grok-build

Grok Build Orchestration

When to Use

• Use when delegating a well-specified implementation task to xAI's Grok Build CLI running headlessly
• Use when executing a Markdown implementation plan task-by-task with a diff review after each task
• Use when the user says "use grok", "grok build", "have grok implement", or "send to grok"

The coding assistant is the orchestrator: it plans, writes self-contained task specs, dispatches them to Grok Build headlessly, reviews every diff, and owns the final result. Grok is the fast, cheap executor. Full CLI details and verified behaviors: references/cli.md.

Safety Gate

Before every dispatch, show the user the exact task specification that will be sent to xAI, the target worktree, and the permission mode. Obtain explicit approval to disclose that text and to let Grok edit the scoped worktree. Never include secrets, proprietary source, customer data, or credentials in a task specification. Do not run grok update, --always-approve, or a destructive recovery command without separate, explicit approval.

When to delegate vs keep with the orchestrator

Delegate to Grok	Keep with the orchestrator
Plan tasks with clear acceptance criteria	Ambiguous requirements, architecture decisions
Boilerplate, scaffolding, CRUD	Deep cross-file debugging
Mechanical refactors	Security-sensitive code
Test writing from clear specs	Anything touching production infrastructure
UI components from mockups/specs	Tasks where writing the spec ≈ doing the work

When in doubt, keep it with the orchestrator.

Session preflight (once, before the first dispatch)

1. grok update --check --json — if updateAvailable is true, tell the user. Run grok update only after explicit approval, then confirm with grok --version.
2. grok models — if it errors or reports logged out, STOP and ask the user to run grok login.

Per-task loop (sequential — the default)

1. Spec. Write a self-contained task file (template below) to a temp directory OUTSIDE the target repo — the harness scratchpad if one is available, else the OS temp dir. Never write it inside the target repo. Grok has zero conversation context: no one-liner prompts, ever.

   • POSIX: mkdir -p "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/grok-specs", then write task.md there.
   • Windows (PowerShell): New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:TEMP\grok-specs", then write task.md there.

2. Clean state. No uncommitted source changes — commit or stash first, so the post-run diff is exactly Grok's work. Ignore build artifacts (__pycache__, dist/, etc.); if they show in git status, they're usually just un-gitignored, not your concern. Never dispatch on a dirty source tree.

3. Dispatch.

   POSIX:

   grok --prompt-file <task-file> \
     --output-format json \
     --always-approve \
     --max-turns 30 \
     --cwd <repo>
   

   Windows (PowerShell) — backtick line-continuation:

   grok --prompt-file <task-file> `
     --output-format json `
     --always-approve `
     --max-turns 30 `
     --cwd <repo>
   

   Parse the JSON output and save sessionId. (--always-approve is required for headless runs — --permission-mode acceptEdits silently cancels edits with no interactive approver. Use it only after the user explicitly approves Grok editing this exact scoped worktree. See references/cli.md.) For a high-stakes task, add --check so Grok self-verifies before you review; skip it otherwise (it ~doubles latency).

4. Review gate — non-negotiable.

   • Read the diff yourself (git diff -- <files from the spec> to skip artifact noise): does it do the task, only the task, and match repo conventions?
   • Run the acceptance commands from the spec.
   • Pass → commit with a clear message following the repo's convention → next task.
   • Fail → ask the user before a fix-up or any reset. Never run git checkout -- . or git clean -fd automatically; preserve the diff for review and use a non-destructive recovery plan unless the user explicitly authorizes otherwise.

Task spec template

# Task: <one-line title>

## Context
- Repo: <path> — <one line on what the project is>
- Conventions: <test runner, formatter, a good example file to imitate>

## Files
- Modify: <path>
- Create: <path>

## Task
<precise description of the change>

## Constraints
- Do not modify any files other than those listed above.
- <other constraints>

## Acceptance criteria
- `<exact command>` <expected result>

Executing a Markdown implementation plan

• One plan task per dispatch, in order.
• Check off the plan's task checkboxes (- [ ] → - [x]) as each task lands and passes the review gate.
• If the plan explicitly marks tasks as independent, see Parallel dispatch below; otherwise stay sequential.

Parallel dispatch (opt-in exception, not the default)

Only when a plan explicitly marks tasks independent: dispatch each with --worktree=<task-slug>, run concurrently, then review and merge one worktree at a time through the same review gate. Merge conflicts usually eat the savings — prefer sequential.

Failure handling

Failure	Action
stopReason: "Cancelled", empty text, no diff	Missing --always-approve — retry with it
CLI error / timeout	Retry once; then do the task yourself and note the fallback
Auth expired	Stop; ask the user to run grok login
2 fix-up rounds exhausted	Preserve the diff, ask the user for a recovery decision, then finish the task manually if authorized
Dirty tree at dispatch	Refuse; commit/stash first

Limitations

• Grok receives the approved task specification; it is a third-party service and should not receive secrets, proprietary material, personal data, or customer data.
• --always-approve allows edits without an interactive approval prompt. It must be limited to a clean, explicitly approved worktree and never substitutes for the orchestrator's review.
• Model output can be incorrect, insecure, incomplete, or out of scope. Review the diff and run the acceptance checks before accepting any change.
• This skill does not authorize installations, updates, commits, pushes, deployments, or destructive cleanup.

Models

Default grok-4.5. Add -m grok-composer-2.5-fast only for trivial mechanical tasks.