Grok Bot computer frozen since Oct 21 AZ — 840s spawn timeout; file reads hang on .bashrc/.profile; iPhone only; ticket T-I6830

Support Bug Reports
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Describe the Bug

My shared Grok Bot computer has been unresponsive since about 6:00 AM Arizona time (UTC-7) on Oct 21, 2026.

Every Shell command fails with “Command failed to spawn” after an 840 second timeout, even a simple echo. File reads hang too. Chat and connectors still work. All bots share one computer, so every bot is blocked.

Support ticket: T-I6830 (escalated to human; no fix yet). Conversation IDs:
• Main Grok Bot: 9bc042f9-a4fd-4495-b256-b2181c99114b
• Coding Engineer: a8d0ca5c-912a-4bba-bf6d-94462ca92d8d
Already tried:
• Update Bot’s Computer
• Reset Bot’s Computer
• Uninstall/reinstall the app
None restored the computer.
Following the wedged-startup pattern from threads like Grok Bot shell dead since Oct 22 – every command stalls 840s; .bashrc unreadable + .profile autostart loop; Update/Reset don't help and Grok Bot Box unresponsive
• Asked a bot to read /home/box/.bashrc with the file tool only (no Shell) — hung 4+ minutes (“Reading .bashrc”)
• Asked it to read only /home/box/.profile — hung ~2 minutes with no content
• Bot confirmed it cannot write files without Shell, so it cannot replace .bashrc or edit .profile itself
I am on iPhone only (no Mac/PC/tablet), so I cannot use CopyFromBox / CopyToBox.
Please, on your side:

  1. Inspect /home/box/.bashrc (size/type) and replace it with stock Ubuntu /etc/skel/.bashrc (keep the broken one as .bashrc.broken if useful)
  2. Inspect /home/box/.profile and comment out any nonstandard autostart lines (nohup, flock, supervisors, services, etc.)
  3. Keep /workspace, bots, routines, conversations, and logins — do not wipe durable data
  4. Restart/reprovision after those file fixes (plain Update/Reset alone already failed because they restore the same saved files)
    Happy to share anything else you need. Thanks.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Ask any bot on this computer to run echo ok → hangs ~840s, “Command failed to spawn”
  2. Ask a bot to read /home/box/.bashrc with the file tool (not Shell) → hangs several minutes
  3. Ask a bot to read /home/box/.profile the same way → also hangs

Expected Behavior

Shell commands start normally; .bashrc and .profile are readable; bots can use the shared computer again.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

IMG_2901.png
IMG_2901.png1206×2622 385 KB

Operating System

iOS
Other

Version Information

iOS (iPhone 16 Pro) — Grok Bot mobile app
Grok Bot iOS app (current). Ticket T-I6830.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

8

Hey @IncognitoAce,

This is a known issue the team is already tracking. Your bots’ computer does start on each Update and Reset, and your files come back each time. What gets stuck is the step that prepares a command before it runs: it waits for the computer’s startup files to finish, and when one of them leaves a program running in the background, that step never completes. Every command then waits out the 840 second limit. Update and Reset restore your saved home folder, startup files included, which is why neither one cleared it.

The team is working on a fix, but as you’ve found it won’t be possible the apply the workaround used in other threads on an iPhone.

This should be addressed globally soon!

10

Thanks Colin. That matches what I’m seeing. I’m on iPhone only so I’ll wait for the global fix. Happy to retest as soon as it’s out (ticket T-I6830). Any rough ETA?