Setting Up Grok

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This guide takes you from wherever you are right now to a working Grok inside Quiper — no prior setup assumed. The goal is simple: after you follow these steps, Grok works. It covers the full path, from installing Quiper (if you don't have it) to creating an xAI account (if you don't have one) to signing in inside the overlay.

NOTE

xAI ships Grok on the web at grok.com and in the iOS and Android apps (see x.ai/grok: "Available on Web, iOS and Android"). As of August 2026 there is no standalone consumer Grok app for macOS — the Mac app job listing and "native X and Grok apps for macOS are in development" reports refer to unreleased work, and the existing "Grok Bot" desktop app for macOS/Windows is a separate agentic product that requires an eligible plan (SuperGrok Plus, SuperGrok Heavy, etc.) and is not the chat assistant this guide sets up (see docs.x.ai/grok-bot/get-started). This guide is for running grok.com inside Quiper, where it shares an overlay with your other engines. Grok is free to start; paid SuperGrok plans raise limits and unlock more models and features (see docs.x.ai/grok/overview and x.ai/pricing).

• Starting point: what do you already have?
• 1. Install Quiper
• 2. Launch Quiper
• 3. Create an xAI account (only if you don't have one)
• 4. Open Grok in Quiper
• 5. Sign in to Grok inside Quiper
• 6. Verify Grok works
• Troubleshooting

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Starting point: what do you already have?

Pick the section that matches your situation and start there. You can skip anything marked "only if you don't have this yet."

If you…	Start with
Haven't installed Quiper	Step 1: Install Quiper
Installed Quiper but never launched it	Step 2: Launch Quiper
Launched Quiper but don't see Grok	Step 4: Open Grok in Quiper
Don't have an xAI/Grok account	Step 3: Create an xAI account
Already signed in to Grok	Skip ahead to Verify Grok works

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1. Install Quiper

Requirements: macOS 14.6 (Sonoma) or newer. No other hardware requirements.

1. Download the latest disk image from the releases page (Quiper.dmg).
2. Double-click the downloaded .dmg to mount it.
3. Drag Quiper.app into your Applications folder.
4. (Optional but recommended) Verify the download came from this repository's CI:

   gh attestation verify Quiper.dmg --repo sassanh/quiper

5. Double-click Quiper.app in Applications to launch it. If macOS warns about an app from an unidentified developer, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

TIP

Built Quiper from source or running the Debug build? The setup steps below are identical.

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2. Launch Quiper

1. Launch Quiper. It runs as a menu-bar application — you'll see its icon in the top-right menu bar. By default a Dock icon appears only while the overlay is open; set Dock visibility to Always or Never under Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Appearance.
2. When macOS asks to allow notifications, click Allow. Quiper needs this to show native notifications when a Grok generation finishes in the background. (You can change this later under System Settings → Notifications.)
3. Open the overlay by pressing ⌥ Space (Option + Space). If the hotkey doesn't respond, Quiper needs Accessibility permission — see Troubleshooting.
4. Dismiss the overlay with ⌥ Space again, ⌘ H, or ⌘ Q.

The overlay is now your home base: press ⌥ Space from any app to summon it.

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3. Create an xAI account (only if you don't have one)

Grok runs on your xAI account. If you already use Grok on the web or in the mobile apps, skip this step.

Grok offers four sign-in methods on the same xAI account system — X, Google, Apple, and email. You only need one of them: you don't need an X Premium subscription, and you don't need an X account if you prefer Google, Apple, or email. Create your account at accounts.x.ai/sign-up?redirect=grok-com and follow the prompts there.

You can also create an account later from inside Quiper — the sign-in screen in the next step offers the same Sign up link.

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4. Open Grok in Quiper

Grok ships as a built-in engine template, so on a fresh install it's already in your engine selector — no configuration needed.

1. Press ⌥ Space to open the overlay.
2. Click the Grok tab in the engine selector at the top. (If you've registered an engine hotkey in Settings → Shortcuts → Engine Hotkeys, press it to jump straight to Grok.)
3. A session tab opens and Quiper automatically places the keyboard cursor inside Grok's prompt field, ready to type.

NOTE

Don't see a Grok tab? On a fresh install all default engines are preloaded, but if Grok was removed earlier you can add it again: open Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Engines, click Add Engine, choose Blank, set the name to Grok and the URL to https://grok.com, then save. See Managing Engines for the focus selector (textarea[aria-label='Ask Grok anything'], textarea, div[contenteditable='true']) and custom CSS defaults.

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5. Sign in to Grok inside Quiper

You sign in directly to xAI from inside the overlay — Quiper never sees or stores your password.

1. With the Grok tab open, click Sign in.
2. Choose your sign-in method — X, Google, Apple, or email — and complete the provider's flow. Quiper keeps both the xAI account pages and the accounts.google.com and x.com login flows inside the overlay via built-in routing rules, so you won't be bounced out to a browser.
3. If you chose X, authorize xAI to connect to your X account. If you chose Google or Apple, complete the OAuth consent screen. For email, enter the code sent to your inbox.
4. Complete any remaining xAI steps — verification, profile setup, or subscription prompt (you can stay on the free tier) — and you'll land on the Grok chat page.

Once signed in, the Grok chat interface loads inside the overlay and stays signed in across sessions. Your conversations, settings, and subscription (if any) stay in sync across grok.com and the mobile apps on the same xAI account (see docs.x.ai/grok/overview: "Sign in once and your conversations, settings, and subscription stay in sync across every platform").

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6. Verify Grok works

1. Press ⌥ Space to open the overlay (if it isn't already open).
2. Confirm the Grok tab is active and the prompt field is focused.
3. Type a test message — for example, "Reply with OK" — and press Enter.
4. Wait for the response to stream in. A generated answer means Grok is fully working in Quiper.

Optional refinements after sign-in

• Native notifications: Background generations surface as macOS notifications (requires the permission you granted in Step 2).
• Persistent sessions: Use ⌘ 1–⌘ 0 to keep up to ten separate Grok threads alive. See Daily Workflow & Shortcuts.
• Native look: Enable the transparent-background CSS in Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Engines → Grok → Custom CSS and a matching vibrancy material under Settings → Appearance.
• Extra privacy: Lock Grok's local data behind Touch ID under Settings → Engines → Grok → Secure Storage (the Encrypt Local Storage toggle). See Touch ID & Security.

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely fix
⌥ Space doesn't open the overlay	Grant Quiper Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, then re-bind the hotkey in Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Shortcuts.
X or Google sign-in bounces to Safari	The x.com or accounts.google.com Internal routing rule is missing or reordered. Add it back in Settings → Engines → Grok → Domain Routing (defaults: ^https?://([^/]*\.)?x\.com(/|$) and ^https?://([^/]*\.)?accounts\.google\.com(/|$) → Internal), or see Keeping Sign-In Inside the Overlay for right-click and ask-first alternatives.
No Grok tab in the selector	Re-add the engine manually (see Step 4).
Focus doesn't land in the prompt field	The focus selector is stale. Reset it in Settings → Engines → Grok → Prompt Input (enable Use Latest Default) and reload with ⌘ R.
No notifications for finished replies	Check System Settings → Notifications → Quiper is set to Banners or Alerts.
Sign-in loops or shows the wrong account	You signed in with a different provider than the one that owns the subscription (Apple vs. Google vs. X vs. email create separate identities). Sign out in the overlay and sign in again with the original provider, or link providers at accounts.x.ai. See docs.x.ai/grok/faq (weekly usage, billing, and account linking).

For anything else, see Troubleshooting & Diagnostics.