Grok Build for VS Code

Grok Build for VS Code (Community) is a free, open-source extension that runs xAI’s Grok Build coding agent inside VS Code and Cursor. Instead of the terminal UI, you get sidebar chat, native diff previews, permission cards, parallel sessions, and a live model picker with Grok 4.5. The official CLI stays the engine. The extension is the interface.

I built it and maintain it. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by xAI.

At a glance

Last updated: July 13, 2026.

Three names, three things

People mix these up, so one paragraph of disambiguation. Grok 4.5 is the model (xAI’s flagship since July 8, 2026, and Grok Build’s default). Grok Build is the CLI coding agent that plans, edits files, runs commands, and uses MCP servers. This extension is a GUI for that agent inside your editor. You need Grok Build, the CLI, for agentic coding with either of the others, and the extension installs it for you.

What it does

The core loop:

• Sidebar chat with streaming responses and optional reasoning traces

• Native diff previews before any file edit is approved

• Permission cards for every write and shell command

• Plan Mode that blocks workspace writes until you approve the plan

• Auto-accept mode with an expandable audit trail when you want speed

Sessions:

• Multiple sessions in parallel with background execution

• Agent dashboard with status dots (working, awaiting input, unread results)

• Searchable history across 100+ past conversations, with resume and rename

Context:

• @file chips from the Explorer or drag and drop, Alt+G for the active file

• Vision input: paste or attach screenshots and images up to 20 MiB

• Voice dictation with live transcription (separate xAI Speech-to-Text key, roughly $0.10 to $0.20 per hour)

Models and cost:

• Live model switching, Grok 4.5 included. API-key users also get the wider grok-4.x family and grok-imagine

• Reasoning effort control from none to xhigh

• Context-token donut and /compact for long sessions

Output:

• /imagine and /imagine-video render inline

• LaTeX via MathJax, Mermaid diagrams rendered offline and theme-aware

Plumbing:

• MCP servers: whatever the CLI is configured with, the extension uses

• Slash commands autocomplete in the composer, sourced live from the CLI

• 70+ settings, from grok.defaultModel to grok.chatFontScale

Install in five minutes

1. Open Extensions (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+X) in VS Code or Cursor.

2. Search “Grok Build for VS Code (Community)” and install.

3. Press Ctrl/Cmd+; to open the sidebar.

4. The setup wizard installs the grok CLI if needed and signs you in.

Install: VS Code Marketplace · Open VSX Registry · Source: GitHub

If your goal is specifically the new model, the short version lives here: How to Use Grok 4.5 in VS Code.

Privacy

No message content, no code, no file paths, and no account identity leave your machine through the extension. Your prompts go where they always go: through the official Grok CLI to xAI. The extension adds only anonymous, opt-out usage telemetry (grok.telemetry.enabled: false turns it off, and VS Code’s global telemetry setting is respected).

How it compares

Terminal launchers open the same TUI in a split pane. This extension replaces the TUI with native editor UI. Generic Grok chat extensions answer questions about code via the API but don’t run the agent, so no autonomous edits and no diffs. The full landscape: Does Grok Build have a GUI?Is this the official xAI extension? No. It’s an independent, MIT-licensed community project. xAI does not publish a first-party standalone VS Code extension. The sanctioned integration path is the Agent Client Protocol, which this extension uses.

Is it free? The extension is free and open source. The agent underneath needs a SuperGrok / X Premium+ subscription or an xAI API key. The free Grok tier does not include the CLI agent.

What’s the difference between the Grok Build CLI and this extension? The CLI is the agent: sessions, memory, models, MCP, tool execution. The extension is the interface: chat, diffs, approvals, session UI. The extension requires the CLI and installs it for you.

Does it work with Cursor? Yes, Cursor 3.x, alongside VS Code 1.106+. (Antigravity users are kept on the last compatible version.)

Is it safe to use on a real codebase? Every file edit and shell command shows a permission card before it runs, Plan Mode gates work behind an approved plan, and the code is open source if you want to check what the extension itself does.

Does it support Grok 4.5? Yes. Grok 4.5 has been Grok Build’s default model since July 8, 2026, so a fresh install starts on it, and the model picker switches live. Setup guide: How to Use Grok 4.5 in VS Code.

Where do I report bugs? GitHub issues on the repo.