Grok image model retires Nov 2: migrate safely

The xAI pricing page, as summarized by aipricing.guru, says the legacy grok-imagine-image-quality model retires on November 2, 2026, and that rates fall from $0.05 per 1K image and $0.07 per 2K image to Image 2.0 low pricing. If you depend on a retiring id, move before that date and pin the replacement explicitly.

What is retiring

The tracker page lists the retirement date and the old rates. It does not give the Image 2.0 low price in the line used here, so read xAI's own pricing before you budget.

A migration routine that works on any API

Retirements bite when a model id is hard-coded in several places or when an alias silently changes behavior. These steps apply regardless of vendor.

• Search your code and configs for the old id and for any alias of it.
• Move the id into one setting so a change is a one-line edit.
• Call the provider's model list and confirm that the replacement exists and accepts the parameters you send.
• Run a fixed set of prompts through old and new ids and compare cost and output by eye.
• Switch traffic, then delete the old id so a late retirement cannot surprise you.

How Sume handles ids

On Sume, GET /v1/images/models lists the catalog with supported_parameters per model, and GET /v1/images/models/{model_id}/endpoints returns the definitive parameter set and pricing lines. Pin an org/slug id in model instead of relying on routing. sume/auto exists, but Sume never discloses which family ran, so it is a poor choice if you need a specific look.

The docs also say the bare Image Router ids, such as gpt-image-2, are accepted as aliases for their org/slug equivalents. Use the full form in new code. Sume's docs do not list Grok image ids, so check the live catalog before you assume one is available.

curl "https://api.sume.com/v1/images/models" \
  -H "x-api-key: $SUME_API_KEY"

Whichever vendor you use, treat the retirement date as a deadline for tests, not for code changes: finish comparisons a week early.