The Linux computer behind my Grok Bot keeps getting migrated/rebuilt and rebooted. Since Oct 12 it has been fully rebuilt 5 times (Oct 12, 14, 17, 21, 22) and rebooted at least 30 more times, roughly every 2–3 hours. Each rebuild wipes everything installed outside my home folder (apt packages like Proton Mail Bridge, glab, gh, compiled binaries), restores older copies of config files (Proton Bridge vault with a stale token, so I have to re-login with 2FA every time), and while files are copied back (~20 min) git repos are broken and bot folders are missing. After the Oct 22 rebuild the box browser also reports America/New_York instead of my Europe/Berlin timezone. I lose work and hours of re-setup almost every day, and I get no warning beforehand.
Steps to Reproduce
Use Grok Bot with a box that has extra tools installed (apt packages, CLIs in /usr/local/bin, logged-in apps like Proton Mail Bridge).
Wait a day or two.
The box gets migrated: /home/box/.codex/.sandbox_migration is rewritten, uptime resets, installed packages are gone, and files are restored over several minutes.
Separately, who -b shows a new boot time every few hours even without a migration.
Expected Behavior
The box should be persistent: installed packages, logins and files should survive, and reboots/migrations should be rare. If a migration is unavoidable, warn me beforehand, keep the full disk (not just /home and /workspace), and don’t restore stale copies of files.
Operating System
MacOS
Linux
iOS
Version Information
Grok Bot iOS Version: 1.17.0 (24821)
Additional Information
Migrations (Berlin time): Oct 12 ~05:11, Oct 14 ~22:50 (box unresponsive from ~20:28), Oct 17 18:53, Oct 21 08:48/08:56, Oct 22 10:30.
Reboots without migration: Oct 15 ×6, Oct 16 ×5, Oct 18 ×6, Oct 19 ×6, Oct 20 ×2, Oct 21 ×4 (these are only the ones caught by a 4-hourly check, so likely more).
I run ~25 bots on this box daily. I tried emailing [email protected] from my Grok Bot inbox, but Grok Bot’s own mail service rejected it ([email protected] is on its SES suppression list).
When a new version of the Bot’s computer ships (often for browser security fixes), computers on older versions are replaced with a fresh one the next time they’re used. Oct 17 and Oct 21 were updates like that, rolled out to every computer, and Oct 22 was a similar replacement. A replacement restores your bots, saved files and logins, but apps and packages installed outside the saved folders (apt packages, tools in /usr/local/bin, compiled binaries) are not carried over. This is how computer updates, Recover and Reset work today. Keeping installed software across rebuilds is a known gap the team is tracking, and I’ve added your report to it.
On Oct 21 and Oct 22 a timing problem during the replacement als removed your old computer before the new one was ready. Your bots were left without a computer for a while and then landed on a fresh one that was still copying your files back, which is why repos looked broken and bot folders were missing for those ~20 minutes. That’s also tracked, and I’ve added your report there too. The older config copies (like the Proton Bridge vault) are most likely changes made after the last save that didn’t carry over.
When nothing is using the computer it’s paused, and it resumes when a bot needs it. With ~25 bots and routines that happens many times a day. This is expected, and it is likely what who -b is picking up as a new boot.
The computer’s browser takes its time zone from the location its traffic exits from, so after the rebuild it most likely picked up a US exit and now reports America/New_York.
Sends from Grok Bot’s mail to that address being refused is a known issue. Please use this thread or in-app feedback in the meantime.
To cut the re-setup time until installed software survives rebuilds:
Keep a setup script in /workspace that reinstalls what you need (Proton Mail Bridge, gh, glab and so on), and have a bot run it after a rebuild.
Where you can, put single-file tools and your compiled binaries under a folder you’ve seen survive rebuilds, rather than /usr/local/bin.
You’ll still need to sign in to Proton Bridge again with 2FA after a rebuild for now.