon and Intel Macs, installed from a .dmg you download from x.ai/bot or the Cursor dashboard. The app is where you chat with your Bots, approve their actions and watch their work, while the Bots themselves do the heavy lifting on a cloud computer that xAI runs for you.
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That split between the Mac in front of you and the Bot's computer in the cloud is the key to every setting on this page. Get it right and the Mac app becomes a control room, not a security risk.
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What you need before you install
The get-started docs list three things.
- An eligible plan. Access comes from The X Subscription, a legacy Cursor plan, a linked SuperGrok or X Premium+ subscription, or a seat on a self-serve Grok Business plan. The app asks you to link one if your account has no access yet.
- A Cursor account. Grok Bot signs in with your Cursor account. There is no separate Grok Bot login, and company single sign-on works through your normal flow.
- Cloud storage allowed. Grok Bot needs cloud data storage, so accounts on Privacy Mode (Legacy) are prompted to switch to Privacy Mode first.
The docs don't publish a minimum macOS version. They list macOS on Apple silicon and Intel as supported, with automatic updates built in.
How to install Grok Bot on a Mac
- Get the installer. Use the Download Grok Bot row on the Grok Bot page of the Cursor dashboard, the download page at cursor.com/download/bot, or x.ai/bot. If you don't have dashboard access, ask your admin for the link.
- Pick the right chip. Apple silicon Macs (M-series) use the darwin-arm64 build. Intel Macs use the darwin-x64 build. Both ship as a .dmg.
- Install and sign in. Install the app from the .dmg, open it and choose Sign in. Authentication finishes in your browser.
- Meet your first Bot. After a short intro, the app creates a Bot named Grok Bot and opens a chat with it. Give it one clear job in its first message.
- Check your version. Open the account menu, choose Support, then About. Copy version info copies the version, release track and operating system.
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Apple silicon vs Intel: the v0.78.1 fix
Plenty of people grab the wrong .dmg. An Intel build runs on an Apple silicon Mac through translation, so nothing looks broken, but you leave speed on the table.
The changelog for v0.78.1 on 27 October 2026 deals with this directly: when the Intel build runs on an Apple silicon Mac, the app now offers the Apple silicon download. If you see that offer, take it.
Not sure which chip you have? Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. A line that names an Apple M-series chip means Apple silicon. A line that names an Intel processor means Intel.
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The Mac app vs the Bot's cloud computer
The deployment docs say it plainly: the apps are clients for chat, review and approvals. Bots do their work on a hosted computer in the cloud, one per member, running Linux. Your Mac is a window into that work, not where it happens by default. Our Grok Bot computer use guide covers what Bots do on that cloud machine.
| Job | Mac desktop app | Bot's cloud computer |
|---|---|---|
| Where Bots run tasks | Only with Execution on this computer allowed | Always, by default |
| Chat, approvals, review | Yes | No |
| Browser sessions and sign-ins for Bots | No | Yes, kept across updates |
| Web traffic exit point | Optional, with Route traffic through this computer | Default, through the cloud |
| Teach a task by demonstration | Desktop only, per the docs | The recording happens in its computer view |
| Testing routines | Desktop only, per the docs | Routines run here |
| Hardware security key | Plug a key into your Mac | The Bot's browser can use it, with your approval |
| Managed by your MDM | Yes | No |
Execution on this computer
A Bot only runs commands on your Mac when you allow it. In Settings, Computer, Your computer, each desktop has its own Execution on this computer setting: Ask every time, the default, Always allow, or Never allow. The docs recommend Never allow unless a Bot has a specific reason to touch your local files. A team admin can cap this, and the stricter rule wins.
Route traffic through this computer
Some sites behave differently for cloud IP addresses. Under Your computer, turn on Route traffic through this computer to send the cloud computer's web traffic through your Mac. Destinations then see your Mac's IP address. The docs add the details:
- It applies to new connections only.
- Sites that resolve to a private or VPN address are blocked unless your organization allows them, and the setting shows how many it blocked.
- Only one of your computers routes at a time. To switch, send a message from the Mac you want to use.
- If it asks you to Update Bot's computer, do that first.
- An Enterprise admin can lock it off with Allow Local Egress Routing. Any active route then stops within five minutes.
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Grok Bot Mac features worth knowing
Notifications
Turn on Notifications for a Bot to hear when it finishes or needs you. On macOS, while the app is open, signed in, the screen is unlocked and you've used the Mac recently, Bot notifications go to the Mac instead of your phone. If a Bot needs input, your phone is pinged about three minutes later unless you open that Bot first. The dock badge shows unread activity.
The command palette and shortcuts
Press Cmd+K for the jump and search palette. It's the fastest way to switch Bots, start a group chat or open a routine. Other shortcuts from the docs:
- Cmd+N for a new Bot, Cmd+Shift+N for a new group chat
- Cmd+D to dictate into the composer
- Cmd+Shift+M to open Connect apps
- Cmd+comma for Settings
- Cmd+slash to see every shortcut
Updates and troubleshooting
The app checks for updates on its own. With Automatic Updates on, the default, it installs a downloaded update while you're away; otherwise choose Restart to Update in Settings, Updates. Old builds stop working and show an Update required screen.
When something hangs, the docs say to fully quit and reopen. On a Mac that means Quit from the menu bar, not just closing the window.
Deploying Grok Bot to a fleet of Macs
The deployment docs cover IT teams too.
- Deploy the .dmg with the Mac management tool you already run, such as Jamf Pro, Kandji or Microsoft Intune.
- Pin the version you tested, keep that installer in your own package store and deploy from your copy.
- Each platform has a release feed, including darwin-arm64 and darwin-x64, so you can script packaging.
- No device policy turns off desktop updates. Members can turn off Automatic Updates, but the app still offers new versions.
- Your MDM reaches the Mac app and stops there. The hosted computer isn't enrolled in MDM.
For admin roles and team settings, see Grok Bot teams.
The open alternative on your Mac
Grok Bot puts the work on xAI's cloud computer and keeps your Mac as a client. Julian tested it the day after the 11 August 2026 launch; his take is in Grok Bot vs Hermes.
If you want the agent itself on your own Mac, Hermes Agent inside an Agent OS setup is the open option. It runs locally, uses the model you pick and keeps your files on your machine. The Agent OS guide shows the build, and Goldie Bench ranks models on real agent tasks.
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FAQ
Does Grok Bot run on Intel Macs?
Yes. The docs list macOS on both Apple silicon and Intel, each with its own .dmg. If you install the Intel build on an Apple silicon Mac, v0.78.1 makes the app offer the Apple silicon download.
Do Grok Bots run on my Mac or in the cloud?
In the cloud by default. Each member gets a hosted Linux computer where Bots work. Your Mac only runs a Bot's commands if you allow it under Execution on this computer, which asks every time by default.
Why route Grok Bot traffic through my Mac?
So sites see your Mac's IP address instead of a cloud one. Turn on Route traffic through this computer under Settings, Computer. Only one computer routes at a time, and an Enterprise admin can switch it off.
Is there a separate Grok Bot login on Mac?
No. You sign in with your Cursor account in the browser, and company single sign-on uses your existing setup.
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