Grok Search

Enhanced web search via Grok API. Standalone CLI only (no MCP dependency).

Implementation Layout

• scripts/groksearch_cli.py - CLI entrypoint and compatibility facade
• scripts/groksearch/ - internal modules for config, HTTP retry, Grok provider, Tavily calls, formatting, and commands

Execution Methods

Run scripts/groksearch_cli.py via Bash:

# Prerequisites: pip install httpx tenacity
# Environment: GROK_API_URL, GROK_API_KEY (required); TAVILY_API_KEY (optional)

# Web search (Grok only)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_search --query "search terms" [--platform "GitHub"] [--min-results 3] [--max-results 10]

# Web search with Tavily extra sources (parallel + URL-deduplicated merge)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_search --query "..." --extra-sources 5

# Fetch webpage (default: Grok)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_fetch --url "https://..." [--out file.md]

# Fetch via Tavily extract endpoint
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_fetch --url "https://..." --via tavily

# Map a website's structure (Tavily)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_map --url "https://docs.example.com" [--instructions "API only"] [--max-depth 2] [--max-breadth 20] [--limit 50] [--timeout 150]

# Crawl a website's pages with extraction (Tavily; own 100 RPM limit)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_crawl --url "https://docs.example.com" [--instructions "API only"] [--max-depth 2] [--limit 50] [--select-paths "/docs/.*"] [--exclude-paths "/blog/.*"] [--timeout 150]

# Run a cited research task (Tavily; async submit + poll; own 20 RPM limit)
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py web_research --input "question to investigate" [--model mini|pro|auto] [--output-length short|standard|long] [--citation-format numbered|mla|apa|chicago] [--output-schema schema.json]

# Check config
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py get_config_info [--no-test]

# Switch model
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py switch_model --model "grok-2-latest"

# Toggle built-in tools
python scripts/groksearch_cli.py toggle_builtin_tools --action on|off|status [--root /path/to/project]

Tool Routing Policy

Forced Replacement Rules

Scenario	Disabled	Force Use
Web Search	WebSearch	CLI web_search
Web Fetch	WebFetch	CLI web_fetch

Tool Capability Matrix

Tool	Parameters	Output
web_search	query(required), platform/min_results/max_results(optional), extra_sources(int, 0=disabled)	[{title,url,description,provider?}]
web_fetch	url(required), out(optional), via(grok|tavily, default grok)	Structured Markdown
web_map	url(required), instructions/max_depth/max_breadth/limit/timeout(optional)	{base_url,results,response_time} JSON
web_crawl	url(required), instructions/max_depth/max_breadth/limit/select_paths/exclude_paths/timeout(optional; unset falls back to TAVILY_CRAWL_*)	{base_url,results,response_time,usage?} JSON
web_research	input(required), model/output_length/citation_format(optional; unset falls back to TAVILY_RESEARCH_*)	{request_id,status,content,sources,usage?} JSON
get_config_info	no_test(optional)	{api_url,status,connection_test,tavily_*}
switch_model	model(required)	{previous_model,current_model}
toggle_builtin_tools	action(on/off/status), root(optional)	{blocked,deny_list}

Search Workflow

Phase 1: Query Construction

• Intent Recognition: Broad search → web_search | Deep retrieval → web_fetch
• Parameter Optimization: Set platform for specific sources, adjust result counts

Phase 2: Search Execution

1. Start with web_search for structured summaries
2. Use web_fetch on key URLs if summaries insufficient
3. Retry with adjusted query if first round unsatisfactory

Phase 3: URL Verification & Hallucination Guard (MANDATORY)

Background: Grok API calls without explicit web-search activation return results from parametric memory, which frequently fabricates URLs (observed 25% liveness rate in testing). All Grok-returned URLs MUST be verified before citation.

Verification Protocol:

1. URL Liveness Check: Issue HEAD/GET request to each Grok-returned URL; non-2xx status = unreliable
2. Tavily Fallback Triggers (invoke web_search with --extra-sources N when ANY apply):
   • URL liveness rate < 50% in Grok results
   • Query contains version numbers, release dates, API signatures, or "latest"/"recent" temporal markers (high hallucination surface)
   • Multiple Grok runs return contradictory URLs for the same factual claim
   • Grok result descriptions contain specifics (dates/versions/methods) that cannot be confirmed from live URLs
3. Tavily Grounding: When triggered, re-run the same query with --extra-sources 5-10 to obtain Tavily search results; prioritize these over failed Grok URLs
4. Content Extraction: For critical factual claims, use web_fetch --via tavily on verified URLs to extract authoritative source text

Citation Discipline:

• ONLY verified-live URLs may appear in final output
• Fabricated Grok URLs must be dropped entirely (do not present them with a disclaimer; omit them)
• When Tavily sources replace Grok sources, cite Tavily URLs and mark provider as tavily
• For time-sensitive queries with no live sources, state "Unable to verify current information" rather than citing dead links

Phase 4: Result Synthesis

1. Cross-reference multiple sources
2. Must annotate source and date for time-sensitive info
3. Must include source URLs: Title [<sup>1</sup>](URL)

Error Handling

Error	Recovery
Connection Failure	Run get_config_info, verify API URL/Key
No Results	Broaden search terms
Fetch Timeout	Try alternative sources

Anti-Patterns

Prohibited	Correct
No source citation	Include Source [<sup>1</sup>](URL)
Give up after one failure	Retry at least once
Use built-in WebSearch/WebFetch	Use GrokSearch tools/CLI