Grok uploaded my user directory to xAI's servers
TL;DR Highlight
A user claims running Grok in their home directory uploaded SSH keys and more to xAI
Who Should Read
Developers who run AI coding agents like Grok Build in local repos or their home directory
Core Mechanics
- Claim: whole home directory uploaded
- One user said grok uploaded their entire user directory to xAI's servers.
- They say it included SSH keys, a password manager database, documents, photos and videos.
- Check logs for repo_state.upload
- Another user told people to grep ~/.grok/logs/unified.json for repo_state.upload.
- The thread presents this as a way to find upload traces.
- Claim: 12GB repo data and git history uploaded
- The same user said Grok Build sent 12GB of untouched repo data and full git commit histories to GCP.
- They say this happened just to autocomplete a script.
- Running in home directory made it worse
- A quoted reply said running grok in the home directory was worse than the earlier case.
- Claim: kill switch contradicts behavior
- One user said settings returned disable_codebase_upload: true.
Community Reactions
- Duplicate thread notice
- A moderator pointed to an earlier HN thread on the same topic.
- Mirror links shared
- Commenters shared xcancel and nitter links to read the post without logging in.
- No hands-on verification in comments
- There were no reproductions or xAI responses, only a flagged comment and a quip.
How to Apply
- Grep your logs for upload traces today
- If you used Grok Build, grep repo_state.upload in ~/.grok/logs/unified.json.
- Note the timestamps and paths of any hits.
- Run coding agents in an isolated folder
- Run them only in the project folder or a container, not your home directory.
- Keep SSH keys and password databases outside that path.
- Rotate secrets if you suspect uploads
- If you ran it in your home directory, reissue SSH keys and tokens.
- Tell your security owner if private repos are involved.
Try It
# Paste in terminal: check for Grok Build upload traces (command from the post)
cat ~/.grok/logs/unified.json | grep repo_state.upload
# If you get hits, check the timestamps and paths in those log lines.
# Next: run agents only in a project folder, not your home directory.Terminology
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