Grok Search Setup in OpenClaw

OpenClaw integrates Grok as a web_search provider, relying on xAI web-grounded responses to deliver AI-generated answers backed by live search results and citations.

When an existing xAI OAuth sign-in is available, Grok web search prefers using it. Without an OAuth profile, the same xAI API key also drives the built-in x_search tool for searching X (formerly Twitter) posts and the code_execution tool. Storing the key at plugins.entries.xai.config.webSearch.apiKey additionally allows OpenClaw to use it as a fallback for the included xAI model provider.

To retrieve post-level X metrics such as reposts, replies, bookmarks, and views, use x_search with the exact post URL or status ID rather than a broad search query.

Onboarding and configure

When you choose Grok during openclaw onboard or openclaw configure --section web, OpenClaw reuses an existing xAI OAuth profile without asking for a separate web-search key. If OAuth is not available, it falls back to xAI API-key configuration.

OpenClaw then presents a follow-up step to enable x_search using the same xAI credential. This follow-up:

appears only after you select Grok for web_search
does not act as a separate top-level web-search provider option
can optionally configure the x_search model within the same flow

Skip it to enable or modify x_search later through configuration.

Use xAI OAuth

If you already authenticated with xAI during onboarding or model authorization, select Grok as the web_search provider. No separate API key is needed:

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

Use an API key fallback

Obtain an API key from xAI when OAuth is not available or you prefer key-based web-search configuration.

Store the key

Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure it using:

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 installation, place environment variables in ~/.openclaw/.env.

How it works

Grok uses xAI web-grounded responses to produce answers with inline citations, much like Gemini's Google Search grounding approach.

Supported parameters

Grok search supports query. count is accepted for shared web_search compatibility, but Grok always returns a single synthesized answer with citations instead of an N-result list. Provider-specific filters are not supported.

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

Base URL overrides

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

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