Traffic Routing and Local Execution: Let the Bot Use Your Network and Computer

One-sentence goal: Use Grok Bot network routing to route the Bot browser's traffic through your own computer's network and IP, and decide how the Bot executes actions on your computer.

Preparation

• First finish"Settings, Shortcuts, and Notifications: A Panel Tour and Quick Reference", and know how to use Cmd/Ctrl+, to open Grok Bot settings.
• The settings dialog is divided into panels such as General, Computer, and Vault; options vary by account and gradual rollout, and some switches may not be visible for now.
• Remember three boundaries: private addresses and VPN addresses are blocked by default; only one computer can handle routing at a time; Enterprise team admins can turn off this feature.

Follow Along

Step 1: Enable "Route traffic through this computer"

Why: The Bot computer accesses the internet through a shared network exit by default, and some websites drop connections from it outright; when traffic goes through your local machine, sites see your IP.

How: Open the Computer panel in Grok Bot settings, find "Route traffic through this computer" under "Your computer", and turn on the switch; when the inline prompt Update Bot's computer appears, click update first.

Expected result: The Bot browser's traffic now goes through this computer's network and IP, but only takes effect for connections created after enabling it. Sites that only your current network can open are now accessible to the Bot too. Note: private network addresses and VPN addresses remain blocked by default and are not allowed through because of this switch.

Step 2: Set "Execution on this computer"

Why: The Bot's cloud computer and the computer in front of you are two separate machines, and by default it cannot run commands on your computer; this switch determines how it obtains local execution permission.

How: In the Computer panel of settings → "Your computer", find "Execution on this computer". The default level is Ask every time: every time the Bot wants to execute an action on your computer, it asks for approval first. Change it to Always allow (no more per-action prompts) or Never allow (always deny) as needed.

Expected result: Before the Bot executes actions on your computer, it allows, denies, or shows an approval prompt according to the level you chose. If you are on a team, team policies cap the available levels, and personal settings cannot exceed the team limit.

Step 3: For Website Timeouts, Toggle the Switches per the Official Solution

Why: Timeouts mostly happen because sites block the shared network exit; routing traffic or commands through your own device bypasses this layer.

How: When the Bot keeps timing out opening a website, check the two switches per the official troubleshooting guide: first confirm that "Route traffic through this computer" is enabled, then set "Execution on this computer" to Ask every time or Always allow, so commands and API calls also run on your computer, and have the Bot retry.

Expected result: The timing-out website becomes accessible again; if it still fails, follow the official guidance and contact support with the website address and a screenshot of the error.

Verify

• Have the Bot open a website that only your current network can access (for example, a site that blocks the shared network exit; private addresses and VPN addresses remain blocked by default, so don't use them for verification). If it opens, the traffic is indeed going through your computer.
• Keep the default Ask every time, have the Bot perform a small action on your computer, and confirm that an approval prompt appears; change it to Never allow and try again, and it should be denied outright.
• If timeouts persist after toggling both switches, go to"Error Quick Reference: Find Solutions by Error Message" and search by the exact error text.

Common Pitfalls

• Assuming network routing lets you access all intranet or VPN addresses. Private addresses and VPN addresses are blocked by default, and this switch does not change that default.
• Multiple computers handling routing at the same time. Only one computer takes effect at a time; when switching devices, first confirm the status on the old device.
• Quitting the desktop app while assuming routing still works. Routing only works while the Grok Bot desktop app is running; confirm it is open before troubleshooting.
• Not seeing the switch or levels on a team. Enterprise admins can turn off traffic routing; team policies also cap the available range of execution permissions. Check with your admin first.
• Casually setting execution permission to Always allow. Always allow means the Bot executes actions on your computer without asking; use it only for tasks you explicitly trust and keep Ask every time for daily use; when a task doesn't need local execution, the official recommendation is to simply keep Never allow.

Next Lesson

Next page: "Team Onboarding: Sharing Bots, Templates, and Admin Controls", extending the single-machine routing and execution experience to the whole team.

Related reading: "China Usage Guide: Registration, Payment, and Chinese Interface", "Error Quick Reference: Find Solutions by Error Message".