Grok Build CLI found uploading whole directories to xAI cloud storage

Users found that running the Grok Build CLI in a directory could upload that entire directory to xAI Google Cloud buckets, and one user reported it uploading the contents of their home directory. xAI disabled default data retention from July 12, said it is deleting all previously retained coding data, and released the Grok Build code under Apache 2.0 on July 15. The Hacker News thread drew 439 points.

Who is affected:

Developers who ran Grok Build before July 12, 2026, especially in folders holding secrets.

Action needed:

Rotate any credentials that sat in folders where you ran Grok Build before July 12, 2026.