Grok Bot can't find your computer after a VPN change: use global mode
Published October 31, 2026 · Grok Bot changes often
If your Grok Bot has been working with your own computer and then, after a network or VPN change, suddenly says it can't reach the computer and asks you to reconnect, the cause is often your VPN's exit IP, not the Bot and not your computer. The fix is a single setting.
The symptom
The Bot was connected and doing its work. Then something changed on your side: you switched networks, toggled the VPN, or the VPN reconnected. Now the Bot can't reach your computer and asks you to connect it again, even though the computer is on and the app is running.
Why it happens
The short version: Cloudflare matches your connection to a nearby exit point, and in rule mode that exit point can change.
- In rule mode (also called split or smart routing), your VPN sends different destinations through different exits. The exit IP your traffic appears from depends on where each request is going.
- Cloudflare, which sits in front of these connections, matches you to a nearby exit based on where the traffic comes from. When the routing shifts, you can land on a different one.
- The Bot remembers your computer by the connection it first saw. When the exit IP changes, the Bot no longer recognizes the connection as the same computer, so it asks you to reconnect.
In global mode, all of your traffic goes out through the same exit, so the IP stays the same and the Bot keeps recognizing your computer.
The fix: switch the VPN to global mode
- Open your VPN client.
- Change the mode from rule to global. Do not leave it on rule mode.
- Keep it there while you use the Bot with your computer.
That is all. You do not need to reset the Bot, reinstall anything or start over. Once the exit IP is stable, the Bot should find your computer again.
If you change networks or restart the VPN later, check that it is still in global mode before assuming something is broken.
If it still doesn't work
Grok Bot changes often, and other problems produce similar messages. These answers cover the neighboring cases:
- Can't reach your computer for the full list of what to try, in order.
- Can't reach your computer: what to try, in order for telling the different "computer" problems apart.
- Computer network blocked if only some kinds of connections fail.
- Start a fresh conversation with the same Grok Bot if a conversation itself seems stuck.
Grok Bot changes quickly. If the problem persists, the related answers above are kept up to date and are the best next step.