Grok Build Desktop (Community) is a free standalone app that runs xAI's Grok Build coding agent on Windows and macOS. No editor, no terminal. You install it, open a project folder, and start working.
I built it, and I also build the VS Code extension. Neither is affiliated with or endorsed by SpaceXAI (formerly xAI).
Last verified: September 4, 2026 (v4.1.6). The macOS build is signed and notarized by Apple. The Windows build is not signed yet. See Before You Install.
At a Glance
Why This Exists
Most people who bounce off coding agents do not bounce off the agent.
They bounce off what sits in front of it. Install an editor. Configure the editor. Find the extension. Work out which panel does what. By the time the agent is ready, the thing you wanted to try has gone cold.
The setup is the part that stops people, not the agent.
I watched that happen in workshops, and on my own fresh machines. So the same agent UI now ships as an app you open on its own.
What You Get
Three panes, and nothing to configure first.
Projects on the left. Add as many folders as you want. Each keeps its own conversations, and you switch between them from the projects rail without reopening anything. Pinned and Recent sit above the list, and a project idle for a month files itself away until you touch it again.
The conversation in the middle. Streaming responses, reasoning traces, slash commands, images and diagrams inline, and voice dictation.
Your files on the right. Browse the tree, open text files in tabs, and edit them in place. Markdown opens as a preview with a source toggle, and Ctrl/Cmd+S saves. Since v3.5.0 the phone client gets the same file panel, so a file you opened at your desk is still there from your phone.
A permission card before anything happens. Every file write and every shell command is shown to you first, with the exact command, and waits.
Your history, shared. Conversations live under ~/.grok, the same place the CLI and the extension keep them, so the same work is there whichever host you open.
Add project, three ways. Name a new one and it lands in ~/AFK Pilot, import a folder, or clone from GitHub by picking a repository or pasting a URL. GitHub is a connection under Settings, Providers, by the GitHub CLI or a fine-grained token the app never stores.
Other agents, if you want them. OpenAI Codex and Claude Code connect under Settings, Providers and share the same window, model picker and history. Grok Build is the default.
The engine is the official Grok Build CLI. The app is the interface, exactly as the extension is. Same agent, same models, same MCP servers, same memory.
Before You Install
Two things you should know first.
macOS is signed. Windows is not yet. The macOS build is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens on first launch with nothing to dismiss. The Windows build has no certificate yet, so SmartScreen stops it the first time: choose More info, then Run anyway. A certificate is on the way. I would rather you read that here than meet it on your own and assume something is wrong.
It runs a coding agent on your machine. It reads files, edits them, and runs commands, asking you first unless you turn that off. That is the same posture as the VS Code extension. Open projects you trust, and read the source if you want to see exactly what it does.
It ships fast, and it updates itself. Releases land near-daily right now. The app downloads a new version in the background while you keep working and the rail button becomes Restart to update; a normal quit installs it too.
Which One Do I Want?
Three things share the same agent. Ten seconds to pick the right one.
Grok Build Desktop (Community). You want the agent on your own machine and you do not want to install or learn an editor. Free, Windows and macOS. You are on that page now.
Grok Build for VS Code (Community). You already work in VS Code or Cursor and you want the agent in your sidebar, with native diffs. Free, and it has 115,000+ installs across the VS Code Marketplace and Open VSX.
AFK Pilot. You want to steer either of the above from your phone or any browser. Start the work at your desk, carry on from the next room. Free tier, $5 a month to remove its limits. Setup: Grok Remote Control. Or skip your own machine: AFK Pilot Cloud runs the same interface on a dedicated Linux machine with the agents preinstalled.
Standalone app: Grok Build Desktop. Inside your editor: Grok Build for VS Code. From your phone: AFK Pilot on top of either.
The first two work on their own. AFK Pilot is the remote layer you add when you want it. AFK Pilot Cloud is the fourth option: the same interface on a machine you do not own, for when there is no computer to leave on.
Install It
Download the build for your machine at afkpilot.com/desktop. macOS Apple silicon, macOS Intel, and Windows x64. The page detects yours and still shows all three.
On Windows, let it through. SmartScreen stops the unsigned installer: More info, then Run anyway. The macOS build is signed, so it opens with no warning. See Before You Install.
Open a project folder. The app offers a first project in ~/AFK Pilot on first launch, and the + on the PROJECTS heading adds more later: a new folder, an existing one, or a clone from GitHub.
Sign in to Grok. Onboarding installs the grok CLI if it is missing and walks you through signing in. Codex and Claude Code connect later under Settings, Providers, if you want them.
No account is needed for the app itself. You only sign in to AFK Pilot if you want the phone.
Requirements
Windows x64, macOS on Apple silicon, or macOS on Intel. No Linux desktop build; the Linux build that exists runs the AFK Pilot Cloud machines and is not a download. On Linux, use the VS Code extension, which supports it.
Any X or Grok account to try it, with usage limits. Sustained use of the agent underneath needs SuperGrok, X Premium+, or an xAI API key.
No VS Code, no Cursor, no terminal.
FAQ
Is this the same as the Grok desktop app? No. Grok’s desktop chat apps are chat clients for talking to Grok. Grok Build Desktop (Community) runs the Grok Build coding agent: it opens your project folder, edits files behind permission cards, and runs commands. Different products for different jobs.
Is there a Grok Build desktop app? Yes. Grok Build Desktop (Community) is a standalone app for Windows and macOS that runs the official Grok Build coding agent. SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) does not publish one. This is a community build, and it is free.
Do I need VS Code to use Grok Build? No. The extension is one way to get a graphical interface, and the desktop app is the other. Full comparison: Does Grok Build have a GUI?.
Is Grok Build Desktop free? Yes, free to download and use, and it needs no account. The agent underneath needs a SuperGrok / X Premium+ subscription or an xAI API key. Its source is public under FSL-1.1-MIT (Fair Source), and each release converts to plain MIT two years after it ships.
Which operating systems does it run on? Windows x64, macOS Apple silicon, and macOS Intel. No Linux desktop build. The Linux build that exists is for the AFK Pilot Cloud machines, not a download.
Why does Windows or macOS warn me when I open it? On Windows, yes. That build is not code-signed yet, so SmartScreen does not recognize the publisher and asks before running it. Choose More info, then Run anyway. A certificate is on the way. On macOS, no. Since 3.2.7 the build is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens on first double-click. An older macOS download can still warn, or say the app is damaged. Download the current build instead.
Is it an official xAI app? No. Grok Build Desktop (Community) is an unofficial community project. Grok and Grok Build are trademarks of xAI, and this is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. It runs xAI's real CLI unmodified.
Which model does it use? Whatever Grok Build is set to. Grok 4.6 is what it starts on, and you switch models in the app. If you want the model specifically: How to Use Grok 4.6 in VS Code.
Can I use it from my phone? Yes, through AFK Pilot. Link the desktop app once and the same conversation opens in a browser on your phone. Setup: Grok Remote Control. If you would rather not keep a computer on at all, AFK Pilot Cloud runs the same interface on a dedicated Linux machine of its own.
Does it edit files, or only chat? Both. The agent edits your project, and the file panel opens text files in tabs so you can edit them yourself, with unsaved-change markers and a save that refuses to silently overwrite what the agent changed underneath you.
Can I use it and the extension on the same machine? Yes. They share history under ~/.grok, so the conversation you started in one is there in the other.
Does it run agents other than Grok Build? Yes. OpenAI Codex and Claude Code connect under Settings, Providers and share the same window, model picker and history. Each conversation keeps the agent it started with, and Grok Build is the default.
If you build with agents, that is most of what I write about here. The tools are one lane. The other is what actually changes about product work when the building stops being the constraint.
Grok Build Desktop (Community) and Grok Build for VS Code (Community) are unofficial community projects by Pawel Huryn. Not affiliated with or endorsed by xAI.