What does an xAI key unlock in BackTalk?

It scores and categorises every new mention with Grok instead of the free offline scorer, and re-scores existing mentions once.

How much does it cost?

You're billed by xAI at their token rates with no markup. Grok 4.20 (non-reasoning) at ~$1.25/$2.50 per million input/output tokens is the recommended default for sentiment.

Why was my xAI key rejected?

Usually no credits on the xAI account, or a revoked key. Add billing, recreate the key, and re-paste.

Is my API key stored securely?

Your key is encrypted at rest and only decrypted server-side at the moment it's used. The plaintext never reaches your browser and is never logged. Settings shows only a masked hint.

xAI (Grok) key

Bring your own xAI key to score and categorise mentions with Grok. Without an AI key, BackTalk uses a free offline word-list scorer; a Grok key upgrades every new signal to AI sentiment, categories, and priority.

What it unlocks

AI sentiment (positive / neutral / negative) instead of the offline lexicon.
Category and priority tagging on each mention.
A one-time background re-score of your existing mentions when you save the key.

Your workspace runs on one AI key at a time. Saving a Grok key replaces whichever provider was active before.

Get your API key

Sign in to the xAI Console.
Add a payment method or credits under Billing (API usage is separate from an X or Grok subscription). New accounts usually include free trial credits, so you can often start without adding funds.
Open API Keys, choose Create API Key, and copy it. The key starts with xai-… and is shown only once.

Add it in BackTalk

Go to Settings and find the Grok (xAI) card under AI providers.
Pick a model (see below) and paste your xai-… key.
Save. BackTalk sends one tiny test request to confirm the key and model, then stores the key encrypted and starts the background re-score.

Models & cost

Billed by xAI directly at their token rates, with no markup from BackTalk. List prices (USD per million input / output tokens):

Grok 4.20 (non-reasoning): ~$1.25 / $2.50. No reasoning overhead; the right default for sentiment.
Grok 4.3: ~$1.25 / $2.50. Newest flagship.

Troubleshooting

"The provider rejected that API key." Wrong or revoked key, or no credits on the xAI account. Recreate the key and add billing.
"That model isn't available on this key." Pick Grok 4.20 (non-reasoning), which is the lightest option for scoring.
Key check failed. Usually missing credits. Top up in the console, then retry.

Your key stays private. It's encrypted at rest and only decrypted server-side when a scoring call runs. It is never returned to your browser and never logged. Settings shows only a masked hint.

Rotating your key: create a new key in the xAI Console, paste it into Settings to replace the old one, then revoke the previous key.