Grok CLI vs Grok Build: differences, installation, API keys, and Base URLs

“Grok CLI” can now refer to two different tools:

Grok Build, xAI’s official coding agent;
Community Grok CLI, an open-source project that is not affiliated with xAI.

Both official Grok Build and Community Grok CLI have been verified to call models through BetterToken. Each client returned a model response with a BetterToken API Key, Base URL, and Model ID. This guide presents Community Grok CLI first because its configuration is more direct.

Both tools use the grok command. If both are installed, your terminal runs whichever executable appears first in PATH, which can make the configuration seem ineffective. Keep one version or install them in separate environments.

What is the difference between Grok CLI and Grok Build?

Comparison	Official Grok Build	Community Grok CLI
Maintainer	xAI	`superagent-ai/grok-cli`, not affiliated with xAI
Best for	Users who want xAI’s official coding agent	Users who want to call a model through a custom Base URL
Default authentication	Browser login or `XAI_API_KEY`	`GROK_API_KEY`
Custom Base URL	Configure it in `~/.grok/config.toml`	Set `GROK_BASE_URL`
Model setting	Define a model alias in the config file	Set `GROK_MODEL`
Calling models through BetterToken	Verified working	Verified working
Launch command	`grok`	`grok`

This guide only covers text and code model requests through BetterToken. It does not cover xAI-specific APIs such as X Search, speech transcription, image generation, or video generation.

Use Community Grok CLI with BetterToken

The following commands apply to macOS, Linux, and WSL. Native Windows installation and configuration have not been verified for the community client.

Install

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/superagent-ai/grok-cli/main/install.sh | bash
grok --version

If Bun is already installed, you can use:

bun add -g grok-dev

The old @vibe-kit/grok-cli package is no longer the installation path recommended by the project’s current README.

Configure BetterToken

export GROK_BASE_URL="https://bettertoken.ai/v1"
export GROK_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
export GROK_MODEL="YOUR_MODEL_ID"

Replace YOUR_MODEL_ID with the complete Model ID from the model plaza. Use your own BetterToken API Key: register and get one.

Verify the connection

grok -p "Reply with only: OK"

Only a model response confirms that the API Key, Base URL, and Model ID are effective. Starting the client alone does not verify the model request.

Community Grok CLI has been verified to return a model response through BetterToken. This result only covers the basic text and code model requests configured on this page, not tool calls or xAI-specific features.

An open Grok CLI session does not automatically reload environment variables. Exit and restart it after changing the configuration.

Switch models

Change GROK_MODEL to another complete Model ID, restart Grok CLI, and repeat the short request.

Official Grok Build

Grok Build is xAI’s official terminal coding agent. It supports an interactive TUI, headless operation, and ACP.

Install

macOS / Linux / WSL
Windows PowerShell

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

irm https://x.ai/cli/install.ps1 | iex
grok --version

Use an xAI account or API key

Grok Build opens a browser for authentication on first launch. xAI documents XAI_API_KEY for environments without a browser:

export XAI_API_KEY="YOUR_XAI_API_KEY"
grok

Optional: configure BetterToken in Grok Build

Grok Build supports OpenAI-compatible custom models with a Base URL, Model ID, authentication environment variable, and request protocol.

[model.bettertoken]
model = "YOUR_MODEL_ID"
base_url = "https://bettertoken.ai/v1"
name = "BetterToken"
env_key = "BETTERTOKEN_API_KEY"
api_backend = "chat_completions"

[models]
default = "bettertoken"

BETTERTOKEN_API_KEY is an example variable name, not a fixed Grok Build requirement. Grok Build reads whichever environment variable env_key names.

export BETTERTOKEN_API_KEY="YOUR_API_KEY"
grok inspect
grok -p "Reply with only: OK" -m bettertoken

Grok Build has been verified to return a model response with a BetterToken API Key, Base URL, and Model ID. This result only covers the text and code model requests described here; it does not verify tool calls or xAI-specific APIs.

Avoid a `grok` command conflict

macOS / Linux / WSL
Windows PowerShell

type -a grok
grok --version

Get-Command grok -All
grok --version

type -a grok and Get-Command grok -All list multiple commands with the same name. Remove the unused client or adjust PATH if both are installed.

Common errors

Symptom	What to check
The wrong Grok starts after installation	List every `grok` command and check its path and version.
Official Grok Build opens a browser	This is Grok Build’s default login flow. Continue when using xAI; configure a custom model when using BetterToken.
`401` or `Unauthorized`	A Grok Build custom model reads the variable named by `env_key`; the community client reads `GROK_API_KEY`. Set only the variable used by the current client.
`model not found`	Copy the complete Model ID from the model plaza, then restart the client.
Requests still go to xAI	Check `GROK_BASE_URL` for the community client. Run `grok inspect` in Grok Build to confirm `base_url` and the active model alias.
An xAI-specific feature does not work	BetterToken only handles the model requests described here. Use the official xAI API for X Search, speech, and media features.

Available models and feature limits

Copy a complete Model ID that supports OpenAI-compatible calls from the model plaza. A configurable Base URL alone does not prove that a model family’s requests, tool calls, or context format are compatible.

This page only covers text and code model requests. BetterToken does not provide X Search, speech transcription, image generation, video generation, or other xAI-specific APIs through this setup.

Getting started

Coding Agent setup

AI application platform setup

Advanced

Grok CLI vs Grok Build: differences, installation, API keys, and Base URLs

What is the difference between Grok CLI and Grok Build?

Use Community Grok CLI with BetterToken

Install

Configure BetterToken

Verify the connection

Switch models

Official Grok Build

Install

Use an xAI account or API key

Optional: configure BetterToken in Grok Build

Avoid a `grok` command conflict

Common errors

Available models and feature limits

​What is the difference between Grok CLI and Grok Build?

​Use Community Grok CLI with BetterToken

​Install

​Configure BetterToken

​Verify the connection

​Switch models

​Official Grok Build

​Install

​Use an xAI account or API key

​Optional: configure BetterToken in Grok Build

​Avoid a grok command conflict

​Common errors

​Available models and feature limits

​Sources and related guides

What is the difference between Grok CLI and Grok Build?

Use Community Grok CLI with BetterToken

Install

Configure BetterToken

Verify the connection

Switch models

Official Grok Build

Install

Use an xAI account or API key

Optional: configure BetterToken in Grok Build

Avoid a `grok` command conflict

Common errors

Available models and feature limits

Sources and related guides