Connect Grok to Reduz.

Anya keeps an xAI Grok key configured in Reduz as part of her multi-provider rotation. Grok is one option among five, useful when she wants a different model perspective on the same source. This guide walks through connecting your xAI Grok API key to Reduz so summaries go directly from your tab to xAI Grok. No Reduz server in the middle. Setup takes about two minutes once you have a key.

Setup steps

1. 1

   Create an API key in the xAI console

   Open https://console.x.ai and sign in to your xAI Grok account. Click "Create new key" (label varies by provider) and copy the key value. Most provider keys start with "sk-" and are 30+ characters long. Treat the key like a password. Anyone with the key can spend on your account.

2. 2

   Install Reduz from the Chrome Web Store

   If you haven't already, install the Reduz extension from the Chrome Web Store. The extension runs entirely on your device and uses click-only access. It can only read a page when you click it.

3. 3

   Open Reduz extension settings

   Click the Reduz toolbar icon, then the settings gear. Scroll to the AI provider section. Each supported provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, xAI) has its own row with a key field and a model selector.

4. 4

   Select Your own AI key as the active mode

   In the mode chooser, select Your own AI key. This tells Reduz to use your provider key instead of free credits. You can switch back to free credits at any time without losing your saved keys.

5. 5

   Paste the Grok key in the matching row

   Find the Grok provider row in extension settings and paste your API key. Make sure you paste it into the Grok row, not OpenAI or Anthropic. Keys in the wrong row will fail authentication. The key is stored in Chrome extension storage on your device and is never sent to a Reduz server.

6. 6

   Choose a Grok model

   Pick the model variant from the dropdown. See the Model selection section below for recommendations on which model fits which workload.

7. 7

   Run the built-in connection test

   Click "Test connection" on the provider row. Reduz sends a tiny test request to validate that the key is active, the account has usable balance, and the selected model is available. Success means you're ready to summarize.

8. 8

   Summarize a non-sensitive source first

   For your first BYOK request, pick a public article or a YouTube video with captions. Confirm the output quality matches expectations and check the response time. Once you're comfortable, scale up to PDFs and longer sources.

Why bring your own Grok key

xAI Grok is the newest major provider in the BYOK landscape, with OpenAI-compatible API access through console.x.ai. Grok 4.1 Fast is competitively priced (close to Gemini Flash and DeepSeek Flash) and ships a 2M-token context window, the largest in the category. Grok 4.3 sits in the mid-tier on price with stronger reasoning. Using your own key means your prompts go directly from your tab to xAI's API. Grok also produces a different style of output than GPT-5.5 or Claude, which is useful for users who want to compare provider outputs on the same source.

Model selection

Reduz defaults to Grok 4.1 Fast for xAI. Cheap, fast, and handles long content with a 2M-token context window. Grok 4.3 is the higher-quality option for harder content where reasoning matters more than speed. Reduz calls xAI through its OpenAI-compatible API path, so requests behave the same way as your OpenAI key.

Cost expectations

xAI bills usage to your xAI account at standard API rates. A 3,000-word article summary on Grok 4.1 Fast typically runs a fraction of a cent; the same article on Grok 4.3 runs a few cents. Reduz does not add a subscription markup when you use your own AI key. For tighter cost control on long PDFs and transcripts, use Reduz's content-limit setting to cap token usage per request. For tighter cost control on long PDFs and transcripts, use Reduz's content-limit setting to cap token usage per request.

Free tier availability

xAI does not currently offer a usable free API tier. You need to add a payment method at console.x.ai before any API call will succeed. xAI sometimes runs promotional credits for new accounts. Check console.x.ai for current offers. If you want a free path, use Reduz free credits (100 a month, no card) or connect Google Gemini AI Studio.

Privacy posture for source text

When you use your own AI key, your xAI API key stays in Chrome extension storage on your device. Reduz never sees it. Source text goes directly from your tab to xAI's API. The Reduz server is not in the request path. xAI's data policy is the newest among major providers. Check xAI's current API terms before submitting sensitive content. For sensitive summaries, prefer OpenAI or Anthropic with their API-default no-training policies. For comparison, free credits send source text through Reduz (with an installation identifier for credit counting) to a hosted AI model. That is useful when you do not want to manage a provider key, but it is a different data path than using your own key.

Practical checklist

• Create the key at https://console.x.ai and copy it once. Most consoles only show full keys at creation time.
• Treat the key like a password. Do not paste it into shared documents, screenshots, or cloud notes.
• Paste the key into the Grok row in Reduz extension settings, not into a different provider row.
• Switch to your own AI key mode before running the first request.
• Pick the Grok model that fits your workload (see Model selection above).
• Run the connection test before summarizing real content.
• Summarize a non-sensitive source first to validate output quality and cost.
• Consider scoping the key to a small monthly budget at the provider for safety.

Frequently asked questions