Grok CLI cheat sheet

Every command, flag and slash command for grok — xAI's official Grok Build CLI — fullscreen TUI, git worktrees, MCP, powered by grok-build / grok-4.5. 15+ commands, verified July 2026.

Two grok binaries exist — this is xAI's official Grok Build CLI. The community superagent-ai/grok-cli (now the grok-dev npm package) is unaffiliated and also uses grok, so don't install both globally.

Install

curl -fsSL https://x.ai/cli/install.sh | bash     # macOS / Linux
irm https://x.ai/cli/install.ps1 | iex            # Windows (PowerShell)
npm install -g @xai-official/grok                 # npm (no x.ai host — good for CI)
grok update   ·   grok version

Start & run

grok                         # interactive fullscreen TUI
grok login                   # browser sign-in (grok login --device-auth for headless)
export XAI_API_KEY="xai-…"   # API-key auth for CI, then: grok
grok -p "query"              # headless: one prompt, then exit
grok -p "…" --output-format json
grok -c                      # continue the most recent session
grok -r <ID>                 # resume a session

Key flags

Flag	What it does
`-p, --single <prompt>`	Headless: send one prompt, then exit
`--output-format <fmt>`	`plain` · `json` · `streaming-json`
`-m, --model <model>`	e.g. `grok-build`, `grok-4.5`
`-c, --continue` / `-r, --resume [id]`	Continue / resume sessions
`-w, --worktree [name]`	Start the session in a new git worktree
`--always-approve` (`--yolo`)	Auto-approve all tool executions
`--sandbox <profile>`	`off` · `workspace` · `read-only` · `strict`
`--max-turns <n>`	Cap agent turns

In-session commands

Command / key	What it does
`/help` · `/new` (`/clear`)	Help · new session
`/model <name>` (`/m`) · `/effort`	Switch model · reasoning effort
`/plan [desc]` · `/always-approve`	Plan mode · toggle auto-approve
`/context` · `/compact` · `/rewind`	Context usage · compact · rewind
`/mcps` · `/skills` · `/plugins` · `/hooks`	Extensions modal
`/remember <note>` · `/memory`	Cross-session memory
`Shift+Tab` · `Ctrl+P` / `?` · `!`	Cycle mode · palette · shell mode

Config

~/.grok/config.toml          # user   (GROK_HOME defaults to ~/.grok)
.grok/config.toml            # project ([mcp_servers], [plugins], [permission] only)

export XAI_API_KEY="xai-…"   # GROK_DEFAULT_MODEL, GROK_SANDBOX also honored
grok inspect                 # show which config / rules / MCP loaded

Common one-liners

grok -p "Run the test suite and summarize failures" --output-format json
grok -p "Fix the type errors in src/ and update tests" --always-approve --max-turns 40
grok -w refactor-auth --ref main -p "Extract auth into its own module"
grok agent stdio             # run as an ACP agent for your editor