/grok-delegate

name: grok-delegate
description: >-
  Delegate a coding task to the Grok Build CLI as a background implementer, then review its diff and
  land it yourself. Use this whenever the user wants to hand implementation work to Grok — phrasings
  like "have Grok do X", "delegate this to Grok", "run it through Grok", "use Grok Build to
  implement/fix/refactor", or "have grok CLI do this" — or to run a queue of coding tasks through
  Grok while staying the reviewer. Prefer it when the user will review the diff and commit it
  themselves. DO NOT USE for tasks small enough to do inline, or when the user wants the code written
  directly without delegating.
license: MIT
compatibility: Requires the `grok` CLI (Grok Build) installed and authenticated (`grok login`, or `XAI_API_KEY`; beta access needs an eligible xAI subscription), Node 18+, and git. The orchestrating agent must be able to run shell commands and read files. Shell examples assume bash/zsh (macOS/Linux, or Git Bash/WSL on Windows).
metadata:
  version: 0.4.2

Grok Delegate

You are the **orchestrator**. This skill lets you hand a bounded coding task to a separate **implementer** — the Grok Build CLI (`grok`) — then review what it produced and land it yourself. You write the brief and own the judgment; Grok does the typing under an explicit autonomy profile; you verify and commit.

Nothing here is specific to one orchestrating agent. The loop needs only the ability to run a shell command and read a file, so it works the same whether you are Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode with a selected model, or any comparable agent. (It is designed for Claude Code and Cursor; treat other orchestrators as designed-for, not yet proven.)

When NOT to use this

• The task is small enough to just do inline — delegation overhead is not worth it.
• The `grok` CLI is not installed, not authenticated, or the account lacks Grok Build beta access.
• You want to write the code yourself, or you only need a review without an implementer run.

Prerequisites (check once)

1. `grok version` succeeds. If not, install on any platform with `npm i -g @xai-official/grok` (or use the installer from xAI's official Grok CLI docs) and authenticate (`grok login`, or `grok login --device-auth` on headless hosts, or set `XAI_API_KEY`). 2. **Confirm which `grok` is on PATH.** `command -v grok` shows the active binary and `grok version` its version — the relay records the version it ran into `result.json`, so a stale binary is visible after the fact. 3. You are in (or will point `--cd` at) the target git repository.

The loop

Run these five steps per task. Steps 1, 4, and 5 are your judgment; 2 and 3 are mechanical.

1. Write the brief

Grok sees **only** the text you send — no orchestrator chat history, no shared context. Everything the task needs goes in the brief: the goal, the current state, what to change, what to leave untouched, the project's **actual** gate commands (discover them from the repo's CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md/Makefile — do not assume), and a report contract. Tell Grok it will **not** commit (you will). Keep one task per brief. Full guidance and a template: [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md).

2. Dispatch

Send the brief to Grok with the bundled helper. It wraps `grok -p`, captures the run, and writes a structured `result.json` — so your only job is "run a command, read a file." (`<skill-dir>` below is this skill's installed directory — the folder containing this `SKILL.md`, i.e. the directory you loaded the skill from. Claude Code prints it as "Base directory for this skill" when the skill loads; on other orchestrators use that same directory — if unsure where it landed, run `find ~ -name relay.mjs -path '*grok-delegate*'` and substitute the directory above it.)

node "<skill-dir>/scripts/relay.mjs" --brief brief.txt --cd /path/to/repo
# read-only (review/diagnosis; best-effort — verify touchedFiles): add --read-only
# continue the previous Grok session:       add --resume-last  (send only the delta brief)
# hard time limit (watchdog):               add --timeout 2h  (default: off; implementation runs routinely need 1-2h)
# see all options:                          node .../relay.mjs --help

The helper defaults to a write-capable (`workspace-write`) autonomy profile — `--always-approve` plus `--sandbox workspace` — and writes its artifacts to a temp dir, so the repo under review stays clean. It **never commits** — see step 5. Mechanics, flags, and the `result.json` shape: [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md).

3. Wait for completion

The helper blocks until Grok finishes, so back it with whatever your orchestrator offers and resume when it returns:

• **Claude Code:** run the Bash call with `run_in_background: true`; you are notified on completion.
• **Plain shell / other agents:** run it in the foreground for short tasks, or background it and poll

the result file — `… &` in bash/zsh (including Git Bash/WSL), or your shell's equivalent (`Start-Job` in PowerShell, `start /b` in cmd). The run is done when `result.json` exists with a `status`. (A pre-run usage error — bad args or an empty brief — instead exits with code 2 and a stderr message and writes no result file, so check the exit code too. A missing `grok` binary exits 127 but *does* write a `result.json` with status `grok_unavailable`.)

Do not trust progress trackers over reality: a run is finished when `result.json` is written and the process has exited. Read the working tree, not a status line. The implementer's full report is the `finalMessage` field in `result.json` (also printed in full on stdout between the report markers).

4. Review — do not trust the self-report

Grok's `result.json` includes its own summary and gate claims. **Re-verify, don't accept:**

• **Re-run the project's gates yourself** (the test/lint/build commands from step 1). Never take

"gates passed" on fa