Guide

Grok Workspace add-on vs Grok Bot for Docs, Sheets, Slides

Updated · by Rosh Perera

The Grok Google Workspace add-on is a free Marketplace install that opens as a side panel beside a Doc, Sheet, or Slide you already have open. Grok Bot is separate: it uses Connect apps, chat, and routines on your Grok Bot account.

Use the add-on for interactive work inside the open file. Use the Bot when you need connectors, schedules, or work across apps. Our free Grok Bot usage check ranks which of your Bots and routines are most likely eating your week, with a fix prompt for each, right in your browser. Facts come from x.ai Workspace pages and the Google Workspace Marketplace listing, checked 26 Oct 2026. We're an independent site, not part of xAI or Cursor.

Key points

  • One free add-on covers three editors: x.ai says Grok for Google Workspace is a free add-on, and one install from the Google Workspace Marketplace covers Sheets, Slides, and Docs.
  • Side panel beside the file: x.ai/grok/workspace: "It opens as a side panel beside the file, not another tab." Open it from the Extensions menu; sign in once for the editors.
  • What the add-on does in each app (product pages): Sheets - answers with cell citations, formulas, charts, scenario updates. Slides - outline to deck, theme-matched slides, title rewrites. Docs - draft in place, headings and lists, grammar and style passes; with connectors enabled it can pull from recent email or Drive files.
  • Bot path is Connect apps + routines: Cursor Connect apps help covers Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and other apps for Bots in chat. That is not the Marketplace sidebar.
  • Admins can deploy domain-wide: x.ai/grok/workspace notes admins can deploy the add-on domain-wide. That is a Workspace admin action, not a Grok Bot Connect apps step.

Which tool should you install for which job?

  • Install the add-on when you work inside an open file

    Open the Marketplace listing for Grok (app id 660927092109) or follow x.ai's Workspace pages. One install covers Docs, Sheets, and Slides. After install, open a file, use Extensions, and work in the side panel.

  • Connect Bot apps when you need unattended or cross-app work

    In Grok Bot, open Connect apps, add Drive for find/open, Sheets for cell edits the connected account can make, plus Gmail or Calendar when those jobs matter. Finish Authorize in the browser. See our connect-google-drive and connect-google-sheets guides for setup detail.

  • Do not expect the add-on to run your Bot routines

    Routines, multi-bot handoffs, and Connect apps live on the Bot side. The add-on helps while you are in the Google file. Pick based on whether a human is in the editor or a Bot should act later.

  • Docs body gap on the Bot is still real

    Even with Drive connected, Bot updates to an existing Doc body remain the living gap covered in our can't-edit-existing-Doc guide. The add-on drafts in the open Doc in your session; that does not by itself fix Bot `create_file` ID churn.

  • Sheets: match the tool to cell edit vs browser click-through

    Connect apps help (26 Oct 2026): connecting Sheets lets the bot read and edit cells; finding files uses Drive. If a Bot keeps opening Sheets in the browser and re-asking for Google login, see our Sheets login guide and prefer the Sheets app path when it is connected.

  • Confirm you did not confuse Grok chat with Grok Bot

    The Workspace add-on is Grok beside the file. Grok Bot is the Cursor/Grok Bot product with Connect apps. Installing the add-on does not connect Gmail or Drive inside Grok Bot.

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    What should you keep in mind?

    • One Marketplace install is not a Bot Connect apps authorize. Complete both if you need both.
    • We do not invent click-by-click admin console paths beyond what x.ai and Cursor publish. Domain-wide deploy is an admin choice described on x.ai/grok/workspace.
    • Unused Bot weekly usage still matters for Bot-side jobs. The add-on does not spend or reset that pool.

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    FAQ

    Is the Grok Workspace add-on the same as Grok Bot?

    No. The add-on is a sidebar in Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Grok Bot uses Connect apps, chat, and routines on your Bot account.

    Do I need three installs for Docs, Sheets, and Slides?

    No. x.ai says one Marketplace install covers all three.

    Can the add-on replace connecting Drive or Sheets in Grok Bot?

    No. Connect apps are for Bot-side work. The add-on is for work inside the open Google file.

    Where do I open the add-on after install?

    x.ai/grok/workspace: open it from the Extensions menu; it lives in the side panel.

    Which should I use for a scheduled Sheet update?

    Prefer Grok Bot with Sheets connected for cell edits the account can make (Connect apps help). Use the add-on when you are in the Sheet yourself.

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