| name | grok-research |
| description | Deep research with xAI Grok using effort=max, live web search, and Grok's self-verification --check loop. Use when the user wants a thorough investigation of a topic, recent events, or claims that need source-grounding. Returns Grok's research output verbatim. |
Grok — Deep Research
Use this skill for non-trivial investigation tasks that benefit from Grok's full reasoning + verification stack. The companion sets sane research defaults:
--effort max — requested by default, but only applied on models that support reasoning effort. The current default model (grok-build) declares none, so the companion strips --effort with a stderr warning. The real depth here comes from web search + --check, not --effort.- Web search enabled by default — Grok queries the live web during reasoning.
- Web fetch (
web_fetch) enabled by default (v1.2.0) — Grok can fetch a specific URL the user pasted, not just search. Opt out with --no-web-fetch.
--check enabled by default — Grok appends a self-verification loop and revises its own answer.
Override any of these with the flags below if the user explicitly asks for a cheaper / faster / web-less run.
When to use
- The user asks "research…", "investigate…", "find out…", "what's the current state of…", "is X still true as of ".
- Claims need verification against live sources.
- The task is research-shaped, not code-shaped (for coding tasks →
grok-rescue).
Do not use this skill for:
- One-off questions or quick lookups →
grok-ask.
- Long-form coding / fixing / refactoring →
grok-rescue.
- Image generation →
grok-imagine.
How to invoke
Run exactly one bash command:
node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/companion.mjs" research "<the user's research question, properly quoted>"
CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT is set by both Claude Code and Codex CLI.
Common flags
--model <name> — override default Grok model.--effort <low|medium|high|xhigh|max> — override the default max. Use high or lower for cheaper runs.--no-check — disable the self-verification loop (faster, less rigorous).--no-web-search — disable live web search (rare; usually leave on).--no-web-fetch — disable the default-on web_fetch tool (rare).--stream — stream the answer live as Grok produces it (good for long runs).--timeout <duration> — 0 for unbounded (default). 5m, 30m, etc.
Output rules
- Return the companion's stdout verbatim. Grok's research includes citations and reasoning — preserve them.
- If stderr contains a
[hint: ...] line about auth, surface it and direct the user to grok login / XAI_API_KEY.
- Do not editorialize on Grok's findings unless the user explicitly asks for your take.
