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OpenClaw supports Grok as a web_search provider, using xAI web-grounded responses to produce AI-synthesized answers backed by live search results with citations. Grok web search prefers an existing xAI OAuth sign-in when one is 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.

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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.

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Sign in or get an API key

1

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
2

Use an API key fallback

Get an API key from xAI when OAuth is unavailable or you intentionally want key-backed web-search config.
3

Store the key

Set XAI_API_KEY in the Gateway environment, or configure via:
openclaw configure --section web

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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.

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How it works

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

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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.

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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.