Grok Web Search Configuration

OpenClaw supports Grok as a web_search provider. It uses xAI web-grounded responses to generate AI-synthesized answers backed by live search results with citations.

Grok web search prefers an existing xAI OAuth sign-in when available. If no OAuth profile exists, the same xAI API key also powers the built-in x_search tool for X (formerly Twitter) post search and the code_execution tool. Storing the key at plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey also lets OpenClaw reuse it as a fallback for the bundled xAI model provider.

For post-level X metrics (reposts, replies, bookmarks, views), use x_search with the exact post URL or status ID instead of a broad search query.

Onboarding and configure

Choosing Grok during openclaw onboard or openclaw configure --section web lets OpenClaw reuse an existing xAI OAuth profile without prompting for a separate web-search key. Without OAuth, it falls back to xAI API-key setup.

OpenClaw then offers a follow-up step to enable x_search with the same xAI credential. 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 in the same flow

Skip it to enable or change x_search later in config.

Use xAI OAuth

If you already signed in with xAI during onboarding or model auth, choose Grok as the web_search provider. No separate API key is required:

openclaw onboard --auth-choice xai-oauth
openclaw config set tools.web.search.provider grok

Use an API key fallback

Get an API key from xAI when OAuth is unavailable or you intentionally want key-backed web-search config.

Store the key

Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure via:

openclaw configure --section web

Config

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      xai: {
        config: {
          webSearch: {
            apiKey: "xai-...", // optional if xAI OAuth or XAI_API_KEY is available
            baseUrl: "https://api.x.ai/v1", // optional Responses API proxy/base URL override
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {
        provider: "grok",
      },
    },
  },
}

Credential alternatives: openclaw models auth login --provider xai --method oauth, XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey. For a gateway install, put env vars in ~/.openclaw/.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 always returns one synthesized answer with citations rather than an N-result list. Provider-specific filters are not supported.

Grok defaults to a 60 second timeout because xAI Responses web-grounded searches can run longer than the shared web_search default. Override it with tools.web.search.timeoutSeconds.

Base URL overrides

Set plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.baseUrl to route Grok web search through an operator proxy or xAI-compatible Responses endpoint. OpenClaw posts to <baseUrl>/responses after trimming trailing slashes. x_search falls back to the same webSearch.baseUrl unless plugins.entries.xai.config.xSearch.baseUrl is set.

Web Search overview -- all providers and auto-detection
x_search in Web Search -- first-class X search via xAI
Gemini Search -- AI-synthesized answers via Google grounding