Prepare for the X Search tool pricing change

Today the x_search server-side tool bills at $5 per 1k calls, same shape as web search and code execution on the tools pricing table. That changes on September 21, 2026 at 12:00 PM PT.

After the cutover

Starting that timestamp, X Search bills by what the tool returns, not by call count:

Meter	Rate
Posts fetched	$5 / 1k posts
User profiles fetched	$10 / 1k profiles

Every post returned by a search or thread fetch counts, including parent and quoted posts. Every profile returned by a user search counts.

What to change before Sep 21

1. Inventory agentic jobs that enable x_search (Responses tools: [{ "type": "x_search" }] or the xAI SDK x_search() helper).
2. Tighten parameters that inflate returned volume: allowed_x_handles / excluded_x_handles (max 20 each), from_date / to_date (ISO8601), and avoid enabling image/video understanding unless the task needs it — those flags expand what the agent pulls in. Details: X Search.
3. Cap agent loops with max_turns so one user question cannot spawn unbounded search turns — see Limit agentic tool turns with max_turns.
4. Read server_side_tool_usage after each run to see how many successful X Search invocations ran; failed attempts are not billed as successful usage — see Read server-side tool usage on Grok API responses.
5. Re-estimate cost: a single call that returns many posts/profiles can cost more than one call that returns few.

Pitfalls

• Budgeting only with the old $5 / 1k calls number after the cutover.
• Ignoring parent/quoted posts in the returned set when forecasting post volume.
• Leaving date filters and handle allowlists unset on high-frequency automation.