Grok connectors not working: how to fix common errors

Short answer

Most broken Grok connectors come down to one of three things: a sign-in that didn't finish or that an admin blocks, a feature the connector doesn't have, or a known bug in a Grok Bot plugin. Start by reconnecting: on grok.com, click Disconnect on the connector and connect it again; in Grok Bot, open the plugin and choose Authorize again. Update Grok Bot, and check whether your company's admin has to approve the app. Each error below has its fix.

First: Grok or Grok Bot?

Grok's own FAQ says Grok Bot is not the same as Grok on grok.com. Grok's connectors live at grok.com/connectors. Grok Bot's plugins run on Cursor's platform, with help at cursor.com and forum.cursor.com. The fixes differ, so check which one you're in.

Grok on grok.com

Gmail can read but won't send

That's by design. Grok's Gmail docs say "the base connection is read-only", and sending is "enabled progressively by your organization's administrators". On Grok Business, ask your admin. Otherwise, connect Gmail through Upsy and add Upsy to Grok: Grok can then draft and send, and shows each email in a card first. See Can Grok send emails?

"Need admin approval" on Outlook, Teams, OneDrive or SharePoint

Your organization makes an Azure AD admin approve apps. Grok's Outlook docs say to ask your IT admin to grant consent for the xAI Grok application under Enterprise applications in the Azure AD admin portal.

Outlook won't take your personal account

Grok's Outlook connector needs a Microsoft work or school account, so outlook.com and Hotmail don't work. Upsy's own Outlook connector is pending until Microsoft approves Upsy. Today, you sign in to outlook.com in Upsy's cloud browser, and Grok reads and works there in its own tab. See connecting Outlook to Grok.

A connector is missing on Grok Business or Enterprise

Members only see connectors a team admin has added in the console (connector management). Ask your admin to add it; then connect your own account on grok.com/connectors.

A custom connector won't add, or stopped working

Grok rejects localhost and private network addresses: the server needs a public address or a tunnel. A free tunnel often gets a new address when it restarts, so remove the connector and add the new one. The custom connector guide covers the rest.

Grok Bot

"This app is blocked" when connecting Gmail

In late August 2026, Google blocked Grok Bot's Gmail sign-in for some personal accounts with "This app is blocked" (forum thread). The reporter said an app update the next day fixed it. Open Settings › Updates › Check for Updates, restart, and authorize again.

On a company Google account, "Access blocked" or "Your admin needs to review Grok" means your Workspace hasn't approved the app. Grok Bot signs in to Google as Grok, not Cursor. An admin opens Security › Access and data control › API controls in the Google Admin console, then Manage third-party app access, adds Grok and sets it to Trusted (Cursor's help). Changing browsers or linking the plugin again doesn't clear an admin block.

A second Gmail account flashes "Added", then goes back to "Authorize"

A user reported this in August 2026, with the second account stuck at "Authentication required". Cursor's help now says the Gmail plugin connects one mailbox at a time: disconnect the first to use another. To use several at once, connect them to Upsy instead. See multiple Gmail accounts in Grok.

Notion: "Invalid redirect_uri for OAuth client"

Cursor's staff said the Notion sign-in is stored against your account, so reinstalling the plugin or clicking Connect again reuses it (forum thread). Use the plugin's reconnect (re-authenticate) action, which starts a fresh sign-in. That fixed it for the reporter.

Gmail lists attachments but can't open them

Cursor's staff confirmed in August 2026 that the Gmail plugin "only exposes attachment names and metadata, not the file contents" (forum thread). Their workarounds: download the file in the browser, or have a Gmail filter and an Apps Script save attachments to Drive. Upsy's Gmail opens attachments up to 10 MB and can copy one straight into Google Drive.

View-only accounts still show Send and other write tools

A user found that Grok Bot keeps one tool list per plugin, whatever each account allows (forum thread). Sends from a view-only Google account showed as available, then failed with HTTP 403. Turn off single tools in the plugin, or add an Ask first rule under Settings › General › Bot › Auto-review. With Upsy, each account has its own level, and Upsy refuses a send from a Read-only account.

Microsoft 365: "Approval Required", or your account gets locked

Outlook, Outlook Calendar and OneDrive plugins arrived on September 2, 2026; search "microsoft" in Plugins. Teams has none yet (forum thread). Work accounts may need IT approval first, and some users still saw "Approval Required" loops. Signing in to Microsoft 365 in the Bot's shared cloud browser set off Microsoft's security checks for others, with lockouts and "AADSTS900561" errors. Cursor's staff advise the plugins instead. Upsy doesn't help with work Microsoft 365 accounts yet.

GitHub: "Authorization header is badly formatted"

The plugin shows Connected but won't load (forum thread). Cursor's staff are tracking it. Removing the saved account doesn't stick, and as of September 4 they had no reliable workaround. Others see private repos return 404 while public ones work. Watch the thread; nothing on your side fixes it.

Todoist: "Couldn't start sign-in for Todoist. The connector reported no details."

Todoist keeps its sign-in details on a different host than its server, and the plugin looked in the wrong place (GitHub issue). The maintainer fixed it on October 6, 2026: click Authenticate again, without reinstalling. Upsy also connects Todoist through Todoist's own server.

A plugin is added, but the Bot says it's missing

Added means installed, not signed in. Open the plugin and choose Authorize if it shows Needs auth or Disconnected. If it says Waiting for authorization, use Reopen. If it says Disabled by team admin, your Cursor team admin has to enable it.

When Upsy is a way around

Upsy helps where the problem is a connector's limits: sending from Gmail, more than one account, attachments, read-only access, and apps Grok doesn't have. You connect each app once in Upsy and add Upsy to Grok and Grok Bot as a custom connector.

It doesn't fix an admin block on your company's accounts. While Google reviews Upsy's own app, Gmail, Calendar and Drive sign in through Composio, so you may see Composio on Google's screen, and a Workspace admin's block applies there too.

Before you contact support

Grok Bot's troubleshooting page asks for your app version, operating system, the exact error message, the Bot's name, the time and time zone, any request or conversation ID, and whether retrying, restarting or updating changed anything. Never include passwords or codes.

FAQ

Why are my Grok connectors not working?

Usually a sign-in that didn't finish, an admin who hasn't approved the app, or a limit of the connector, such as Gmail starting read-only. Disconnect and connect again, update Grok Bot, and check the errors above.

Why does Grok say Gmail authentication failed?

On grok.com, disconnect Gmail and connect it again with the right Google account. On a company account, your Workspace admin may have to allow the app. If you can read but not send, that's Gmail's read-only start, not a failure.

Why does Grok Bot's Gmail fail to authenticate?

Update Grok Bot and authorize again; a late-August block was fixed that way. On a company account, an admin has to trust Grok in the Google Admin console. A second account won't stay, since the plugin holds one mailbox.

Why is the Grok GitHub connector not working?

In Grok Bot, "Authorization header is badly formatted" is a known bug Cursor is tracking, with no reliable workaround yet. Some users also see private repos fail while public ones load.