Have your bot set up Home Assistant on your own computer

Grok Bot installs Home Assistant on your spare PC and builds your dashboard, one approved command at a time.

What it does

Running on your own computer through the Grok Bot desktop app, your bot installs Home Assistant as an always-on home server and builds a simple dashboard for you. It checks your computer first, explains every step, and waits for your approval before each command. You type your own passwords, it does the heavy lifting.

The real story

Herb's assistant bot Rove did this on an old 2014 MacBook Air (4 GB RAM) wiped to Xubuntu Linux, with the Grok Bot Linux app installed.
It installed Home Assistant Container through Docker (config folder, restart unless-stopped). It uses about 340 MB of RAM, with the web page on port 8123.
The bot set up Docker and Home Assistant, built a dashboard (clock and weather on one side, calendar on the other), set up kiosk mode, added TV control (Fire TV through ADB, plus Roku), and tuned the laptop to stay on: no sleep on lid close, Wi-Fi power saving off, screen blanks instead of turning off, auto-login, and an app watchdog.
An old Fire 7 tablet runs the Home Assistant companion app as the wall screen.
Time: about a day for Home Assistant and the dashboard, then extras over the following week.

What you'll do yourself

Install the operating system (Linux) on the computer.
Type your own password at each sudo prompt.
Home Assistant onboarding: create your account and set your location.
Paste your calendar's secret iCal address when asked.
Install the companion app on your tablet or phone.
Approve each command before it runs.

Gotchas we hit

Google Calendar's own integration needs a Google Cloud key. The Remote Calendar integration with your calendar's iCal link is simpler.
Blank the screen instead of turning it off, so the display wakes reliably.
A keyring unlock prompt can pop up after a reboot.
The screen lock can turn itself back on after updates. Check it if the screen asks for a password.

Safety notes

Only do this on a computer you own.
Keep your iCal link secret: anyone with it can see your calendar.
Don't expose Home Assistant to the internet (no port forwarding). Keep it on your home network.
Read each command your bot proposes before you approve it.

What it looks like

Example mockup of the "Have your bot set up Home Assistant on your own computer" setup: Grok Bot installs Home Assistant on your spare PC and builds your dashboard, one approved command at a time. Invented example content. — Example mockup with invented content, not a real account.

Copy-paste prompt

Help me set up Home Assistant as a home server on this computer. Go one step at a time.

Rules for the whole setup:
- Explain each step in plain words and wait for my OK before running any command.
- Never ask me for a password in chat. When a command needs sudo, I'll type my password myself in the prompt.
- Only change this computer. Don't open Home Assistant to the internet (no port forwarding).

Steps:
1. Check this computer first: OS and version, CPU, RAM, free disk space, and whether Docker is installed. Tell me if anything looks too weak.
2. Install Docker Engine if needed, then install Home Assistant Container following the official guide (home-assistant.io/installation/linux): a config folder at [~/homeassistant], restart unless-stopped, my time zone [e.g. America/Chicago].
3. Confirm it's running and tell me the address to open (this computer's IP with port 8123). I'll do the onboarding myself (account and location).
4. Build one simple dashboard: a clock and local weather on one side, my calendar on the other. For the calendar, use the Remote Calendar integration with my calendar's secret iCal address. I'll paste it when you're ready, and you won't repeat it back or save it anywhere else.
5. Optional, only if I say yes: make this computer always-on (no sleep on lid close, Wi-Fi power saving off, screen blanks instead of turning off, auto-login, and a watchdog that restarts the Grok Bot app).
6. Finish by telling me how to connect a tablet or phone: install the Home Assistant companion app, enter the server address, and pick the dashboard.

My extras for later: [e.g. TV control, lights, kiosk mode].

Bot template

Open bot templateComing soon

What you need

A computer you own that can stay on (an old laptop works, ideally 4 GB RAM or more)
Linux on it (e.g. Xubuntu) with the Grok Bot desktop app installed
About a day for the server and dashboard, plus time for extras
Optional: an old tablet or phone for a wall screen

Sources

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