$ cat wiki/models/grok-build.md
Grok Build
Spec
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Developer | xAI |
| Released | 2026-05-14 |
| Announced | 2026-05-14 |
| Context window | unknown |
| Pricing | $1/M input · $2/M output (xAI API public beta) |
| License | Apache 2.0 (CLI codebase, open-sourced 2026-07-16) |
| Availability | Terminal CLI (SuperGrok Heavy), Kilo Code VS Code/JetBrains (SuperGrok or X Premium+), xAI API public beta; source at github.com/xai-org/grok-build |
| Type | Agentic coding model; available as terminal CLI, Kilo Code IDE extension, and xAI API |
| Model | grok-build-0.1 (released 2026-05-20) |
| Release milestones | 2026-05-14 (early beta, SuperGrok Heavy CLI); 2026-05-27 (Kilo Code VS Code integration); 2026-05-28 (xAI API public beta) |
| Access tier (CLI) | SuperGrok Heavy ($300/month) — limited beta |
| Access tier (Kilo Code) | SuperGrok ($30/month) or X Premium+ — OAuth, no API key needed |
| Access tier (API) | xAI API public beta — $1/M tokens input, $2/M tokens output; 100+ tokens/sec |
Release Date
- 2026-06-22: /goal mode — long-running autonomous execution (plan→execute→verify) for SuperGrok/X Premium+
- 2026-05-14: Grok Build terminal CLI (early beta, SuperGrok Heavy)
- 2026-05-20: grok-build-0.1 model release
- 2026-05-27: Kilo Code (VS Code / JetBrains) integration rollout complete
- 2026-05-28: xAI API public beta ($1/$2 per 1M tokens, 100+ tok/s)
/goal Mode (2026-06-22)
A long-running autonomous execution mode shipped June 22, 2026. Type /goal <objective> to hand off a task completely:
- Grok Build plans an approach and breaks work into a progress checklist.
- Executes items autonomously (no developer in loop during run).
- Verifies completion via three methods: code review, webpage inspection, or script execution.
- Status, pause, resume, and clear controls allow steering mid-run.
Pipeline: Composer 2.5 (planning) + Grok Build 0.1 (execution + 3-form verification). Access: SuperGrok ($30/month) or X Premium+ subscribers. Significance: Makes Grok Build competitive with Anthropic Managed Agents and OpenAI Codex Enterprise for multi-hour autonomous tasks, at consumer subscription pricing.
Use Cases
- Professional software engineering in terminal or IDE
- Multi-step project planning + implementation
- Write/edit files, execute shell commands, build complete applications
- Natural language → working application pipeline
- VS Code/JetBrains coding via Kilo Code extension (500+ model support, MCP extensibility, browser automation)
Compared To
| Tool | Dev | Mode | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grok Build | xAI | Terminal CLI (beta) | Multi-step, project-level; SuperGrok Heavy only |
| Devstral 2 Vibe CLI | Mistral | Terminal CLI (open-source) | 72.2% SWE-bench; Apache 2.0; runs locally |
| Claude Code | Anthropic | Terminal CLI | Widely available, MCP integration |
| OpenAI Codex | OpenAI | Web + CLI | Cloud-based, enterprise focus |
| Cursor | Cursor AI | IDE extension | Real-time inline |
Significance
- xAI's entry into the agentic coding CLI category (crowded: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor)
- Terminal-native approach aligns with Software 3.0 "agentic engineering" pattern
- Multi-step planning distinguishes from simple autocomplete assistants
- 2026-05-27: Kilo Code integration extends reach from terminal-only to VS Code/JetBrains — now competing for IDE market share vs. Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Cody
- 2026-05-28: xAI API public beta — Grok Build is now available programmatically at $1/$2 per 1M tokens; enables third-party integrations without SuperGrok subscription, directly competing with Claude Code API and OpenAI Codex API
- Subscription-based access (no per-token API billing) via Kilo Code lowers friction for casual use
Privacy Breach — Full Repository Upload (July 12–14, 2026)
Disclosure date: ~July 12, 2026. Front-page Hacker News: July 14, 2026.
Finding: Grok Build CLI v0.2.93 silently uploaded entire local Git repositories to xAI's Google Cloud Storage bucket grok-code-session-traces — including full commit history, untracked files, and unredacted .env secrets (API keys, passwords, SSH keys, webhook secrets).
Scale: One verified test showed 5.1 GiB transmitted from an 11.2 GiB repo when the coding task needed only 192 KiB (~27,800× excess).
Marketing vs. reality: xAI had marketed the product with: "nothing from your codebase transmitted to xAI servers during a session."
Privacy toggle was ineffective: The /privacy command only controls post-upload data retention; it does NOT prevent uploads.
Fix deployed: Server-side flag disable_codebase_upload: true deployed ~July 13; new /privacy command added.
Elon Musk's deletion pledge (July 13 on X): "all user data that was uploaded to SpaceXAI before now will be completely and utterly deleted. Zero anything whatsoever will remain." — not independently verified as of July 14.
Security advisory: if you ran Grok Build CLI before July 13, 2026 on any repository containing secrets in tracked files or Git history, treat those credentials as potentially compromised.
→ (source) (The Hacker News) (Cybernews) (TechTimes)
Open-Source Release (July 16, 2026)
~72 hours after the privacy breach reached Hacker News front page (July 14), xAI open-sourced the full Grok Build CLI codebase under the Apache 2.0 license.
Repository: github.com/xai-org/grok-build Codebase size: 844,530 lines of Rust Scope: agent loop, all tool implementations (file edit, shell exec, web search, doc retrieval), terminal UI (TUI), extension system (Agent Client Protocol / ACP)
Concurrent announcements (July 16):
- Usage limits removed for all Grok users
- Data storage defaults to off (since July 12)
Significance:
- First agentic coding CLI by a frontier lab (other than Claude Code) to be fully open-sourced
- Apache 2.0 allows unrestricted commercial use — forks, derivatives, and commercial integration are all permitted
- Enables independent security audit of the agent loop and upload behavior — a direct trust-restoration response to the privacy breach
- Puts Grok Build in the same open-source tier as Devstral (Mistral, Apache 2.0) — differentiating from Claude Code (proprietary) and OpenAI Codex (proprietary)
→ (source) (xAI) (github.com/xai-org/grok-build)