Grokked Bot v0.6.0

What's new in 0.6.0

• Just ask for a schedule. Tell a bot "every weekday at 8, check Hacker News and give me
  the top story" (in the app or in Slack) and it sets up the schedule itself, then tells
  you when it next runs. One-off reminders ("Friday at 3pm") switch themselves off after
  they fire. Everything it sets up shows in its Triggers tab, where you can pause or
  change it. Bots now know how work reaches them, so they no longer promise to "check back
  later" when they can't.
• Instructions for every bot. A new Settings → Instructions box holds your standing
  rules (your time zone, tone, what to check with you first). Every bot follows them on
  every task, in the app, in Slack and on its schedules, without repeating them in each
  bot's Details.
• See your version. Settings now shows which version of Grokked Bot you're running
  (bottom left), so you can tell at a glance whether you're up to date.
• A one-line diagnostics report. When something goes wrong, one Terminal command
  writes a report to your Desktop (versions, Docker, your bots, Slack status, recent runs
  and the log) with every token and key scrubbed out, ready to send to whoever is helping.
• The bot's computer gets its 0.6.0 image. On first launch after upgrading, the app
  downloads it; your bots, logins and conversations carry over.

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

What's Changed

• Triggers: buttons under the heading by @alnutile in #17
• Diagnostics script: one command, scrubbed report by @alnutile in #18
• Bots make their own schedules; Settings → Instructions for every bot by @alnutile in #19
• Settings: show the version you're running by @alnutile in #20
• Release 0.6.0 by @alnutile in #21

Full Changelog: v0.5.0...v0.6.0

Grokked Bot v0.5.0

What's new in 0.5.0

• Your bots in Slack. A new Slack tab turns a bot into a Slack teammate with its own
  name and face. A step-by-step guide hands you the app manifest and the bot's icon, you
  paste two tokens, and that's it: no public URL or tunnel, it connects out from your
  computer. DM it or @mention it in a channel and it reacts 👀, shows what it's working on,
  and answers in the thread. Only people you allow can use it.
• Bots can log in to your servers over SSH. A new SSH tab gives each bot its own
  key. Copy the public key (or the one-line install command) onto a server, list the
  servers it may use, and click Test. Then just ask: "how much disk is free on the web
  server?" The private key is stored encrypted and the bot can use it but never see it.
• The bot's computer gets an update (SSH tools). On first launch after upgrading, the app
  downloads the new image; your bots, logins and conversations carry over.

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

What's Changed

• Bots get their own SSH key: SSH tab, servers, Test by @alnutile in #14
• Slack bots: a Slack tab per bot, Socket Mode, live progress by @alnutile in #15
• Release 0.5.0 by @alnutile in #16

Full Changelog: v0.4.1...v0.5.0

Grokked Bot v0.4.1

What's new in 0.4.1

• Saving a bot's Env works. In the 0.4.0 app, clicking Save on the Env tab said
  "Couldn't save: Load failed". It saves now.

New in 0.4.0

• Copy and pin a bot's answer. Every response has a Copy button, so you can paste
  an answer anywhere without selecting text, and a Pin button that saves it to
  Pinned results in the sidebar: everything you pinned, newest first, each with a
  link back to the conversation it came from.
• Bots that can code. Hand a bot a repo and it clones it, installs the language the
  project needs, reads and edits the code, runs the tests and commits. With a GitHub token
  it pushes a branch, opens a pull request, waits on CI and fixes what fails. Languages it
  installs stay installed, even after an update.
• Each bot gets its own limits. Set max steps and minutes per message in a bot's
  Details, so a coding bot can work for hours while a shopping bot stays on a short leash.
  The defaults are higher too: 150 steps and 3 hours.
• Limits that follow the model. How much a bot reads and writes in one step now comes
  from what OpenRouter says the model can handle, so a 1M-token model sees whole files and
  test logs. Switch models and it adjusts on its own.
• A clearer README. It opens with a Get started section: what you need, which
  download fits your machine, and your first task in about a minute.
• Every change is checked before it lands. Tests, type checks and a full build of
  the bot's computer run on every pull request, and merging a version bump ships the
  release (Mac, Linux and the bot computer image) on its own.
• The bot's computer gets an update too. On first launch after upgrading, the app downloads
  the new image; your bots, logins and conversations carry over.

Also new since 0.2.1 (0.3.0 shipped as a draft only):

• Environment variables per bot. A new Env tab: paste a .env file and every
  command the bot runs gets those variables, stored encrypted and never shown to the bot.
• Bots can work on GitHub. Put a GITHUB_TOKEN in a bot's Env tab and it can clone
  your private repos and use gh. The bot's computer now includes git, gh and jq.

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

What's Changed

• Fix saving a bot's Env; release 0.4.1 by @alnutile in #12

Full Changelog: v0.4.0...v0.4.1

Grokked Bot v0.4.0

What's new in 0.4.0

• Copy and pin a bot's answer. Every response has a Copy button, so you can paste
  an answer anywhere without selecting text, and a Pin button that saves it to
  Pinned results in the sidebar: everything you pinned, newest first, each with a
  link back to the conversation it came from.
• Bots that can code. Hand a bot a repo and it clones it, installs the language the
  project needs, reads and edits the code, runs the tests and commits. With a GitHub token
  it pushes a branch, opens a pull request, waits on CI and fixes what fails. Languages it
  installs stay installed, even after an update.
• Each bot gets its own limits. Set max steps and minutes per message in a bot's
  Details, so a coding bot can work for hours while a shopping bot stays on a short leash.
  The defaults are higher too: 150 steps and 3 hours.
• Limits that follow the model. How much a bot reads and writes in one step now comes
  from what OpenRouter says the model can handle, so a 1M-token model sees whole files and
  test logs. Switch models and it adjusts on its own.
• A clearer README. It opens with a Get started section: what you need, which
  download fits your machine, and your first task in about a minute.
• Every change is checked before it lands. Tests, type checks and a full build of
  the bot's computer run on every pull request, and merging a version bump ships the
  release (Mac, Linux and the bot computer image) on its own.
• The bot's computer gets an update too. On first launch after upgrading, the app downloads
  the new image; your bots, logins and conversations carry over.

Also new since 0.2.1 (0.3.0 shipped as a draft only):

• Environment variables per bot. A new Env tab: paste a .env file and every
  command the bot runs gets those variables, stored encrypted and never shown to the bot.
• Bots can work on GitHub. Put a GITHUB_TOKEN in a bot's Env tab and it can clone
  your private repos and use gh. The bot's computer now includes git, gh and jq.

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

What's Changed

• CLAUDE.md: branch, PR, merge on green, and how releases happen by @alnutile in #4
• Pre-approve the push, PR and merge steps for Claude sessions by @alnutile in #5
• README: Get started up front, contents, and Contributing by @alnutile in #6
• CHANGELOG.md, backfilled to 0.1.0, and a rule to keep it current by @alnutile in #7
• Coding-ready bots: model-sized limits, per-bot limits, toolchains, file tools by @alnutile in #8
• README: lead with the logo and "Your open-source bot harness" by @alnutile in #9
• Copy and pin a bot's answer; Pinned results in the sidebar by @alnutile in #10
• Release 0.4.0 by @alnutile in #11

Full Changelog: v0.3.0...v0.4.0

Grokked Bot v0.2.1

What's new in 0.2.1

• Sites with a browser "Sign in" popup (HTTP basic auth, e.g. Swagger docs) now work:
  save the login in Settings → Passwords and the bot signs in without ever seeing the
  password.
• Media tab: text and JSON files preview again in the installed app (they said
  "Load failed"), and new Open, Show in folder and Open folder buttons.
• Bot computers update with the app. On first launch after upgrading, the app
  downloads the matching bot computer image; your bots' site logins carry over.

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

Full Changelog: v0.2.0...v0.2.1

Grokked Bot v0.2.0

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Download for Linux

Package	Download
Ubuntu / Debian (24.04+)	Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb
Any distro	Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

sudo apt install ./Grokked-Bot-linux-amd64.deb     # then open Grokked Bot from your apps
# or
chmod +x Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./Grokked-Bot-linux-x86_64.AppImage

You'll need Docker running (rootless Docker works too). No security prompt on Linux. If the AppImage won't start, install libfuse2 or run it with --appimage-extract-and-run.

Install on a Mac

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/ on a Mac, and ~/.config/grokked-app/ plus ~/.local/share/grokked-app/ on Linux. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in the config folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

Full Changelog: v0.1.0...v0.2.0

Grokked Bot v0.1.0

Download for Mac

Your Mac	Download
Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)	Grokked-Bot-mac-apple-silicon.dmg
Intel	Grokked-Bot-mac-intel.dmg

Not sure which you have? Apple menu → About This Mac. "Chip: Apple M…" means Apple Silicon.

You'll also need Docker Desktop (or OrbStack) installed and running. It runs the private Linux computer each bot works on.

Install

1. Open the .dmg and drag Grokked Bot into Applications.
2. Open Grokked Bot. macOS will block it the first time. This build isn't notarized by Apple yet, so you'll see "Apple could not verify 'Grokked Bot' is free of malware". Click Done.
3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to "Grokked Bot was blocked to protect your Mac", and click Open Anyway. Enter your password, then click Open Anyway once more.

You only do step 3 once per version.

First run

The app walks you through three things:

1. Docker: it checks Docker Desktop is running.
2. The bot's computer: a one-time download of about 5 GB. Give it 10 minutes or so.
3. An OpenRouter key: how your bots think. Create one here; usage is billed to your OpenRouter account.

Then create a bot with + and give it a job.

Good to know

• Bots stop when you quit the app. Leave it open (or minimized) while they work.
• On Apple Silicon the bot's Chrome runs under Rosetta, so it's a little slower than on Linux.
• Your settings, saved logins and history live in ~/Library/Application Support/Grokked/. If something goes wrong, daemon.log in that folder has the details.
• Problems or ideas: open an issue.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/alnutile/grokked-bot/commits/v0.1.0