Why can't a Team Bot use my computer in my own chat ("computer is offline")?
Last checked October 29, 2026 · Grok Bot changes often
As of October 29, 2026, staff said a Team Bot can only use its owner's local computer. When a teammate opens her own chat with it, the Bot gets no local computer, hers or the owner's, as a deliberate safety rule because the teammate does not control the Team Bot's instructions and skills. No setting turns it on. The "your computer is offline" message is misleading; her PC is fine. For work on your own PC, use a personal Bot.
What was reported
On a team plan, an owner's Team Bot ran PowerShell on the owner's PC. A teammate's own personal Bot ran commands on her PC. But in the teammate's chat with the Team Bot, the Bot only had its cloud computer and said "the user's computer is offline", even though her PC and the desktop app were fine. The 0.77.0 changelog line noted that computer permission buttons are disabled in a teammate's own chat with your Team Bot.
What staff said
- Today a Team Bot can use only its owner's local computer.
- In a teammate's chat it gets no local computer at all.
- It is intentional: the teammate does not control the Team Bot's instructions and skills.
- No setting enables it, and the permission buttons are disabled for the same reason.
- "Offline" is wrong wording; staff flagged it. A way for a teammate to opt in with her own approvals was added to a feature request.
What to do instead
- Create a personal Bot for each person who needs local work.
- Copy the role's instructions and skills into it.
- Keep the Team Bot for the shared, cloud-side parts.
Not sure which you need? See Grok Bot template vs. Team Bot. Templates are a good way to give each person the same starting setup: How do I install a Grok Bot template?.
Not tested by Boterly
We have not tested Team Bots. This is staff's statement for the current behaviour, which they said teams have asked to change.