| name | grok-model-retirement-check |
| description | Check whether a Grok model ID in active use has been retired or silently redirected, with special attention to billing consequences. Reach for this skill before any Grok recommendation and whenever a developer mentions a specific Grok model ID — retirement redirects can incur unexpected charges at the new model's pricing. |
Skill: Grok Model Retirement Check
Grok model retirements can redirect API calls silently to a higher-priced model without surfacing an error. A developer calling a retired model ID may be charged at the current model's rate without realizing it. This skill identifies retired IDs, confirms the redirect target, and flags billing consequences before they compound.
When to reach for this skill
- A developer mentions any Grok model ID — run the check first, answer the question second.
- A developer reports unexpected Grok billing charges.
- The agent is about to recommend any Grok model — verify it is not retired.
- A developer is migrating from one Grok model to another.
Step 1 — Identify the model ID in use
Capture the exact model ID string the developer is using (e.g., from their API call, config file, or .env). Do not assume the model name is the same as the current lineup name — Grok model IDs and display names differ, and deprecated IDs may still accept calls.
Step 2 — Check the retirement list
Consult ../../knowledge/cross-tool-model-lineup-2026.md Grok section — specifically the retirement/redirect table. Flag the following scenarios:
| Scenario | Risk | Action |
|---|
| ID is in the active lineup | None currently | Confirm availability and pricing marker |
| ID is in the retirement list with a known redirect | Billing: charged at redirect-target pricing | Flag the redirect; recommend explicit migration |
| ID is not in either list | Unknown: may be deprecated, misspelled, or a preview ID | Closed-world: do not confirm; offer to research |
| ID is a preview/beta ID | Subject to sudden change | Flag volatility; recommend pinning to a stable ID |
Billing-first rule: when a retirement with a billing-consequence redirect is found, that finding leads the response — before any model recommendation. The developer may be incurring silent overcharges today.
Step 3 — Confirm the redirect target (if retired)
If the ID is retired with a known redirect:
- Name the exact redirect-target model ID.
- State the pricing difference (direction only — e.g., "higher-priced" — with
[verify-at-use — 2026-06]; do not quote specific prices without a retrieval date).
- Confirm the redirect target is in the verified active lineup.
- Recommend the developer explicitly update their code or config to the redirect-target ID to avoid implicit dependency on redirect behavior (which can itself change).
Step 4 — Recommend the migration path
Retired ID detected:
1. Update the model ID in all callers (API calls, config, env) to: <redirect-target>
2. Re-verify context window and pricing at: xai.com/api docs [verify-at-use — 2026-06]
3. Test a representative sample of prompts before rolling to production.
4. Remove any hard-coded assumptions about the retired model's behavior that may not hold on the redirect target.
Pitfalls
- Answering a Grok question without checking retirements first — the developer may be using a retired ID right now.
- Quoting the redirect-target's pricing as a specific number without a retrieval date — Grok pricing changes frequently.
- Confirming that a model ID is "fine" when it appears in neither the active lineup nor the retirement table — the closed-world rule applies.
- Treating a redirect as harmless — the behavior, context window, and pricing of the redirect target may differ from the retired model.
See also
