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DAP / AI setup guides / 06 of 08

Grok setup guide

Set up xAI's assistant, and the X settings that feed it.

Dartmouth Advisory PartnersChecked 29 October 2026For firm work: Business or Enterprise

01 / At a glance

Grok in one page

Strong on live information from X. Two separate places control your data: Grok's settings, and your X account. Grok used inside X falls under X's privacy policy. Check both.

PlansThe X Subscription: Free, Plus, Premium, Super, Ultra. Grok Business and Enterprise for firms.
Trains on your chats?Consumer: yes, unless you opt out. Business and Enterprise: no.
Your instructions live inSettings, under custom instructions
MemoryMemory summary in Settings. Edit or remove memories there.
WorkspacesProjects: chats, files, instructions, Skills
Custom assistantsSkills, at grok.com/skills
Turn off traininggrok.com > Settings > Data > Improve the Model

The setup path

01Pick the plan02Lock data controlsGOVERN FIRST03Write instructions04Build workspaces05Review monthly

Two switches, not one

Your public X posts and Grok-in-X chats are governed by your X settings, separate from grok.com.

On X: Settings and privacy > Privacy & Safety > Data sharing and personalization > Grok & Third-party Collaborators. Untick data sharing.

02 / Set it up

Five steps, in order

Do them in this order. Data controls come before anything personal goes in.

01
Pick the plan

x.ai/grok/business

Use Grok Business or Grok Enterprise for firm work. xAI does not use business or enterprise content to improve its models. Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM, and audit.

02
Lock data controls

Settings > Data > Improve the Model

Turn it off on grok.com (in the apps: Settings > Data Controls). Then turn off Personalize Grok using X. Feedback you submit may still be used.

03
Lock your X account

X > Settings and privacy > Privacy & Safety

Under Grok & Third-party Collaborators, untick data sharing. Use Delete Conversation History to clear Grok-in-X chats.

04
Write instructions and projects

Settings, then Projects

Paste your instructions in Settings. Create one project per recurring task; each project has its own instructions.

05
Review monthly

grok.com/share-links

Revoke old share links. Edit the memory summary. Check connectors at grok.com/connectors.

03 / The master prompt

Let Grok set itself up

Paste this into a new chat. It interviews you, then writes your setup for you.

You are my setup chief of staff for Grok.
Your job: set Grok up so it works the way I work, safely.
Work in three stages. Ask one question at a time. Wait for my answer.

STAGE 1. INTERVIEW (no more than 10 questions)
Ask about: my role and organization, the work I want help with,
the five tasks I repeat most, the tools I use every day,
how I like answers written (length, tone, format),
and what I must never share with an AI tool.

STAGE 2. WRITE MY SETUP
a) My custom instructions text. Keep it under 1,500 characters.
   Write it in plain sentences. Put the most important rules first.
b) Three Projects I should create. For each one: a name,
   its purpose, its instructions, and the files I should add.
c) Two Skills for my most repeated tasks. For each: a name, when to use it, and the steps it should follow.
d) A checklist of the privacy settings I should confirm,
   with where to find each one in Grok.

STAGE 3. TEST
Give me three test prompts that prove the setup works,
and describe what a good answer looks like for each.

RULES
- Do not invent features. If you are not sure a setting exists
  in Grok today, say so and tell me where to check.
- Never ask me for passwords, account numbers, client names,
  or personal data. If I start to share them, stop me.
- Plain language. Short sentences. Tables where they help.

04 / Govern first

Best practices

Always
  • Turn off model training before your first real prompt
  • Use an approved business tier for firm work, or nothing
  • Keep one workspace per recurring task
  • Check every number and citation it gives you
  • A person signs off before anything leaves the building
Never paste
  • Passwords, API keys, or access tokens
  • Client names, account numbers, or holdings
  • Material non-public information
  • Personal data about staff or members
  • Anything under a confidentiality agreement

Specific to Grok

  • Use Private Chat (the ghost icon) for one-off questions. Not used for training. Deleted within 30 days.
  • Revoke share links you no longer need at grok.com/share-links.
  • On Business plans, an admin must provision each connector before staff can use it.
  • Enterprise can disable the personal workspace, so firm work never mixes with personal chats.

Starter instructions

Prefer to write them yourself? Fill in the brackets, then paste into Settings (custom instructions).

About me: I am a [role] at a [type of organization].
I use you for [three main jobs].

How to answer:
- Lead with the answer, then the reason.
- Keep it short. Use tables for comparisons.
- Say plainly when you are unsure, and how I can check.
- Cite a source for every number or factual claim.

Never:
- Invent figures, quotes, or sources.
- Give a final legal, tax, or investment decision. Flag it for a person.
- Ask me for client names, account numbers, or passwords.

05 / Data and controls

What to check, and where

Training opt-outgrok.com: Settings > Data > Improve the Model. Apps: Settings > Data Controls.
X dataPersonalize Grok using X in the same menus, plus the X account setting above.
Private ChatGhost icon. Not trained on. Deleted within 30 days.
DeletionDeleted chats and accounts removed within 30 days.
SSO and SCIMEnterprise: console.x.ai/organization. Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace.
RetentionSet separately for conversations, projects, and skills. Enterprise: custom.
AttestedSOC 2 Type 2 stated. Trust Center requires an NDA.

06 / Sources

Where every fact comes from

  1. The X Subscription
    https://x.ai/news/x-subscription
  2. X Subscription pricing
    https://docs.x.ai/x-subscription/pricing
  3. Grok Business
    https://x.ai/news/grok-business
  4. xAI consumer FAQ
    https://x.ai/legal/faq
  5. xAI enterprise FAQ
    https://x.ai/legal/faq-enterprise
  6. Grok release notes
    https://grok.com/release-notes
  7. Grok user guide
    https://docs.x.ai/grok/user-guide
  8. Grok management
    https://docs.x.ai/grok/management
  9. Grok Skills
    https://x.ai/news/grok-skills
  10. Grok connectors
    https://docs.x.ai/grok/connectors
  11. About Grok on X
    https://help.x.com/en/using-x/about-grok
  12. Grok organization settings
    https://docs.x.ai/grok/organization
  13. xAI security FAQ
    https://docs.x.ai/developers/faq/security
  14. xAI joins SpaceX
    https://x.ai/news/xai-joins-spacex

Settings checked on 29 October 2026. Platforms change their menus often. Follow the source links before relying on a path. This guide is general information. It is not legal, compliance, or investment advice.

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