Grok CLI Tutorial

Grok CLI is xAI's command-line coding agent. This guide shows how to install the official CLI, configure ApiPass as the model endpoint, and start using Grok 4.5 from your terminal.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

An ApiPass API key from the API Keys page
Sufficient ApiPass credits for Grok Build requests
A Bash-compatible terminal on macOS, Linux, or Windows WSL2

The installer and configuration commands below run in macOS, Linux, and WSL2 shells. If you use Windows, run them inside WSL2 rather than native PowerShell.

Step 1: Install Grok CLI

Install the official Grok CLI:

1curl -fsSL https://x.ai/cli/install.sh | bash

After the installer finishes, open a new terminal so your updated PATH is loaded.

Step 2: Configure ApiPass

Grok CLI reads its user configuration from ~/.grok/config.toml.

Create the configuration directory:

1mkdir -p ~/.grok

Create or replace ~/.grok/config.toml with the following configuration:

1[cli]
2installer = "internal"
3
4[models]
5default = "grok-4.5"
6web_search = "grok-4.5"
7
8[endpoints]
9models_base_url = "https://api.apipass.dev/grok-build/v1"
10
11[model."grok-4.5"]
12model = "grok-4.5"
13name = "Grok 4.5"
14description = "Grok 4.5 ApiPass"
15api_key = "api-key"
16api_backend = "responses"
17context_window = 1000000

Replace api-key with the API key copied from your ApiPass API Keys page. Keep the quotation marks around the key.

You can also create the file directly from your terminal:

1cat > ~/.grok/config.toml << 'EOF'
2[cli]
3installer = "internal"
4
5[models]
6default = "grok-4.5"
7web_search = "grok-4.5"
8
9[endpoints]
10models_base_url = "https://api.apipass.dev/grok-build/v1"
11
12[model."grok-4.5"]
13model = "grok-4.5"
14name = "Grok 4.5"
15description = "Grok 4.5 ApiPass"
16api_key = "api-key"
17api_backend = "responses"
18context_window = 1000000
19EOF

If you use the terminal command, edit the file afterward and replace api-key with your real ApiPass API key:

1nano ~/.grok/config.toml

Because the file contains your API key, restrict its permissions:

1chmod 600 ~/.grok/config.toml

Configuration Reference

[cli] keeps CLI updates on the internal installer channel.
[models] selects grok-4.5 for normal prompts and web-search requests.
[endpoints] routes model discovery and Responses API requests through ApiPass.
[model."grok-4.5"] registers the static Grok 4.5 model and stores the ApiPass API key used to authenticate requests.
api_backend = "responses" makes the CLI use the Responses API protocol supported by the ApiPass Grok Build endpoint.
context_window = 1000000 declares the model's one-million-token context window.

Use the base URL exactly as shown:

1https://api.apipass.dev/grok-build/v1

Do not append /responses to models_base_url. Grok CLI adds the model and Responses API paths automatically.

Step 3: Verify the Configuration

Inspect the active Grok CLI configuration:

1grok inspect

Confirm that grok-4.5 is available and that the configured endpoint is https://api.apipass.dev/grok-build/v1.

Send a one-off prompt to verify the complete connection:

1grok -p "Reply with exactly: ApiPass connected" -m grok-4.5

Step 4: Start Using Grok

Open an interactive Grok session in your current project:

1grok

You can also run a single prompt from the command line:

1grok -p "Review this repository and suggest the highest-impact improvement." -m grok-4.5

The default model setting lets interactive sessions use Grok 4.5 without passing -m each time.

Cost and Usage

ApiPass deducts credits when Grok CLI sends requests through the Grok Build endpoint. The exact amount depends on token usage and the active ApiPass pricing rules.

Use these pages to inspect your account and request activity:

Pricing for current model rates
API Logs for individual requests and credit deductions
API Usage for aggregate usage and trends
API Keys to manage the key stored in your Grok configuration

Troubleshooting

`grok: command not found`

Close and reopen your terminal after running the installer. If the command is still unavailable, follow the installer's PATH instructions and then open another terminal session.

Configuration Is Not Loaded

Confirm that the file exists in the same user account and environment where you run Grok CLI:

1ls -l ~/.grok/config.toml

If you use WSL2, the configuration belongs in the WSL home directory. A file created in the native Windows user profile will not be loaded by the CLI running inside WSL2.

Authentication Fails

Open ~/.grok/config.toml and confirm that api_key contains an active ApiPass API key, not the placeholder value:

1api_key = "YOUR_APIPASS_API_KEY"

Create or manage keys on the ApiPass API Keys page.

404 Not Found or Wrong Endpoint

Confirm that models_base_url includes /grok-build/v1 and does not include /responses:

1models_base_url = "https://api.apipass.dev/grok-build/v1"

The Grok Build CLI endpoint is separate from the general Grok API endpoint, so use the URL shown above for this configuration.

`model refresh failed`

Some Grok CLI versions can display a non-blocking model refresh failed warning when a custom models_base_url is configured. The static [model."grok-4.5"] entry still allows Grok 4.5 requests to work.

Run the one-off verification prompt to confirm the connection:

1grok -p "Reply with exactly: ok" -m grok-4.5

Model Unavailable

Use the exact model identifier grok-4.5 in all three configuration locations:

1default = "grok-4.5"
2web_search = "grok-4.5"
3[model."grok-4.5"]

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Grok CLI Tutorial