Grok Subscription in Copilot Chat VS Code
Use your Grok CLI subscription (SuperGrok / X Premium+) as a selectable model in VS Code Chat and Agent mode—no xAI API key required.
Unofficial community project. This extension is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by xAI, GitHub, or Microsoft. Grok and xAI are trademarks of their respective owners. GitHub Copilot and Visual Studio Code are trademarks of their respective owners. The extension requires the separately installed official Grok CLI and uses credentials managed by that CLI.
Why this exists
| Approach |
What you need |
This extension |
| Subscription (this project) |
Official Grok CLI + SuperGrok / X Premium+ login |
Yes — spawns grok, never asks for an API key |
| BYOK |
xAI API key in VS Code / Copilot |
No — not the goal |
Features
- Selectable Grok models in the Chat model dropdown under Grok (subscription)
- Ask mode with streamed CLI output
- Agent mode: Grok selects VS Code tools; VS Code owns approval and execution
- Official CLI authentication (
grok login --device-auth) — no reimplemented OAuth
- Image input via short-lived private prompt files (not huge command-line base64)
- Native Thinking Effort selector (Low / Medium / High) when the catalog supports it
- Diagnostics: Show Status, Show Logs (no prompts, tool args, or tokens)
Compatibility
| Platform |
Status |
| macOS |
Maintainer-tested |
| Windows |
Path discovery and process args unit-tested; no maintainer Windows desktop for this release (community reports welcome — see docs/WINDOWS_TEST_CHECKLIST.md) |
| Linux |
Best-effort / community-supported — PRs welcome |
| VS Code for the Web |
Unsupported (cannot spawn a local CLI) |
| Remote SSH / Codespaces |
Unsupported until explicitly verified; the extension spawns a local Grok CLI |
VS Code: ^1.104.0 (Chat language-model provider APIs)
Prerequisites
- VS Code 1.104+
- Official Grok CLI installed and signed in once
- GitHub Copilot Chat / VS Code Chat available in the editor
Install the official Grok CLI
Follow current official docs: Grok Build overview and CLI reference.
Do not copy or move auth.json between machines. Sign in on each machine with the official CLI.
grok --version
grok login --device-auth
Install this extension
Marketplace (preferred after publication)
- Open Extensions in VS Code
- Search for Grok Subscription in Copilot Chat VS Code
- Install extension ID:
adrian-francisco-lopez.grok-vscode-chat
Marketplace auto-updates apply only to Marketplace installs.
GitHub Release / VSIX (fallback)
- Download the
.vsix and SHA256SUMS.txt from Releases
- Verify the checksum
- Extensions →
⋯ → Install from VSIX…
code --install-extension ./grok-vscode-chat-<version>.vsix --force
Manual VSIX installs do not receive normal Marketplace auto-updates.
From source
git clone https://github.com/Adrian-Francisco-Lopez/grok-vscode-chat.git
cd grok-vscode-chat
npm ci
npm test
npm run package:vsix
Sign-in and missing credentials
- Command: Grok Chat: Sign In (CLI) runs
grok login --device-auth via a VS Code task (executable + args separate; no shell string injection)
- The extension only checks that the local CLI auth file exists and parses as non-empty JSON — it does not extract, copy, log, or use token values
- On a real chat request without credentials, you get clear guidance to sign in; silent model discovery does not spam UI
Usage
Ask mode
- Open Chat
- Model dropdown → Grok (subscription) → pick a model (e.g. Grok 4.5)
- Optionally set Thinking Effort
- Ask a question; responses stream from the CLI
Agent mode
- Switch Chat to Agent
- Select the same Grok subscription model
- Grok returns tool selections; VS Code shows approvals and runs tools
- The Grok CLI’s own tools stay disabled (deny-list + empty-by-intersection allowlist)
Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
| Grok Chat: Manage / Sign In |
Status, sign-in, open chat |
| Grok Chat: Sign In (CLI) |
Official device-auth login |
| Grok Chat: Show Status |
CLI path, version, login, models |
| Grok Chat: Show Logs |
Bridge diagnostics (no prompts/tokens) |
| Grok Chat: Set Reasoning Effort |
Fallback when native selector is unavailable |
| Grok Chat: Open Subscription Usage |
Opens the official Grok usage page |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Meaning |
grokChat.cliPath |
(auto) |
Explicit path to grok / grok.exe (user-authorized override) |
grokChat.defaultModel |
grok-4.5 |
Fallback model id if the cache is empty |
grokChat.reasoningEffort |
auto |
Compatibility fallback; native model control wins when present |
grokChat.maxTurns |
0 |
Optional Ask-mode CLI turn cap; 0 = unlimited (CLI native) |
grokChat.agentDecisionMaxTurns |
0 |
Optional cap for one Agent decision; 0 = unlimited |
Security and privacy
- No extension telemetry
- No extension-owned credential storage
- Never place
auth.json, tokens, or session dumps in issues or PRs
- CLI is spawned with argument arrays and
shell: false
- See PRIVACY.md and SECURITY.md
Local session storage (Grok CLI)
The official CLI may store normal local session history under the user’s Grok data directory. That data is owned by the CLI, not this extension.
Troubleshooting
See docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md.
Known limitations
- Agent tool-selection steps are schema-constrained and can take longer than streamed Ask replies
- VS Code owns the multi-step tool loop. Tool-call steps intentionally contain no permanent
Thinking... text; the request spinner indicates work while Grok chooses the next action.
- Terminal-card expanders and image/tool-result previews (including Save buttons) are rendered by VS Code/Copilot Chat and can exhibit workbench UI issues in very long chats.
- Token counts are estimates (~4 characters/token + fixed image estimate)
- First reply may wait while the CLI process starts
- Multi-turn context is flattened into a headless prompt for
grok -p
- Linux and remote workspaces are not maintainer-certified
Contributing
Linux fixes, path discovery improvements, and verification reports are especially welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md.
License and trademarks
MIT © 2026 Adrian Francisco López
Grok, xAI, GitHub Copilot, and Visual Studio Code are trademarks of their respective owners. This project is independent and unofficial.
