xai-auth

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xAI Grok API authentication and setup. Use when configuring xAI API access, setting up API keys, or troubleshooting authentication issues.

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xai-grok-apiapi-authenticationapi-setupopenai-sdk-integrationerror-handling

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xAI Grok API Authentication

Complete guide for setting up and managing xAI API authentication for Grok models with Twitter/X integration.

Quick Start

1. Get API Key

  1. Go to console.x.ai
  2. Sign in with your X (Twitter) account
  3. Navigate to "API Keys" section
  4. Click "Create API Key"
  5. Copy and save the key (starts with 
    xai-
    )

2. Set Environment Variable

bash
# Add to .bashrc, .zshrc, or .env
export XAI_API_KEY="xai-your-key-here"

3. Test Connection

bash
curl https://api.x.ai/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $XAI_API_KEY"

Authentication Methods

Method 1: Environment Variable (Recommended)

python
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.getenv("XAI_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"
)

Method 2: Direct Key

python
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="xai-your-key-here",
    base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"
)

Method 3: Using xai-sdk

python
from xai_sdk import Client

client = Client(api_key=os.getenv("XAI_API_KEY"))

API Compatibility

xAI API is fully compatible with OpenAI SDK:
python
# Just change base_url - everything else works the same
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.getenv("XAI_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"  # Only difference
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="grok-3-fast",  # Use Grok models
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

Free Credits

$150/Month Free Credits

  1. Go to console.x.ai
  2. Navigate to Settings → Data Sharing
  3. Enable data sharing opt-in
  4. Receive $150/month in API credits

Credit Usage

ActionCost
Grok 4.1 Fast (input)$0.20/1M tokens
Grok 4.1 Fast (output)$0.50/1M tokens
X Search / Web Search$5/1,000 calls
Code Execution$5/1,000 calls

Configuration File

Create 
.env.xai
:
bash
# xAI API Configuration
XAI_API_KEY=xai-your-key-here
XAI_BASE_URL=https://api.x.ai/v1
XAI_DEFAULT_MODEL=grok-3-fast

Error Handling

Common Errors

ErrorCauseSolution
no credits
No credits on accountAdd credits or enable free tier
invalid_api_key
Wrong or expired keyGenerate new key at console.x.ai
rate_limit_exceeded
Too many requestsImplement backoff, reduce frequency
model_not_found
Invalid model nameCheck available models

Python Error Handling

python
from openai import OpenAI, APIError, RateLimitError

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.getenv("XAI_API_KEY"),
    base_url="https://api.x.ai/v1"
)

try:
    response = client.chat.completions.create(
        model="grok-3-fast",
        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}]
    )
except RateLimitError:
    print("Rate limit hit, waiting...")
    time.sleep(60)
except APIError as e:
    print(f"API error: {e}")

Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit API keys to git
  2. Use environment variables instead of hardcoding
  3. Rotate keys regularly via console.x.ai
  4. Use separate keys for dev/prod environments
  5. Add to .gitignore: 
    .env
.env.*
**/secrets.*

Rate Limits

ModelRequests/MinTokens/Min
Grok 4.1 Fast60100,000
Grok 43050,000
Grok 3 Mini100200,000

Endpoints

EndpointDescription
https://api.x.ai/v1/chat/completions
Chat completions
https://api.x.ai/v1/models
List available models
https://api.x.ai/v1/responses
Agent Tools API

Related Skills

  • xai-models
    - Model selection guide
  • xai-x-search
    - Twitter/X search
  • xai-sentiment
    - Sentiment analysis

References