Grok Bot plugins are the apps you connect so your Bot can work inside tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Sheets, Slack and Linear, instead of clicking through their websites. In the Grok Bot app they live under Connect apps, and you can also add your own MCP servers. In the video below I show a Higgsfield and Grok Bot setup, a good example of what connecting a tool unlocks. Here’s how plugins work, step by step, from xAI’s official docs.
Key takeaways
- Plugins = connected apps, found under Connect apps in the sidebar.
- Added doesn’t mean signed in — check for Needs auth or Disconnected.
- A Bot can add an MCP server that isn’t in the catalog.
- Your OAuth tokens stay on the connector backend; the Bot never receives them.
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What Grok Bot plugins are
The computer and apps guide calls them apps, or connectors, and the troubleshooting docs call them plugins. Same thing. A plugin gives your Bot a direct, reliable way into a tool. The docs say apps are more reliable than clicking, and the browser covers everything else.
Apps are account-wide, so once one is connected, your Bots can use it. Type @ in a chat to attach a specific app to a request.
Here’s why that matters for a small business. With Gmail, Google Calendar and Sheets connected, one request like “Check my inbox for new enquiries, add each one to the leads sheet and suggest a call time from my calendar” runs through three apps without the Bot opening a single website.
How to add a plugin
- 1. Open Connect apps from the sidebar.
- 2. Browse or search the catalog.
- 3. Add the app, then choose Authorize or Authenticate and sign in.
- 4. Confirm it shows under Installed.
The shortcut: just ask your Bot. The docs’ example is “Add the Linear app”. The Bot finds it and walks you through signing in.
Watch for one thing. Adding an app isn’t the same as signing in to it. If it shows Needs auth or Disconnected, finish the sign-in or the Bot can’t use it.
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Adding your own MCP server
If the tool you need isn’t in the catalog, a Bot can add an MCP server for you, either from a URL or from a command. MCP is an open standard that lets AI agents talk to outside tools.
The docs say servers on a private network, or ones that use a private certificate authority, need approval first. On a team, admins control this with the connector policy, and an MCP allowlist is available on Enterprise, according to the Teams and Enterprises guide. Team admins manage these on Cursor’s Plugins & MCPs page.
App-by-app limits worth knowing
| App | Limit from the docs |
|---|---|
| Google Calendar | Events it creates don’t get a Zoom link |
| Google Sheets | It can only edit sheets your account can edit; Drive is used to find files |
| Gmail | One mailbox at a time |
| X | The X plugin needs X API credits on your X developer account |
| Zoom | Known issue: error 4700 |
| 1Password | Can be connected so the Bot fills logins without seeing them |
On X specifically: Bots can already search public X posts read-only without any plugin. The troubleshooting guide says the X plugin is only needed for private requests, such as your home timeline or who liked your posts, and reconnecting it or changing your plan doesn’t add X API credits.
The X plugin, step by step
The X plugin causes the most confusion, so here’s what the troubleshooting guide says. Public X is built in: your Bot can search posts, profiles, mentions, trends and news with no plugin and no X API credits. The plugin is only for account-private data, such as your DMs, bookmarks, home timeline and who liked your posts.
It runs on your own X developer account, which needs X API credits that you buy from X. If private requests fail:
- Open console.x.com and sign in with the same X account you connected in Grok Bot.
- Check your X API credit balance and add credits there if it’s empty.
- Retry the request in Grok Bot. You don’t need to reconnect the plugin.
Connecting X doesn’t always apply starter credits yet, so the console can show an empty balance until you add some.
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How safe are plugins?
Two details from the docs matter here. First, OAuth tokens are held on Cursor’s connector backend, so the Bot never receives them. Second, actions still go through approvals. The approvals guide says Auto Review checks each action, and you’ll get a card with Allow once, Always allow or Deny for anything risky.
On a team, your admin may block some apps. If you see Disabled by team admin, that’s the team’s connector policy, not a bug.
Plugins on a shared Bot
When you share a Bot, its plugins come with it. The shared Bots guide says a shared Bot uses the owner’s apps and secrets, plus your own apps after an Allow prompt. The owner and Managers edit what the Bot uses for everyone under Bot settings: Plugins, Secrets, Skills and Files.
In practice, connect the shared tools (your team Slack, the shared sales sheet) on the owner’s account, and let each person approve their own inbox or calendar when the Bot asks.
If a plugin won’t install or sign in
The troubleshooting docs give a short checklist: open Connect apps and confirm the plugin is listed as installed, open the app and choose Authenticate (Authorize on the phone), finish signing in with the right account within about 10 minutes, then retry the task. A connect card only appears when an app needs you to sign in, so don’t wait for one. For anything stubborn, ask your Bot: “The Google Sheets app says Needs auth. Walk me through reconnecting it and test that you can read my sales sheet.”
About Julian Goldie
I’m Julian Goldie — founder of Goldie Agency and the AI Profit Boardroom. I test new AI agents almost every day on my channel, including Grok Bot, and show business owners how to put them to work. Claim your free strategy session or join the AI Profit Boardroom.
Want another angle? Read the AI Profit Boardroom guide to Grok Bot Plugins.
FAQ: grok bot plugins
What are Grok Bot plugins?
They’re connected apps, such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Sheets, Slack, Linear or 1Password, that let your Bot work inside those tools instead of clicking through websites. You add them from Connect apps.
Can Grok Bot use MCP servers?
Yes. A Bot can add an MCP server that isn’t in the catalog, from a URL or a command. Private-network servers need approval, and teams can restrict MCP with a connector policy.
Does the Bot see my app passwords or tokens?
No. The docs say OAuth tokens are held on Cursor’s connector backend and the Bot never receives them.
Why does my plugin say Needs auth?
Adding an app doesn’t sign you in. Reopen it in Connect apps, finish Authorize or Authenticate, and check it appears under Installed.
Do I need the X plugin to search X?
No. Bots can search public X posts read-only without it. The X plugin is for private requests and needs X API credits.
Can a shared Bot use my own apps?
Yes, after you allow it. A shared Bot uses the owner’s apps and secrets, plus your own apps once you accept the Allow prompt.
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Related reading
Last updated October 2026. This page is a living guide to grok bot plugins — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
