A user asked me to install Python packages for the API, but how and where can I start?

Beginners
1

Open a terminal and run:

pip install gradio openai

I’m pretty new to this. I honestly don’t know what they meant by install python packages, because I don’t see any download or install button, only text. I asked the user what am I supposed to do with this, but no response.

If they meant by “install”, do they mean by just copy-paste it to somewhere else? I don’t know.

I like to point out that this thread is only part of a bigger question I’m trying to figure out. Here’s the link below for more info. Any advice of this would be very helpful.

How to work with Huggingface with the xAI (Grok) API access? - Beginners - Hugging Face Forums

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2

When someone says “open a terminal and run pip install gradio openai”, they mean: type that command into a command-line terminal (not a website textbox) so Python can download and install those libraries into your environment. There is no “download button” because pip is the installer.

  1. Where do you run that command?

It depends where you’re running your code:

A) On your own computer
• Windows: open PowerShell (Start menu → type “PowerShell”)
• Mac/Linux: open Terminal
Then run: python -m pip install gradio openai

(Using python -m pip is more reliable than plain pip.)

B) Inside a Hugging Face Space (recommended way)

You usually don’t run pip install … manually. Instead you add a file called requirements.txt in the Space repo (root folder)

with: gradio openai

Hugging Face will install those automatically when the Space builds. Hugging Face documents this dependency flow here.

Note: manually installing packages in a Space terminal can work temporarily, but it may break when the Space sleeps/restarts. Requirements are the lasting method.

  1. How does Grok/xAI API connect?

xAI’s API is designed to be OpenAI-SDK compatible, meaning you can often use the openai Python package, but point it at xAI’s base URL and use your xAI key.

Example (Python):
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
api_key=os.environ[“XAI_API_KEY”],
base_url=“https://api.x.ai/v1”,
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
model=“grok-4”,
messages=[{“role”: “user”, “content”: “Hello from a Hugging Face Space”}],
)

print(resp.choices[0].message.content)

  1. Where do you put the API key in a Space?

In your Space settings:
• Go to Settings → Secrets
• Add XAI_API_KEY with your key value
Then your code reads it via os.environ[“XAI_API_KEY”].

  1. About “bypassing” Grok behavior limits

If you mean “legally bypass” guardrails or access restrictions: don’t. Use the official API and whatever controls it provides (system messages, tools, etc.). If you need full control, the real alternative is using an open-source model you can run yourself.

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3

Should I run as administrator?

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PowerShell only allows pip install gradio openai

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PowerShell is just a command line. pip is the installer. You can install any Python package the same way.
On some Windows setups, only one specific pip invocation works reliably, because people have multiple Pythons installed or PATH is messy. Try this it’s safer, correct way to say it:
py -m pip install

Also, if this is for a Hugging Face Space, you usually don’t run pip in a terminal at all. You add a requirements.txt containing:
gradio openai

…and the Space installs them on build.

Hope this helps🙂

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