Decision guide
Browser, Grok Build, or Grok Bot
Three products, not three skins of the same chat. Pick the one that owns the job.
The three surfaces
| Browser | Grok Build | Grok Bot | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | grok.com, iOS, Android | Your terminal, your repo | Cloud computer + desktop/mobile apps |
| Keeps working | While that chat or Automation runs | While the session or /loop is alive | Laptop closed. Routines fire on a schedule |
| Tools | Connectors, Imagine, voice, files | Diffs, tests, MCP, hooks, worktrees | Connectors, or a real browser when there is no API |
| Repeat work | Automations: schedule for everyone, email on SuperGrok | /loop and saved workflows | A skill, then a routine owned by one Bot |
CLI vs Web Build
| Dimension | CLI (PowerShell / terminal) | Web Build Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your machine, your files | Remote sandbox; preview in chat |
| Install | irm install.ps1 | iex or curl install.sh | None — open Grok and start building |
| Primary UX | TUI: diffs, approvals, slash commands | Chat + live product preview |
| Best user | Engineers in existing repos | Makers shipping apps/games fast |
| Plan / design | /plan, /design skills, Shift+Tab modes | Conversational plan; skills auto-loaded |
| Subagents | Explicit parallel + git worktrees | Behind the scenes multi-agent builds |
| Imagine images/video | /imagine, /imagine-video, tools in agent | Native in chat + Build pipeline |
| Deploy | Your pipeline (Hostinger, Vercel, etc.) | Publish flow + export options |
| Secrets & env | Local .env, OS keychain, CI secrets | Platform-injected; careful with secrets in chat |
| Offline / airgap | Possible with cached tools + API key patterns | Requires network to Grok + sandbox |
| Hooks / MCP / ACP | First-class for teams | Limited / productized integrations |
| Headless automation | grok -p for scripts & CI | Not the automation surface |
| Visual QA | You open local browser; agent can still drive tools | Live preview + agent browser smoke tests |
Quick pick rules
- Existing company repo, compliance, CI → CLI on PowerShell/macOS/Linux.
- New product idea, game, marketing site demo today → Web Build Mode.
- Design system that must stick across many repos → CLI /design skill +
/skillify, then optionally web for prototypes. - Character video series → Web Imagine or Imagine Video 1.5 first; CLI if you need ffmpeg assembly in a repo.
- Hostinger production site → design/build in web or CLI, deploy artifacts per Website + Hostinger chapter.
- Standing duty, or a site with no connector → Grok Bot. Save a skill only after one clean run.
- Morning brief from mail and calendar → an Automation, unless it must click a website.
Myths worth killing
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| Web is “toy,” CLI is “real” | Web ships real full-stack apps; CLI is better for repo ownership and automation. |
| CLI cannot design UI | CLI + /design skill often produces more consistent design systems. |
| Slash commands exist on web | Web is natural language; skills are auto-selected. CLI is where /commands shine. |
| Heavy only matters for chat length | Heavy also raises parallel agent / generation headroom for multi-hour builds. |
| A Bot is chat plus a schedule | A Bot has a computer and its own screen. A browser Automation does not. |
| Separate Bots isolate secrets | Your Bots share one computer. Isolation is between accounts, not between Bots. |
Tip
Many power users run all three: the browser for research and Automations, the CLI for the repo, and one Bot per standing duty.