xAI (Grok)
The xai provider supports xAI's Grok models through an API interface compatible with OpenAI's format, including text, vision, image generation, video generation, and voice workflows.
Setup
To use xAI's API, set the XAI_API_KEY environment variable or specify via apiKey in the configuration file.
export XAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
When xAI is the selected fallback provider family, Promptfoo can use xAI defaults for grading, suggestions, synthesis, and web search. xAI does not currently expose a public embeddings or moderation API, so those defaults fall back to OpenAI when xAI is selected. Explicit provider IDs in your config still take precedence.
Supported Models
The xAI provider includes support for the following model formats. xAI's public model catalog currently recommends grok-4.3 for general chat and coding workloads; consult the catalog when choosing a new default for a long-lived integration.
Grok 4.3 Models
xai:grok-4.3- General-purpose reasoning modelxai:grok-4.3-latest- Alias for the Grok 4.3 family
Grok 4.20 Models
xai:grok-4.20-0309-reasoning- Reasoning modelxai:grok-4.20- Alias for the Grok 4.20 reasoning familyxai:grok-4.20-reasoning- Alias for the Grok 4.20 reasoning familyxai:grok-4.20-reasoning-latest- Alias for the Grok 4.20 reasoning familyxai:grok-4.20-0309-non-reasoning- Non-reasoning variantxai:grok-4.20-non-reasoning- Alias for the Grok 4.20 non-reasoning familyxai:grok-4.20-non-reasoning-latest- Alias for the Grok 4.20 non-reasoning familyxai:grok-4.20-multi-agent-0309- Multi-agent variantxai:grok-4.20-multi-agent- Alias for the Grok 4.20 multi-agent familyxai:grok-4.20-multi-agent-latest- Alias for the Grok 4.20 multi-agent family
Grok 4.1 Fast Models
xai:grok-4-1-fast-reasoning- Frontier model optimized for agentic tool calling with reasoning (2M context)xai:grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning- Fast variant for instant responses without reasoning (2M context)xai:grok-4-1-fast- Alias for grok-4-1-fast-reasoningxai:grok-4-1-fast-reasoning-latest- Alias for grok-4-1-fast-reasoningxai:grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning-latest- Alias for grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoning
Grok Code Fast Models
xai:grok-code-fast-1- Speedy and economical reasoning model optimized for agentic coding (256K context)xai:grok-code-fast- Alias for grok-code-fast-1xai:grok-code-fast-1-0825- Specific version of the code-fast model (256K context)
Grok-4 Fast Models
xai:grok-4-fast-reasoning- Fast reasoning model with 2M context windowxai:grok-4-fast-non-reasoning- Fast non-reasoning model for instant responses (2M context)xai:grok-4-fast- Alias for grok-4-fast-reasoningxai:grok-4-fast-reasoning-latest- Alias for grok-4-fast-reasoningxai:grok-4-fast-non-reasoning-latest- Alias for grok-4-fast-non-reasoning
Grok-4 Models
xai:grok-4-0709- Flagship reasoning model (256K context)xai:grok-4- Alias for latest Grok-4 modelxai:grok-4-latest- Alias for latest Grok-4 model
Grok-3 Models
xai:grok-3-beta- Latest flagship model for enterprise tasks (131K context)xai:grok-3-fast-beta- Fastest flagship model (131K context)xai:grok-3-mini-beta- Smaller model for basic tasks, supports reasoning effort (32K context)xai:grok-3-mini-fast-beta- Faster mini model, supports reasoning effort (32K context)xai:grok-3- Alias for grok-3-betaxai:grok-3-latest- Alias for grok-3-betaxai:grok-3-fast- Alias for grok-3-fast-betaxai:grok-3-fast-latest- Alias for grok-3-fast-betaxai:grok-3-mini- Alias for grok-3-mini-betaxai:grok-3-mini-latest- Alias for grok-3-mini-betaxai:grok-3-mini-fast- Alias for grok-3-mini-fast-betaxai:grok-3-mini-fast-latest- Alias for grok-3-mini-fast-beta
Grok-2 and previous Models
xai:grok-2-latest- Latest Grok-2 model (131K context)xai:grok-2-vision-latest- Latest Grok-2 vision model (32K context)xai:grok-2-vision-1212xai:grok-2-1212xai:grok-beta- Beta version (131K context)xai:grok-vision-beta- Vision beta version (8K context)
You can also use specific versioned models:
xai:grok-2-1212xai:grok-2-vision-1212
Configuration
The provider supports all OpenAI provider configuration options plus Grok-specific options. Example usage:
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-3-mini-beta
config:
temperature: 0.7
reasoning_effort: 'high' # Only for grok-3-mini models
apiKey: your_api_key_here # Alternative to XAI_API_KEY
Reasoning Support
Multiple Grok models support reasoning capabilities:
Grok 4.3: General-purpose reasoning model recommended by xAI's public model catalog. It reasons automatically and does not support reasoning_effort.
Grok Code Fast Models: The grok-code-fast-1 family are reasoning models optimized for agentic coding workflows. They support:
- Function calling and tool usage
- Web search via
search_parameters - Fast inference with built-in reasoning
Grok 4.3 Specific Behavior
Grok 4.3 is the best starting point for general text workflows:
- Responses API recommended: Use
xai:responses:grok-4.3for server-side tools, multi-turn state, and newer xAI capabilities - Automatic reasoning: No
reasoning_effortparameter is required or supported - Unsupported parameters: Same restrictions as other Grok 4-family reasoning models (
presence_penalty,frequency_penalty,stop,reasoning_effort)
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4.3
config:
temperature: 0.7
max_completion_tokens: 4096
Grok-3 Models: The grok-3-mini-beta and grok-3-mini-fast-beta models support reasoning through the reasoning_effort parameter:
reasoning_effort: "low"- Minimal thinking time, using fewer tokens for quick responsesreasoning_effort: "high"- Maximum thinking time, leveraging more tokens for complex problems
For Grok-3, reasoning is only available for the mini variants. The standard grok-3-beta and grok-3-fast-beta models do not support reasoning.
Grok 4.1 Fast Specific Behavior
Grok 4.1 Fast is xAI's frontier model specifically optimized for agentic tool calling:
- Two variants:
grok-4-1-fast-reasoningfor maximum intelligence,grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoningfor instant responses - Massive context window: 2,000,000 tokens for handling complex multi-turn agent interactions
- Optimized for tool calling: Trained specifically for high-performance agentic tool calling via RL in simulated environments
- Low latency and cost: $0.20/1M input tokens, $0.50/1M output tokens with fast inference
- Unsupported parameters: Same restrictions as Grok-4 (no presence_penalty, frequency_penalty, stop, reasoning_effort)
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4-1-fast-reasoning
config:
temperature: 0.7
max_completion_tokens: 4096
Grok-4 Fast Specific Behavior
Grok-4 Fast models offer the same capabilities as Grok-4 but with faster inference and lower cost:
- Two variants:
grok-4-fast-reasoningfor reasoning tasks,grok-4-fast-non-reasoningfor instant responses - 2M context window: Same large context as Grok 4.1 Fast
- Same parameter restrictions as Grok-4: No presence_penalty, frequency_penalty, stop, or reasoning_effort
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4-fast-reasoning
config:
temperature: 0.7
max_completion_tokens: 4096
Grok-4 Specific Behavior
Grok-4 introduces significant changes compared to previous Grok models:
- Always uses reasoning: Grok-4 is a reasoning model that always operates at maximum reasoning capacity
- No
reasoning_effortparameter: Unlike Grok-3 mini models, Grok-4 does not support thereasoning_effortparameter - Unsupported parameters: The following parameters are not supported and will be automatically filtered out:
presencePenalty/presence_penaltyfrequencyPenalty/frequency_penaltystop
- Larger context window: 256,000 tokens compared to 131,072 for Grok-3 models
- Uses
max_completion_tokens: As a reasoning model, Grok-4 usesmax_completion_tokensinstead ofmax_tokens
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4
config:
temperature: 0.7
max_completion_tokens: 4096
Grok Code Fast Specific Behavior
The Grok Code Fast models are optimized for agentic coding workflows and offer several key features:
- Built for Speed: Designed to be highly responsive for agentic coding tools where multiple tool calls are common
- Economical Pricing: At $0.20/1M input tokens and $1.50/1M output tokens, significantly more affordable than flagship models
- Reasoning Capabilities: Built-in reasoning for code analysis, debugging, and problem-solving
- Tool Integration: Excellent support for function calling, tool usage, and web search
- Coding Expertise: Particularly adept at TypeScript, Python, Java, Rust, C++, and Go
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:grok-code-fast-1
# or use the alias:
# - id: xai:grok-code-fast
config:
temperature: 0.1 # Lower temperature often preferred for coding tasks
max_completion_tokens: 4096
search_parameters:
mode: auto # Enable web search for coding assistance
Region Support
You can specify a region to use a region-specific API endpoint:
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4.3
config:
region: eu-west-1 # Will use https://eu-west-1.api.x.ai/v1
This is equivalent to setting base_url="https://eu-west-1.api.x.ai/v1" in the Python client. The same region option is also accepted by the xAI image, video, Responses, and realtime voice providers.
xAI's public regional docs say the global endpoint automatically routes requests and gives access to every model available to your team. The current public model catalog shows xAI's language, Grok Imagine image, and Grok Imagine video models in both us-east-1 and eu-west-1. Regional endpoints are useful for data-residency requirements, but xAI warns that not every model is guaranteed in every region over time; for the latest region-by-region availability, use the xAI Console or the model pages on xAI's site.
Live Search (Beta)
xAI's current documentation recommends the Responses API for server-side tools. Promptfoo still passes legacy search_parameters through for older configs, but new search configs should use the Agent Tools API.
Legacy configs can still pass a search_parameters object. The mode field controls how search is used:
off– Disable searchauto– Model decides when to search (default)on– Always perform live search
Additional fields like sources, from_date, to_date, and return_citations may also be provided.
providers:
- id: xai:grok-3-beta
config:
search_parameters:
mode: auto
return_citations: true
sources:
- type: web
For a full list of options see the xAI documentation.
Agent Tools API (Responses API)
Use the xai:responses:<model> provider to access xAI's Agent Tools API, which enables autonomous server-side tool execution for web search, X search, code execution, collections search, and remote MCP tools.
providers:
- id: xai:responses:grok-4.3
config:
temperature: 0.7
max_output_tokens: 4096
tools:
- type: web_search
- type: x_search
Available Agent Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
web_search | Search the web and browse pages |
x_search | Search X posts, users, and threads |
code_execution / code_interpreter | Execute Python code in a sandbox |
collections_search / file_search | Search uploaded knowledge bases |
mcp | Connect to remote MCP servers |
Web Search Tool
tools:
- type: web_search
filters:
allowed_domains:
- example.com
- news.com
# OR excluded_domains (cannot use both)
enable_image_understanding: true
X Search Tool
tools:
- type: x_search
from_date: '2025-01-01' # ISO8601 format
to_date: '2025-11-27'
allowed_x_handles:
- elonmusk
enable_image_understanding: true
enable_video_understanding: true
Code Interpreter Tool
tools:
- type: code_interpreter
container:
pip_packages:
- numpy
- pandas
Complete Example
providers:
- id: xai:responses:grok-4.3
config:
temperature: 0.7
tools:
- type: web_search
enable_image_understanding: true
- type: x_search
from_date: '2025-01-01'
- type: code_interpreter
container:
pip_packages:
- numpy
tool_choice: auto # auto, required, or none
parallel_tool_calls: true
tests:
- vars:
question: What's the latest AI news? Search the web and X.
assert:
- type: contains
value: AI
Responses API Configuration
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
temperature | number | Sampling temperature (0-2) |
max_output_tokens | number | Maximum tokens to generate |
max_tool_calls | number | Maximum tool calls for one request |
top_p | number | Nucleus sampling parameter |
tools | array | Agent tools to enable |
tool_choice | string | Tool selection mode: auto, required, none |
parallel_tool_calls | boolean | Allow parallel tool execution |
stream | boolean | Request streamed response deltas |
instructions | string | System-level instructions |
previous_response_id | string | For multi-turn conversations |
store | boolean | Store response for later retrieval |
include | array | Additional response data to return |
reasoning | object | Multi-agent configuration where supported |
response_format | object | JSON schema for structured output |
Supported Models
The Responses API works with current Grok models, including:
grok-4.3grok-4.20-reasoninggrok-4.20-non-reasoninggrok-4.20-multi-agentgrok-4-1-fast-reasoning(recommended for agentic workflows)grok-4-1-fast-non-reasoninggrok-4-fast-reasoninggrok-4-fast-non-reasoninggrok-4
Migration from Live Search
If you're using Live Search via search_parameters, migrate to the Responses API:
Before (Live Search - deprecated):
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4-1-fast-reasoning
config:
search_parameters:
mode: auto
sources:
- type: web
- type: x
After (Responses API):
providers:
- id: xai:responses:grok-4.3
config:
tools:
- type: web_search
- type: x_search
Deferred Chat Completions
xAI offers Deferred Chat Completions for long-running requests that can be retrieved asynchronously via a request_id. This feature is not yet supported in promptfoo. For async workflows, use the xAI Python SDK directly.
Function Calling
xAI supports standard OpenAI-compatible function calling for client-side tool execution:
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4-1-fast-reasoning
config:
tools:
- type: function
function:
name: get_weather
description: Get the current weather for a location
parameters:
type: object
properties:
location:
type: string
description: City and state
required:
- location
Structured Outputs
xAI supports structured outputs via JSON schema:
providers:
- id: xai:grok-4
config:
response_format:
type: json_schema
json_schema:
name: analysis_result
strict: true
schema:
type: object
properties:
summary:
type: string
confidence:
type: number
required:
- summary
- confidence
additionalProperties: false
You can also load schemas from external files:
config:
response_format: file://./schemas/analysis-schema.json
Nested file references and variable rendering are supported (see OpenAI documentation for details).
Vision Support
For models with vision capabilities, you can include images in your prompts using the same format as OpenAI. Create a prompt.yaml file:
- role: user
content:
- type: image_url
image_url:
url: '{{image_url}}'
detail: 'high'
- type: text
text: '{{question}}'
Then reference it in your promptfoo config:
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
prompts:
- file://prompt.yaml
providers:
- id: xai:grok-2-vision-latest
tests:
- vars:
image_url: 'https://example.com/image.jpg'
question: "What's in this image?"
Embeddings
xAI does not currently expose a public embeddings API. Use the OpenAI provider (or another embedding provider) for similarity assertions.
Image Generation
xAI also supports image generation through Grok Imagine:
providers:
- xai:image:grok-imagine-image
Current Grok Imagine image model IDs include:
xai:image:grok-imagine-imagexai:image:grok-imagine-image-pro
Example configuration for image generation:
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
prompts:
- 'A {{style}} painting of {{subject}}'
providers:
- id: xai:image:grok-imagine-image
config:
n: 1 # Number of images to generate (1-10)
response_format: 'url' # 'url' or 'b64_json'
aspect_ratio: '16:9'
resolution: '2k'
tests:
- vars:
style: 'impressionist'
subject: 'sunset over mountains'
Image Editing
Use the same provider with image, images, or mask inputs to call xAI's image-editing endpoint:
providers:
- id: xai:image:grok-imagine-image
config:
image:
url: 'https://example.com/source.png'
mask:
url: 'https://example.com/mask.png'
quality: 'high'
prompts:
- 'Render this as a pencil sketch with detailed shading'
Video Generation
xAI supports video generation through the Grok Imagine API using the xai:video:grok-imagine-video provider:
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
prompts:
- 'Generate a video of: {{scene}}'
providers:
- id: xai:video:grok-imagine-video
config:
duration: 5 # 1-15 seconds
aspect_ratio: '16:9'
resolution: '720p'
tests:
- vars:
scene: a cat playing with yarn
assert:
- type: cost
threshold: 1.0
Configuration Options
| Option | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
duration | number | 8 | Video length in seconds (1-15) |
aspect_ratio | string | 16:9 | Aspect ratio: 16:9, 4:3, 1:1, 9:16, 3:4, 3:2, 2:3 |
resolution | string | 720p | Output resolution: 720p, 480p |
reference_images | array | - | Reference images for reference-to-video mode |
poll_interval_ms | number | 10000 | Polling interval in milliseconds |
max_poll_time_ms | number | 600000 | Maximum wait time (10 minutes) |
Image-to-Video
Animate a static image by providing an image URL:
providers:
- id: xai:video:grok-imagine-video
config:
image:
url: 'https://example.com/image.jpg'
duration: 5
Video Editing
Edit an existing video with text instructions:
providers:
- id: xai:video:grok-imagine-video
config:
video:
url: 'https://example.com/source-video.mp4'
prompts:
- 'Make the colors more vibrant and add slow motion'
Video editing skips duration, aspect ratio, and resolution validation since these are determined by the source video.
Reference-to-Video
Guide generation with up to seven reference images:
providers:
- id: xai:video:grok-imagine-video
config:
reference_images:
- url: 'https://example.com/person.jpg'
- url: 'https://example.com/shirt.jpg'
duration: 10
Reference-to-video requires a non-empty prompt, cannot be combined with image or video, and is limited to 10 seconds.
Pricing
Promptfoo uses the exact usage.cost_in_usd_ticks value returned by xAI when available, and falls back to the legacy estimate only when the API omits usage.
Voice Agent API
The xAI Voice Agent API enables real-time voice conversations with Grok models via WebSocket. Use the xai:voice:<model> provider format.
providers:
- xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
Configuration
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
providers:
- id: xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
config:
voice: 'Ara' # Ara, Rex, Sal, Eve, or Leo
instructions: 'You are a helpful voice assistant.'
modalities: ['text', 'audio']
turn_detection:
type: server_vad
threshold: 0.85
silence_duration_ms: 500
prefix_padding_ms: 333
websocketTimeout: 60000 # Connection timeout in ms
tools:
- type: web_search
- type: x_search
Available Voices
| Voice | Description |
|---|---|
| Ara | Female voice |
| Rex | Male voice |
| Sal | Male voice |
| Eve | Female voice |
| Leo | Male voice |
Turn Detection
Use turn_detection to tune server-side voice activity detection:
| Option | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
type | string | server_vad for automatic detection |
threshold | number | Activation threshold from 0.1 to 0.9 |
silence_duration_ms | number | Silence required before ending the turn |
prefix_padding_ms | number | Audio kept before detected speech to avoid clipping |
Built-in Tools
The Voice API includes server-side tools that execute automatically:
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
web_search | Search the web for information |
x_search | Search posts on X (Twitter) |
file_search | Search uploaded files in vector stores |
tools:
- type: web_search
- type: x_search
allowed_x_handles:
- elonmusk
- xai
- type: file_search
vector_store_ids:
- vs-123
max_num_results: 10
Custom Function Tools and Assertions
You can define custom function tools inline or load them from external files:
providers:
- id: xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
config:
# Inline tool definition
tools:
- type: function
name: set_volume
description: Set the device volume level
parameters:
type: object
properties:
level:
type: number
description: Volume level from 0 to 100
required:
- level
# Or load from external file (YAML or JSON)
# tools: file://tools.yaml
tests:
- vars:
question: 'Set the volume to 50 percent'
assert:
# Check that the correct function was called with correct arguments
- type: javascript
value: |
const calls = output.functionCalls || [];
return calls.some(c => c.name === 'set_volume' && c.arguments?.level === 50);
# Or use tool-call-f1 for function name matching
- type: tool-call-f1
value: ['set_volume']
threshold: 1.0
External tools file example:
- type: function
name: get_weather
description: Get the current weather for a location
parameters:
type: object
properties:
location:
type: string
required:
- location
- type: function
name: set_reminder
description: Set a reminder for the user
parameters:
type: object
properties:
message:
type: string
time:
type: string
required:
- message
- time
When function tools are used, the provider output includes a functionCalls array with:
name: The function name that was calledarguments: The parsed arguments objectresult: The result returned by your function handler (if provided)
Custom Endpoint Configuration
You can configure a custom WebSocket endpoint for the Voice API, useful for proxies or regional endpoints:
providers:
- id: xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
config:
# Option 1: Full base URL (transforms https:// to wss://)
apiBaseUrl: 'https://my-proxy.example.com/v1'
# Option 2: Host only (builds https://{host}/v1)
# apiHost: 'my-proxy.example.com'
You can also use the XAI_API_BASE_URL environment variable:
export XAI_API_BASE_URL=https://my-proxy.example.com/v1
URL transformation: The provider automatically converts HTTP URLs to WebSocket URLs (https:// → wss://, http:// → ws://) and appends /realtime to reach the Voice API endpoint.
Complete WebSocket URL Override
For advanced use cases like local testing, custom proxies, or endpoints requiring query parameters, you can provide a complete WebSocket URL that will be used exactly as specified without any transformation:
providers:
- id: xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
config:
# Use this URL exactly as-is (no transformation applied)
websocketUrl: 'wss://custom-endpoint.example.com/path?token=xyz&session=abc'
This is useful for:
- Local development and testing with mock servers
- Custom proxy configurations
- Adding authentication tokens or session IDs as URL parameters
- Using alternative WebSocket gateways or regional endpoints
Audio Configuration
Configure input/output audio formats:
config:
audio:
input:
format:
type: audio/pcm
rate: 24000
output:
format:
type: audio/pcm
rate: 24000
Supported formats: audio/pcm, audio/pcmu, audio/pcma
Supported sample rates: 8000, 16000, 22050, 24000, 32000, 44100, 48000 Hz
Complete Example
# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://promptfoo.dev/config-schema.json
prompts:
- file://input.json
providers:
- id: xai:voice:grok-voice-think-fast-1.0
config:
voice: 'Ara'
instructions: 'You are a helpful voice assistant.'
modalities: ['text', 'audio']
tools:
- type: web_search
tests:
- vars:
question: 'What are the latest AI developments?'
assert:
- type: llm-rubric
value: Provides information about recent AI news
Pricing
The Voice Agent API is billed at $0.05 per minute of connection time.
For more information on the available models and API usage, refer to the xAI documentation.
Examples
For examples demonstrating text generation, image creation, and web search, see the xai example.
npx promptfoo@latest init --example xai/chat
For real-time voice conversations with Grok, see the xai-voice example.
npx promptfoo@latest init --example xai/voice
See Also
Troubleshooting
502 Bad Gateway Errors
If you encounter 502 Bad Gateway errors when using the xAI provider, this typically indicates:
- An invalid or missing API key
- Server issues on x.ai's side
The xAI provider will provide helpful error messages to guide you in resolving these issues.
Solution: Verify your XAI_API_KEY environment variable is set correctly. You can obtain an API key from https://x.ai/.
Controlling Retries
If you're experiencing timeouts or want to control retry behavior:
- To disable retries for 5XX errors:
PROMPTFOO_RETRY_5XX=false - To reduce retry delays:
PROMPTFOO_REQUEST_BACKOFF_MS=1000(in milliseconds)