Grok Build

Name: Grok Build
Author: Nuruvala

by Nuruvalaversion 0.2.5i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.Nuruvala/grok-build-mcp-server

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Run the Grok Build CLI as MCP tools: agent runs with live progress, code review, web research.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiVery new↓ 96/wk · ★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Developer tools

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: GROK_BINARY, GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING, GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION, GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL, GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT, GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS, GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR, GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS, STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grok-build": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "grok-build-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GROK_BINARY": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS": "your-value",
        "STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add grok-build --env GROK_BINARY=your-value --env GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING=your-value --env GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION=your-value --env GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL=your-value --env GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT=your-value --env GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS=your-value --env GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR=your-value --env GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS=your-value --env STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED=your-value -- npx -y grok-build-mcp-server

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grok-build": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "grok-build-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GROK_BINARY": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS": "your-value",
        "STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "grok-build": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "grok-build-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "GROK_BINARY": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR": "your-value",
        "GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS": "your-value",
        "STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

GROK_BINARY env
Path to the grok executable. Only needed when grok is not on PATH.
GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING env
Highest permission level any call may request. Granted once at registration and never prompts again.
GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION env
Permission level used when a call specifies none. Must be at or below the ceiling.
GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL env
Model used when a call omits one.
GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT env
Reasoning effort used when a call omits one.
GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS env
Wall-clock kill for a single run, in milliseconds.
GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR env
Directory for background job records. Defaults to $XDG_STATE_HOME/grok-mcp.
GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS env
Background runs alive at once. Use off, none, or unlimited for no cap.
STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED env
Emit structuredContent alongside _meta. Off by default because some clients mishandle it.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 8, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account Nuruvala, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

More stars than 0% of the other 5549 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 32% of the other 5549 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 5549 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Grok Build safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.2.5) reached the registry 3 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: GitHub, Desktop Commander, Cloudflare MCP

Alternatives

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README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

grok-build-mcp-server

An MCP stdio server that exposes the Grok Build CLI (grok) as tools you can call from Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or any other MCP client.

Claude Code  ──stdio/MCP──▶  grok-build-mcp-server  ──spawn──▶  grok CLI  ──▶  xAI API

It is a thin process wrapper. It does not reimplement agent logic and does not talk to the xAI API directly — all the intelligence stays in the grok CLI. What this server adds is faithful argument construction, robust process supervision, and clean MCP-shaped output.

Status: 0.2.2. The tool surface is complete. The server runs real headless Grok agents in the

foreground or detached in the background, streams progress while they run, stops a run on request,

reviews git diffs, researches questions on the web, lists the sessions those runs created, and

reports session, usage, and cost. See CHANGELOG.md for what shipped and

ROADMAP.md for what was considered and rejected.

Progress

A long agent run is visible while it happens, rather than a silent wait ending in a wall of text. When your client sends a progressToken, the server runs Grok with --output-format streaming-json and forwards a notification per event:

#5  list_dir .

#6 read_file README.md #7 read_file — completed #8 thinking: the user asked me to list files, read README.md, then … #10 writing: DONE #11 finished: end_turn (2 turns)

Progress tracks what the agent is doing, not what phase it is in. Reasoning and response text are coalesced so a token stream does not flood your client, while tool calls are reported as they happen. Clients that support resetTimeoutOnProgress will not time out mid-run.

A client that sends no progressToken gets the cheaper non-streaming path and pays nothing for this.

Requirements

Grok Build CLI 1.0.0 or newer, authenticated (grok models should succeed)
Node.js 22 or newer

If grok is not on your PATH, set GROK_BINARY to its full path when you register the server.

Install

Claude Code

claude mcp add grok-build -s user -- npx -y grok-build-mcp-server

-s user registers the server for your whole account rather than for the directory you happen to be in. Without it the scope is that one project, which is rarely what you want for a general coding assistant, and the symptom is a server that is missing the next time you start Claude Code somewhere else.

Then, in Claude Code:

> use the grok-build check tool

check reports the resolved binary, the CLI version, whether you are authenticated, and the active permission ceiling. If it is happy, the rest will work.

Any other MCP client

The server speaks MCP over stdio and takes no arguments of its own:

"mcpServers": { "grok-build": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "grok-build-mcp-server"] } } }

VS Code and Cursor accept the install badges at the top of this page, which carry exactly that configuration.

Clients that install from the MCP Registry know this server as io.github.Nuruvala/grok-build-mcp-server. The registry entry is published from the same tag as the npm release and points at the same package.

If `npx` cannot find the server

npx resolves a bare package name against the _local_ project first. If your MCP client's working directory is a checkout of this repository — or of anything else whose package.json is named grok-build-mcp-server — npx -y grok-build-mcp-server runs the local entry point, does not find one, and fails with command not found. Install it somewhere of its own and register that path:

npm install --prefix ~/.local/share/grok-build-mcp grok-build-mcp-server

claude mcp add grok-build -s user -- ~/.local/share/grok-build-mcp/node_modules/.bin/grok-build-mcp-server

Permissions

Grok runs launched through this server are read-only by default: --permission-mode plan with --sandbox read-only. Nothing can modify your files until you say so.

Permission is a ceiling, set once when you register the server, rather than a prompt on every call. Three levels:

Level	`--permission-mode`	`--sandbox`	What it allows
`read-only` (default)	`plan`	`read-only`	Reading and reasoning. No edits
`write`	`auto`	`workspace`	Edits inside the working directory
`full`	`bypassPermissions`	`off`	Unattended full approval

The sandbox is not advisory, and a refusal is not a warning. Under write the run cannot write outside `cwd`, and a refused tool call ends the whole run: the CLI reports stopReason: cancelled, exits 0, and returns only whatever the model had said before the refusal. The server names the refused call and its path in that case, so a refused tool is not mistaken for a model that gave up. The server can see which call failed, not why the CLI refused it. If a run must write somewhere else, say a report outside the repository, either point it at a path inside cwd or use full.

write uses --permission-mode auto rather than acceptEdits, which is measured rather than inherited from the flag's name. Headless grok has no human to accept an edit, so under acceptEdits, dontAsk and default every file mutation is refused and the run dies, on both sandbox profiles. auto and bypassPermissions both work; auto is the narrower one, and it still refuses a write outside the workspace, so full remains a real step up rather than a synonym.

To let Grok make edits:

claude mcp add grok-build -s user \

-e GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING=write \ -e GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION=write \ -- npx -y grok-build-mcp-server

Use full only if you already run your MCP client with full approval and want the delegated Grok run to be equally unattended. It grants the spawned grok process the same authority you have.

A call that requests more than the ceiling is rejected, not silently downgraded — a clamped run would report success while changing nothing, which is worse than a clear error.

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Purpose
`GROK_BINARY`	`grok`	Path to the `grok` executable
`GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING`	`read-only`	Highest level any call may request
`GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_PERMISSION`	`read-only`	Level used when a call requests none
`GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL`	`grok-4.6`	Model when a call omits one. `none` defers to the CLI
`GROK_MCP_DEFAULT_EFFORT`	`high`	Reasoning effort when a call omits one. `none` defers to the CLI
`GROK_MCP_TIMEOUT_MS`	`1800000`	Wall clock for a single run
`GROK_MCP_STATE_DIR`	`$XDG_STATE_HOME/grok-mcp`	Background job records
`GROK_MCP_MAX_CONCURRENT_RUNS`	`4`	Background runs alive at once. `off` for no cap
`GROK_MCP_LOG_LEVEL`	`info`	`debug`, `info`, `warn`, `error`. Logs go to stderr
`STRUCTURED_CONTENT_ENABLED`	off	Also emit `structuredContent` alongside `_meta`

Grok's own variables (XAI_API_KEY, GROK_HOME, GROK_DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER) pass through to the child process untouched.

Tools

Tool	Read-only	Purpose
`grok`	by ceiling	Run a headless Grok agent. Prompt, session resume/continue/fork, model, effort, tool allow/deny
`review`	always	Review a git diff: working tree, a merge-base diff against a ref, or a single commit
`websearch`	always	Research a question on the web, and report which searches and sources it actually used
`status`	always	Poll a background run, or list recent ones
`stop`	no	Terminate a background run's process tree
`sessions`	always	List, search, and look up the Grok sessions on this machine
`check`	yes	Server version, resolved binary, `grok version`, auth, permission ceiling, run defaults
`help`	yes	`grok --help` passthrough

`review`

The diff is collected in-process and embedded in the prompt, so the model does not spend turns rediscovering what it is meant to review.

> review my working tree with grok-build

review the diff against origin/main

Targets are uncommitted, base: " " (a merge-base diff, so commits that landed on the base after you branched are not attributed to you), or commit: " ". With none given it auto-detects: the upstream diff when your branch is ahead, otherwise the working tree — and it says which it chose rather than guessing silently.

review is always read-only, whatever GROK_MCP_PERMISSION_CEILING allows. It takes no permission, write, or yolo argument, because a review that edits the code under review is never what was wanted.

Pass structured: true for machine-readable findings (severity, file, line, summary, rationale) on _meta.findings, validated before you see them.

Two different things can go wrong, and they are reported differently rather than blurred together:

The run never finished — it was cut off, or ended without producing its findings. There is no review, so the call is isError: true and _meta.findingsComplete is false. The body leads with why, quoting the CLI's own reason, and names the fix

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Grok Build

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Developer toolsi

Common questions

Alternatives

GitHub

Desktop Commander

Cloudflare MCP

README from the maker

grok-build-mcp-server

Progress

Requirements

Install

Claude Code

Any other MCP client

If npx cannot find the server

Permissions

Environment variables

Tools

review

If `npx` cannot find the server

`review`