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Grok Search

Velaclaw supports Grok as a web_search provider, using xAI web-grounded responses to produce AI-synthesized answers backed by live search results with citations. The same XAI_API_KEY can also power the built-in x_search tool for X (formerly Twitter) post search. If you store the key under plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey, Velaclaw now reuses it as a fallback for the bundled xAI model provider too. For post-level X metrics such as reposts, replies, bookmarks, or views, prefer x_search with the exact post URL or status ID instead of a broad search query.

Onboarding and configure

If you choose Grok during:
  • velaclaw onboard
  • velaclaw configure --section web
Velaclaw can show a separate follow-up step to enable x_search with the same XAI_API_KEY. That follow-up:
  • only appears after you choose Grok for web_search
  • is not a separate top-level web-search provider choice
  • can optionally set the x_search model during the same flow
If you skip it, you can enable or change x_search later in config.

Get an API key

1

Create a key

Get an API key from xAI.
2

Store the key

Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure via:

Config

Environment alternative: set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment. For a gateway install, put it in ~/.velaclaw/.env.

How it works

Grok uses xAI web-grounded responses to synthesize answers with inline citations, similar to Gemini’s Google Search grounding approach.

Supported parameters

Grok search supports query. count is accepted for shared web_search compatibility, but Grok still returns one synthesized answer with citations rather than an N-result list. Provider-specific filters are not currently supported.