--- title: "Grok (xAI)" description: "Set up Grok as the brain behind your HolaClaw assistant with an xAI API key. Get the key, connect it, and pick a model." updated: 2026-06-11 canonical: https://holaclaw.ai/docs/ai-providers/grok --- Grok is xAI's model, and it has a personality you'll notice right away — looser, more opinionated, and happy to weigh in confidently on current events. If the default cloud models feel a little buttoned-up for your taste, an assistant built on Grok is a refreshing change of voice. ```provider-card name: Grok company: xAI tagline: A distinct voice with confident takes on current events. hue: 270 key-url: https://console.x.ai key-label: console.x.ai auth: API key cost: $$ recommended: Grok 4.3 ``` ## What you'll need - An xAI account at [console.x.ai](https://console.x.ai). - A payment method — you'll add API credits to your xAI console balance. - HolaClaw installed on your Mac. Five minutes, start to finish. ## Get your API key Grok connects to HolaClaw with an **API key** — a long secret code that proves requests are coming from your account. Think of it as a password your assistant uses to talk to xAI on your behalf, so keep it private. 1. Sign in at [console.x.ai](https://console.x.ai). 2. Open the **API Keys** section and create a new key. Name it something you'll recognize, like "HolaClaw". 3. Copy the key as soon as it appears — it's shown in full only once. Lose it and you can just make a new one. 4. Add some credits to your console balance if it's empty, so your first message doesn't bounce back. > **Heads-up — X Premium is not API access.** Paying for X (Twitter) Premium gets you Grok inside the X app and website, but that's a separate product. It does **not** power HolaClaw. For that you need an xAI console account with its own API credits, billed separately from any X subscription you may already have. ## Connect it to your assistant You pick the provider while creating an assistant, in **Step 2 · Model provider** — the screen that says "Connect the brain behind your assistant." 1. In HolaClaw, start the **Create Assistant** flow and go to Step 2. 2. Choose **Grok** in the provider sidebar. 3. Paste your key into the **Grok API Key** field. It's masked like a password, which is expected. 4. Pick a model (below) and continue with the rest of the setup. As the app notes right under the field: "Your credentials stay on your Mac — we never send them anywhere." The key is stored inside the assistant's private virtual machine on your Mac. HolaClaw's servers never see it, and xAI bills you directly — HolaClaw adds nothing on top. ## Choosing a model HolaClaw offers two Grok models: | Model | Best for | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | **Grok 4.3** (recommended) | Everyday chat, companionship, current events | The all-round pick | | **Grok Build 0.1** | Building and coding tasks | Experimental | **Grok 4.3** is the recommended default and the right choice for almost everyone — it's the model that gives Grok its signature voice, and it's plenty capable for daily conversation. **Grok Build 0.1** is an experimental model tuned for building and coding work. Try it if your assistant mostly helps you write or reason about code; for general chat, stick with Grok 4.3. > **Tip — when in doubt, Grok 4.3.** The model choice is per-assistant, made at creation time. If you later want the other model, create a new assistant with it — your existing assistant keeps the brain it was born with. ## What it costs xAI charges per **token** — roughly a short word or word-fragment of text. Every message you send and every reply your assistant writes uses some, and your console credit balance ticks down accordingly. No monthly fee — you pay only for what you use. For a chatty daily assistant, that usually lands in the cents-per-day range. We don't quote exact prices here because they change; check current per-token rates in your [xAI console](https://console.x.ai). ## Troubleshooting When something goes wrong with the connection to xAI, HolaClaw shows a banner in the chat explaining what happened: - **"Grok is out of credits"** — your balance hit zero. Top up in the [xAI console](https://console.x.ai) and your assistant resumes on the next message. - **"Grok API key is invalid, expired, or out of credits"** — the key was revoked, mistyped, or the account can't pay. Create a fresh key at console.x.ai and update it in the assistant's settings, or top up your balance. - **"Grok rate limit or quota reached"** — you're sending requests faster than your account allows. Wait a moment and try again, or raise your limits in the xAI console. - **"Grok is currently unreachable"** — xAI's servers are having a moment. Nothing to fix on your end; the next attempt goes through once their service recovers. Still stuck? The [HolaClaw Discord](https://discord.gg/FbxAbS5sGQ) is a friendly place to ask. ## Next steps Not sure Grok is the right brain for this assistant? Compare every option in [Choosing an AI provider](/docs/ai-providers/choosing-a-provider) — and remember you can always spin up another assistant with a different one, like [Claude](/docs/ai-providers/anthropic-claude), [OpenAI](/docs/ai-providers/openai), or [Google Gemini](/docs/ai-providers/google-gemini). If you'd rather reach Grok through a single key that also covers many other models, see [OpenRouter](/docs/ai-providers/openrouter).