| name | consult-grok |
| description | Get a second opinion from xAI Grok via its headless CLI (`grok -p`). Use when the user says "/consult-grok", "ask grok", "grok second opinion", or wants an outside model's take on a question, plan, or code. |
consult-grok
Query xAI Grok for a second opinion, non-interactively, via the Grok Build CLI.
When to use
User says "ask grok" / "/consult-grok" / wants a second opinion from Grok.
The one command that works
wsl bash -lc 'mkdir -p /tmp/grok-cwd && grok -p "PROMPT" --cwd /tmp/grok-cwd --output-format json'
Output is one JSON object; the answer is the .text field. .thought holds
the model's reasoning trace (usually skip it).
Verified working 2026-05-18 on this machine — grok 0.1.211, /usr/local/bin/grok
-> /root/.grok/bin/grok. Round-trip ~30-90s.
Why each piece is mandatory
| Piece | Purpose |
|---|
wsl bash -lc '...' | Grok lives in WSL. Invoking wsl grok directly inherits the Windows %TEMP% via WSLENV — Grok then fails with Failed to set working directory to "C:/Users/.../Temp". A login shell (bash -lc) gives a clean POSIX env. |
mkdir -p /tmp/grok-cwd && | --cwd requires a directory that already exists — Grok does not create it. Joined with &&, not ;. |
--cwd /tmp/grok-cwd | A fixed temp dir outside the repo. Inside findtorontoevents_antigravity.ca the repo .mcp.json (Windows E://C:/ paths + uv/redis) makes Grok print Failed to spawn MCP server 'tradingview-desktop' and return an empty body. /tmp/grok-cwd skips all project config. |
-p "PROMPT" | Non-interactive single-shot mode. Without it the CLI opens an interactive REPL and never exits. |
--output-format json | One machine-readable JSON object — the only reliably-parseable format. Answer is .text. |
Hard gotcha — no command substitution
The Windows Bash-tool -> wsl quoting layer silently eats $(...). Do NOT use
mktemp -d or $(cat file):
wsl bash -lc 'D=$(mktemp -d); grok -p "..." --cwd "$D" ...' # FAILS: $D empty
# -> "a value is required for '--cwd'"
Always use the fixed literal /tmp/grok-cwd with mkdir -p.
Long / special-character prompts
Keep the prompt as a direct double-quoted arg. If it contains double quotes or
newlines, write it to a file with the Write tool first, then:
wsl bash -lc 'mkdir -p /tmp/grok-cwd && grok -p "$(cat /mnt/c/path/to/prompt.txt)" --cwd /tmp/grok-cwd --output-format json'
NOTE: $(cat ...) may be eaten by the quoting layer (see gotcha above). If the
file-substitution form returns prompt is empty, fall back to inlining the
prompt directly and escaping internal " as \".
Verify alive
wsl bash -lc 'mkdir -p /tmp/grok-cwd && grok -p "Reply with exactly the word: VERIFIED" --cwd /tmp/grok-cwd --output-format json'
Expect {"text": "VERIFIED", "stopReason": "EndTurn", ...}.
Known issues
- Repo CWD pollution / empty body — running with a CWD inside the repo loads
.mcp.json, Grok fails to spawn 4 non-portable MCP servers and returns empty.
--cwd /tmp/grok-cwd is mandatory. Repo-root .grok/config.toml (gitignored)
can also disable those MCP servers for Grok only.
wsl grok direct invocation — inherits Windows %TEMP%; --cwd breaks.
Always wrap in wsl bash -lc '...'.$(...) substitution eaten — the Windows -> wsl layer drops command
substitution. Use the fixed /tmp/grok-cwd literal.- Auth — if the call returns an auth error, Grok was never logged in. Run
wsl grok interactively once to complete login (SuperGrok subscription).
Related
- Memory:
reference-grok-headless
- Sibling skills: consult-codex, consult-gemini, consult-kilo, consult-opencode, consult-cursor-agent
