How do I get free API credits for Grok?

You can receive $150/month in free credits by going to the xAI Console, navigating to Settings, and enabling the data sharing opt-in.

What should I do if I get a 'rate_limit_exceeded' error?

You should implement exponential backoff in your code to retry requests and monitor your Requests Per Minute (RPM) to ensure they stay within the limits of your specific model tier.

What is the recommended way to store my xAI API key?

It is recommended to use environment variables (e.g., XAI_API_KEY) or a .env file that is excluded from your git repository via .gitignore to prevent accidental exposure.

Is the xAI API compatible with the OpenAI SDK?

Yes, the xAI API is fully compatible with the OpenAI SDK; you simply need to update the base URL to https://api.x.ai/v1 and provide your xAI API key.

xAI Grok API Authentication

Name: xAI Grok API Authentication
Author: adaptationio

byadaptationio

API Development

Configures and manages xAI Grok API authentication, environment variables, and secure access patterns for Claude-driven development.

About

The xai-auth skill provides a comprehensive framework for integrating xAI's Grok models into your development workflow by automating the setup and troubleshooting of API access. It simplifies the process of obtaining API keys, setting up environment variables, and implementing secure authentication methods using either the OpenAI-compatible SDK or the native xAI-SDK. This skill is essential for developers looking to leverage Grok's capabilities while ensuring security best practices—such as key rotation and proper .gitignore configuration—and managing API costs through efficient credit usage tracking.

Key Features

Environment variable management and .env template generation
Security best practices for API key protection and rotation
OpenAI SDK compatibility and configuration patterns
Comprehensive error handling for rate limits and invalid keys
0 GitHub stars
Step-by-step API key generation and setup guide

Use Cases

Initial setup of Grok-3 or Grok-4 models within a new software project.
Troubleshooting 'no credits' or 'invalid_api_key' errors during automated API integration.
Migrating existing OpenAI-based applications to use xAI infrastructure seamlessly.

About

Key Features

Environment variable management and .env template generation
Security best practices for API key protection and rotation
OpenAI SDK compatibility and configuration patterns
Comprehensive error handling for rate limits and invalid keys
0 GitHub stars
Step-by-step API key generation and setup guide

Use Cases

Initial setup of Grok-3 or Grok-4 models within a new software project.
Troubleshooting 'no credits' or 'invalid_api_key' errors during automated API integration.
Migrating existing OpenAI-based applications to use xAI infrastructure seamlessly.