The X and Grok logos. Image: X logo and Grok logo via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
X has started paying people to build AI agents, not just to post. Its new Grok Bot Template Rewards pilot pays creators when other people use the Grok Bot templates they share on X, according to the program terms X published on Friday. Reward size depends on real usage, not likes or views, and it’s invite-only for now.
What’s new
Grok Bot is SpaceXAI’s AI agent, which can take on tasks and routines for you. Since August 28, users have been able to package a bot they’ve set up as a template and share it with a link, so anyone can install their own copy with one click. Now X wants to reward the people making the useful ones.
The terms describe “a limited pilot for evaluation purposes” that started on September 25 and will run for “approximately two months.” X says it will determine rewards “initially every two weeks,” and the payouts go through the same creator payment system it uses for its Original Content Rewards program, into your X Money balance. The two programs are otherwise separate.
How rewards are worked out
SpaceXAI’s announcement, as reported by Basenor, says two things count: how many people use your bots, and how often they keep coming back. The terms add some important exclusions. Your own use doesn’t count, and neither does use by accounts X links to you, by staff at X, SpaceXAI or Cursor, or by people on free trials.
X is also clear that this isn’t a salary. “This is not a revenue share,” the terms say. Payments are “discretionary rewards in amounts and on a basis determined solely by X,” X can change the formula at any time, and it doesn’t have to treat creators consistently.
Who can take part
During the pilot you need an invitation. You also have to:
- Be in the US: at least 18, in a state where X Money is supported.
- Pay for X: have an eligible X Premium subscription, or be an affiliate of an eligible Premium Business.
- Use X Money: set up an account that can receive payments, including identity checks and tax forms.
- Keep it public: the X post with your template link must stay public and unedited for 30 days after any period it earned you a reward.
- Label it: promotional posts must carry X’s paid partnership label.
The small print
As with the new Grok terms we looked at on Friday, the details matter. By joining, you give X, SpaceXAI and Cursor a worldwide, royalty-free license to host, copy, modify and distribute your templates, and to use your name and handle to promote them, even though you keep ownership. X can claw back payments if it decides you broke the rules, including from your other X earnings. Gaming the numbers with your own accounts or bots is banned, and disputes go to arbitration with a class action waiver.
If you want to try templates yourself first, our guide to Grok Bot explains how to get started.
Why it matters
X is betting that paying for usage, rather than engagement, will build a library of AI agents people actually rely on, much as app stores did for apps. It’s a small, invite-only pilot for now, but if it works it could turn X into a marketplace for AI tools as well as posts.
Sources: X Grok Bot Template Rewards Terms, Basenor, AI Builder Club.
