Grok Bot’s cloud computer is a container instead of a full VM.
Update Computer button uses this wording: “Your files and logins stay, but installed apps and packages are removed”.
What is the intended use for the container environment, and are we not supposed to rely on packages and daemons?
Finally, does the container rebuild on a schedule, or only when I press Update Computer?
Hey, thanks for the questions. I’ll explain how this works.
A cloud computer keeps two things durable: your files (workspace and home folder) and your logins (browser sessions, saved credentials). They’re continuously backed up and restored on every rebuild. But the OS layer, anything installed via apt or into system folders, plus installed apps and background services, comes from the base image and won’t survive a rebuild. That’s exactly what the “Update Computer” button text describes.
So yeah, you shouldn’t rely on packages or long-running daemons. The intended pattern is: keep anything durable in files, and let the Bot reinstall tools when needed, which is usually quick. There’s also a second issue with daemons: the computer goes to sleep after being idle, so background processes won’t stay running all the time anyway.
On timing: there’s no fixed rebuild schedule, and updates aren’t only manual. Besides “Update Computer” (and Reset/Recover), the computer can update itself when a new version rolls out, during idle time, for example right before going to sleep. This won’t happen in the middle of the Bot actively working, and your files and logins are saved either way.
A practical trick if you depend on specific packages: keep a note file with the list of required packages, and after an update, ask the Bot to reinstall everything from that list.