Grok - External Knowledge Query

Use Grok AI to fetch real-time information, latest news, and external knowledge that may not be in your training data.

Prerequisites

Before using this skill, ensure the following:

1. OpenClaw browser enabled — verify with:

   openclaw browser status
   

2. Logged in to grok.com — the user must have already logged in to grok.com in the OpenClaw browser. This skill cannot handle login flows automatically.
3. Grok account — a free-tier Grok account is sufficient for basic queries; SuperGrok is not required.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when the user:

• Needs real-time information (news, events, product status)
• Wants reasoning and synthesis beyond what web_search can provide
• Needs multi-turn conversational research
• Asks to verify uncertain knowledge against up-to-date sources

Workflow

Step 1: Open Grok (or Reuse Existing Tab)

# Check if grok.com is already open
openclaw browser tabs

If a grok.com tab already exists, directly switch to it:

openclaw browser focus \x3Cexisting-grok-tab-id>

If not, open a new tab:

openclaw browser open https://grok.com

Both return a target id — keep this for all subsequent calls.

Step 2: Snapshot & Check Page State

openclaw browser snapshot

After taking a snapshot, check for two things before proceeding:

1. Popups / banners blocking the page (see Step 2a)
2. The input box (see Step 2b)

Step 2a: Handle Popups and Banners

Common obstructions:

• "Upgrade to SuperGrok" banner
• Login prompts
• Cookie consent dialogs

If you see any popup or banner in the snapshot:

# Find the close/dismiss button ref from snapshot, then click it
openclaw browser click \x3Cclose-button-ref>

# Verify it's gone
openclaw browser snapshot

Or try pressing Escape to dismiss overlays:

openclaw browser press Escape

Step 2b: Locate the Input Box

The Grok input box is a contenteditable div (ProseMirror editor) at the bottom of the page. In snapshot output, look for a paragraph element with placeholder text such as "How can I help you today?" (or its localized equivalent).

If you can't find the input box:

# Scroll the input box into view (if you know its ref)
openclaw browser scrollintoview \x3Cref>

# Or re-snapshot to check
openclaw browser snapshot

Step 3: Type Question

openclaw browser type \x3Cinput-ref> "What is the latest news about AI?"

Step 4: Click Send Button

Important: Grok uses Enter for newline, NOT for sending. You must click the send button (the circular ⬆ icon button to the right of the input box).

# After typing, snapshot to find the send button ref
openclaw browser snapshot

# Click the send button — look for the "Submit" button near the input box
openclaw browser click \x3Csend-button-ref>

Do NOT use press Enter or --submit — they only insert a newline in Grok's input box.

Step 5: Wait for Response and Capture

While Grok is generating, a "Stop response" button replaces the voice button next to the input box. When it disappears, the response is complete. A "Regenerate" button appearing confirms completion.

Important: Do NOT use wait --text-gone or wait --fn with long timeouts — the browser tool call has a timeout limit and will fail before the wait finishes. Use short waits + snapshot polling instead.

Poll until response is complete:

# 1. Wait 10 seconds
openclaw browser wait --time 10000

# 2. Snapshot and check for completion
openclaw browser snapshot
# Look for "Regenerate" button → response is done
# If "Stop response" button is still visible → still generating, repeat from step 1

Repeat the wait-then-snapshot cycle until you see completion indicators or 5 minutes have elapsed:

• Done: "Regenerate", "Read aloud", "Copy" buttons appear
• Still generating: "Stop response" button is present, or content is still growing
• Timeout: If 5 minutes pass with no completion, stop polling and inform the user that the Grok response timed out

Note on localized UI: Button text depends on Grok UI language:

• English: "Stop response" / "Regenerate"
• Chinese: "停止模型响应" / "Regenerate"

Handling Image Responses

If the snapshot contains img elements in the response area (e.g. from Grok's Imagine feature), extract the image URL:

openclaw browser evaluate --fn "(el) => el.src" --ref \x3Cimg-ref>

Multi-turn Conversation

Stay in the same tab to maintain conversation context. Grok understands follow-up questions that reference earlier messages.

# 1. Make sure you're on the correct tab
openclaw browser focus \x3Ctarget-id>

# 2. Snapshot to find the input box (placeholder changes to "Ask anything" in follow-ups)
openclaw browser snapshot

# 3. Type your follow-up question
openclaw browser type \x3Cinput-ref> "What about tomorrow?"

# 4. Snapshot to find the "Submit" button and click it
openclaw browser snapshot
openclaw browser click \x3Csend-button-ref>

# 5. Wait and poll for completion (repeat until "Regenerate" appears)
openclaw browser wait --time 10000
openclaw browser snapshot

Note: The input box and submit button refs change between turns — always snapshot to get fresh refs before typing or clicking.

Error Handling

Common Use Cases

• Quick fact check: "What is the capital of France?"
• Latest news: "What are the top tech news today?"
• Real-time info: "What's the current status of [event]?"
• Complex research: Break into multiple queries in the same session

Tips

• Session persistence: Stay in the same tab for multi-turn conversations
• Must click send: Grok's Enter key is newline, always click the ⬆ send button to submit
• Long responses: May need to scroll down and take additional snapshots
• Pre-login: User should be logged in to grok.com beforehand for best results
• Screenshot: Use openclaw browser screenshot if you need visual confirmation

Alternative: Direct Web Search

For simpler queries, consider using web_search tool first (faster, no browser needed).

Use Grok when you need:

• Reasoning and synthesis
• Multi-step analysis
• Conversational follow-up
• Complex explanations