Grok Vision

Analyze images using xAI Grok’s vision capabilities.

Overview

Sends an image — from binary data attached to the item, or from a URL — along with a text prompt to xAI’s Grok API, and returns the model’s text analysis of the image. The response text is stored in a configurable output field (default: “response”) along with the model name and token usage.

Category: AI
Tool Name: grok_vision
Version: 1

Appearance: Icon: brain | Color: #000000

Node Type

Action (Binary) — handles file/binary data operations

Input / Output

Direction	Port(s)
Input	Input
Output	Output, Error

Credentials

This tool requires xAI credentials. See the Credentials Guide for setup instructions.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
Model	options	No	Platform default	The Grok vision model to use for image analysis.
				Options: the Grok chat models currently available — the dropdown tracks the model catalog, so it changes as xAI’s line-up changes.
System Prompt	string	No	—	Optional system message to set the model’s behavior and context for image analysis. Supports expressions like {{ $json.persona }}.
User Message	string	No	Describe this image in detail	The text prompt to send alongside the image. Describes what analysis to perform. Supports expressions.
Image Source	options	No	binary	Where to get the image — from binary data in the input item or from a URL.
				Options: binary (read image from binary data attached to the input item), url (provide an image URL for Grok to analyze)
Binary Property Name	string	No	data	The name of the binary property containing the image data. Names are case-sensitive — see the upstream node’s Binary Data panel for the exact names to use. (shown when Image Source is binary)
Image URL	string	No	—	URL of the image to analyze. Falls back to item.imageUrl if empty. Supports expressions. (shown when Image Source is url)
Options	collection	No	{}	Optional generation and output settings — add only the fields you want to override.
— Max Tokens	number	No	4096	Maximum number of tokens to generate in the response.
— Temperature	number	No	—	Sampling temperature (0-2). Lower values are more deterministic. Left unset, the model’s own default applies.
— Image Detail	options	No	auto	Controls the detail level for image processing. “auto” lets the model decide.
				Options: auto (automatically determine detail level), low (faster processing, lower cost), high (best quality, higher cost)
— Response Field Name	string	No	response	The output field name where the vision analysis text will be stored.
Include Input	boolean	No	false	Whether to include the original input item fields in the output alongside the response.
Max Concurrency	number	No	5	Maximum number of items to process concurrently. Lower values recommended for vision due to larger payloads.

Output Data

One output item per input item. The analysis text is written to the field named by Response Field Name (response by default). The rest of the input JSON is carried over only when Include Input is on; the input item’s binary data is forwarded untouched — this node reads images, it does not produce them.

• response — the model’s text analysis of the image, under whatever name Response Field Name is set to.
• model — the model that produced the analysis.
• usage — the token counts reported by xAI for the request.

Reference the result downstream by expression, e.g. {{ $json.response }}.

Usage Examples

• Describe what is in an uploaded image using Grok
• Extract text from a screenshot with Grok vision
• Classify product images by category
• Analyze social media images for content
• Identify objects in photos from URLs

Example Configuration

Describe an image that arrived as binary data:

{
  "type": "grok_vision",
  "parameters": {
    "imageSource": "binary",
    "binaryPropertyName": "data",
    "userMessage": "Describe this image in detail"
  }
}

Read fine detail out of a screenshot and keep the source fields:

{
  "type": "grok_vision",
  "parameters": {
    "imageSource": "binary",
    "binaryPropertyName": "screenshot",
    "systemPrompt": "You are an OCR engine. Extract all text exactly as it appears.",
    "userMessage": "Extract all text from this document image.",
    "includeInput": true,
    "maxConcurrency": 2,
    "options": {
      "maxTokens": 4096,
      "temperature": 0,
      "detail": "high",
      "responseFieldName": "extractedText"
    }
  }
}

Classify remote images cheaply, one per item:

{
  "type": "grok_vision",
  "parameters": {
    "imageSource": "url",
    "imageUrl": "{{ $json.imageUrl }}",
    "systemPrompt": "Classify the image as one of: electronics, clothing, furniture, food, other. Reply with only the category.",
    "userMessage": "What category does this product belong to?",
    "includeInput": true,
    "options": {
      "maxTokens": 16,
      "temperature": 0,
      "detail": "low",
      "responseFieldName": "category"
    }
  }
}

Error Handling

Mode	Behavior
stop	Halts workflow on first error
continue	Skips failed items, passes successful ones through
errorPort	Routes failed items to Error output port

Tips

Grok Vision analyzes images by sending binary data or direct URL references alongside a text prompt to the xAI Grok completions API, supporting base64-encoded data URIs. Use it when a workflow step requires visual understanding, such as reading text in images, describing scenes, or answering questions grounded in visual content. Produces a configurable output field containing the model text analysis, along with the model name and token usage statistics.