Grok Bot troubleshooting by symptom: a decision tree
Published October 30, 2026 · Grok Bot changes often
Most Grok Bot problems look alike from the outside: something that worked yesterday does not work today. This page sorts them by what you see, tells you the first cheap thing to try, and links to the longer guide for each.
Everything here is sourced from the official xAI docs and staff answers on the official forum, as of October 2026. The platform changes quickly, so each linked answer carries its own "updated" date.
Rule zero: check for an outage before you change anything
In October 2026 many reports turned out to be platform-side. Staff fixed accounts directly, and in several threads asked users not to press Update, Recover or Reset while they worked. Before any destructive step:
- Search the official forum for your exact error text and today's date.
- Check the status page linked from the app.
- If you have a support ticket open, wait for their instruction.
The tree
The Bot replies "failed to respond". Resend the message. If every Bot fails, it is almost certainly an incident, not your setup. No computer reset or reinstall is needed. See Grok Bot failed to respond.
"Can't reach your computer", "Starting desktop", a blank Computer tab. Retry, restart the app, Recover, Update, and only then Reset. Details in Can't reach your computer: what to try, in order.
A routine did not run, or ran late. Almost always a queue delay, not a skip. Check Run history first. See Why a Grok Bot routine runs late, and how to design around it.
A template imported without its skills. A tracked bug since August 2026. See Fixing missing skills after a template import.
A plugin shows connected but has no tools, or keeps asking to sign in. Re-authenticate with the right account, then reinstall. See Plugins and MCP servers that will not connect.
Weekly usage disappears. The cause is usually context size and wake-up frequency. See Cutting Grok Bot usage without losing capability.
The Bot ignores a rule you wrote. Rules are guidance unless something enforces them. See Writing rules and skills a Bot will actually follow.
You are worried about what the Bot can reach. Read A security checklist for Grok Bot.
What not to do
- Do not reset the Bot's computer to fix a chat error. Reset restores the last snapshot and can lose recent work.
- Do not delete old conversations to save usage. Idle chats cost nothing.
- Do not paste passwords or one-time codes into chat. Sign in yourself on the Bot's computer.
When you ask for help
Include the app version, OS, exact error text, Bot name, time with time zone, and the conversation ID (right-click the Bot in the sidebar, then Copy conversation ID). Leave out secrets.