How do I use xAI MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@xAI MCP Server Search for the latest news about SpaceX launches" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

xAI MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that brings xAI's Grok APIs to Claude Code. Generate images, chat with Grok, analyze images, search the web, and create videos—all from natural language prompts in your Claude Code session.

Features

Tool	Description
`generate_image`	Generate images using Grok Imagine
`chat`	Chat with Grok models (grok-3, grok-4, grok-3-mini)
`analyze_image`	Analyze and describe images with Grok Vision
`live_search`	Real-time web, news, and X/Twitter search
`generate_video`	Generate videos from text prompts

Prerequisites

Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
xAI API Key from x.ai/api
Claude Code installed

Installation

Option 1: Clone and Build

# Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/joemccann/xai-mcp-server.git cd xai-mcp-server # Install dependencies npm install # Build npm run build

Option 2: Install from npm (coming soon)

npm install -g xai-mcp-server

Configuration for Claude Code

Step 1: Get Your xAI API Key

Go to x.ai/api
Sign up or log in
Create an API key
Copy the key (starts with xai-)

Step 2: Configure Claude Code

Add the MCP server to your Claude Code settings file:

Location: ~/.claude/settings.json

{ "mcpServers": { "xai": { "command": "node", "args": ["/absolute/path/to/xai-mcp-server/dist/index.js"], "env": { "XAI_API_KEY": "xai-your-api-key-here" } } } }

Important: Replace /absolute/path/to/xai-mcp-server with the actual path where you cloned the repository.

Step 3: Restart Claude Code

Restart Claude Code to load the new MCP server. You should see the xAI tools available.

Usage

Once configured, you can use natural language to invoke xAI capabilities:

Image Generation

Generate an image of a cyberpunk cityscape at night with neon lights.

Using grok imagine, create a watercolor painting of a mountain landscape.

Generate 3 variations of a logo for a coffee shop called "Bean There".

Chat with Grok

Ask Grok to explain the theory of relativity in simple terms.

Have Grok write a haiku about programming.

Image Analysis

Analyze this image and describe what you see: https://example.com/photo.jpg

What text is visible in this screenshot: [image URL]

Live Search

Search for the latest news about SpaceX launches.

Find recent tweets about the new iPhone release.

Search the web for Python best practices 2024.

Video Generation

Generate a 5-second video of clouds moving across a blue sky.

Create a video animation of a bouncing ball.

Tool Reference

generate_image

Generate images from text descriptions using Grok Imagine.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`prompt`	string	Yes	-	Text description of the image
`n`	number	No	1	Number of images (1-10)
`model`	string	No	`grok-2-image`	Image generation model
`aspect_ratio`	string	No	-	Aspect ratio (e.g., "16:9", "1:1", "4:3")
`response_format`	string	No	`url`	Output format: "url" or "b64_json"

Example Response:

{ "success": true, "images": [ { "index": 1, "url": "https://api.x.ai/images/generated/abc123.png", "revised_prompt": "A detailed cyberpunk cityscape..." } ] }

chat

Chat with Grok language models.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`message`	string	Yes	-	Message to send to Grok
`model`	string	No	`grok-3`	Model: grok-3, grok-4, grok-3-mini
`system_prompt`	string	No	-	System context/instructions
`temperature`	number	No	0.7	Sampling temperature (0-2)
`max_tokens`	number	No	-	Maximum response tokens

analyze_image

Analyze images using Grok's vision capabilities.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`image_url`	string	Yes	-	Image URL or base64 data URL
`prompt`	string	No	"Describe this image"	Question or instruction
`detail`	string	No	`auto`	Detail level: "low", "high", "auto"
`model`	string	No	`grok-2-vision-1212`	Vision model

live_search

Perform real-time web searches using Grok.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`query`	string	Yes	-	Search query
`sources`	array	No	`["web"]`	Sources: "web", "news", "x"
`date_range`	object	No	-	Date filter: `{ start, end }` (YYYY-MM-DD)
`max_results`	number	No	10	Maximum results (1-20)

generate_video

Generate videos from text descriptions.

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
`prompt`	string	Yes	-	Video description
`model`	string	No	`grok-2-video`	Video generation model
`duration`	number	No	5	Duration in seconds (1-15)
`image`	string	No	-	Input image URL to animate
`video`	string	No	-	Input video URL to edit
`aspect_ratio`	string	No	-	Aspect ratio (e.g., "16:9")
`wait_for_completion`	boolean	No	true	Wait for video to finish

Development

# Install dependencies npm install # Build TypeScript npm run build # Watch mode (rebuild on changes) npm run dev # Run the server directly npm start

Project Structure

xai-mcp-server/ ├── src/ │ ├── index.ts # MCP server entry point │ ├── xai-client.ts # xAI API client with types │ └── tools/ │ ├── generate-image.ts │ ├── chat.ts │ ├── vision.ts │ ├── live-search.ts │ └── generate-video.ts ├── dist/ # Compiled JavaScript ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json └── README.md

Troubleshooting

"XAI_API_KEY environment variable is required"

Ensure your ~/.claude/settings.json includes the env block with your API key:

"env": { "XAI_API_KEY": "xai-your-key-here" }

Tools not appearing in Claude Code

Verify the path in args is absolute and correct
Ensure the project is built (npm run build)
Restart Claude Code completely
Check Claude Code logs for MCP connection errors

API errors

Verify your API key is valid at x.ai
Check you have sufficient API credits
Some features may require specific API tier access

API Reference

This server uses the xAI API. For full API documentation, see:

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

Acknowledgments

xAI for the Grok API
Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
Anthropic for Claude Code

xAI MCP Server

xAI MCP Server

Features

Prerequisites

Installation

Option 1: Clone and Build

Option 2: Install from npm (coming soon)

Configuration for Claude Code

Step 1: Get Your xAI API Key

Step 2: Configure Claude Code

Step 3: Restart Claude Code

Usage

Image Generation

Chat with Grok

Image Analysis

Live Search

Video Generation

Tool Reference

generate_image

chat

analyze_image

live_search

generate_video

Development

Project Structure

Troubleshooting

"XAI_API_KEY environment variable is required"

Tools not appearing in Claude Code

API errors

API Reference

License

Contributing

Acknowledgments

Resources

Tools

New MCP Servers

Latest Blog Posts

MCP directory API