Users report Grok Bot browser tunnel error when Route traffic is off
Users have reported since Thursday that Grok Bot's browser fails on every website with ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED when Route traffic through this computer is turned off. The reports appear in a Cursor forum thread opened Thursday by a user writing as CLJyayex, and in posts on X Friday morning.
A forum user writing as Colin wrote Thursday morning, "keep 'Route traffic through this computer' ( Settings → Computer ) on while your PC is online, since that path seems to still work." Later Thursday morning Colin wrote, "Hi all, a fix is out now," and said to use Update Bot's Computer, then ask the Bot to open a website. Colin also wrote, "There's no need to Reset."
Early Friday, a forum user writing as Yanco quoted this reply from xAI support: "Your bot's browser can't load any website unless Route traffic through this computer is on and your laptop is awake. This is an issue we're already tracking, and your report is part of it." Yanco also quoted: "For now, turning on Route traffic through this computer (Settings, then Computer, then Your computer) gets pages loading. That works while your laptop is awake and the Grok Bot app is open on it. Until the fix is in, scheduled posts that use the browser won't run while your laptop is closed." That is Yanco's account of the reply. GG did not open the ticket.
The Route traffic workaround does not work for everyone. Forum users writing as Jonas_Himmelberg and Kevin_Kelly said it failed. At 8:53 a.m. CT Friday, a user writing as sawat.tw said they use Grok Bot on iOS only, had no Route toggle or Update button, and that Reset produced the same error. They said support ticket T-J41592 confirmed it is a tracked issue.
At 9:24 a.m. CT Friday, Colin wrote, "It looks like the behavior has regressed again. The team is looking at the issue." At 9:53 a.m. CT Friday, a user writing as Joyuce_Zhou said that after quitting and restarting the desktop app, Settings showed the Bot's computer already on the latest version with no Update button. With Route traffic off, Joyuce_Zhou said every site still failed with ERR_TUNNEL_CONNECTION_FAILED.
The public changelog still lists v0.78.1, dated Oct. 27, with no note about this error. GG did not reproduce the failure or the update. A separate GG guide covers general stuck-computer steps.
What to do: On desktop, try Route traffic through this computer and leave the app awake. Some users said that still failed. Use Update Bot's Computer if it is offered, not Reset. Phone, iPad and web-app users said they often have no Route toggle or Update button.
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