Plugin
Also called extension, add-on.
A plugin is an optional piece of software that adds a feature to a larger application.
Example
You install a mail connectorA connector is a ready-made connection that lets an application use another service's data or actions. from Grok BotGrok Bot is xAI's product for named AI teammates that keep context and do tasks on a cloud computer shared by the bots on one account.'s MarketplaceMarketplace is a nickname for three different doors: public Bots, Grok Bot plugins, and Grok Build plugins.. The docs call that install a plugin. It adds a mail connection. It does not add a new Bot.
Why it matters
Extension and add-on are search words whose exact relationship changes by platform. A browser extension, a Grok BotGrok Bot is xAI's product for named AI teammates that keep context and do tasks on a cloud computer shared by the bots on one account. connectorA connector is a ready-made connection that lets an application use another service's data or actions. installed from MarketplaceMarketplace is a nickname for three different doors: public Bots, Grok Bot plugins, and Grok Build plugins., and a Grok BuildGrok Build is xAI’s coding agent, a different product from Grok chat and from a Grok Bot. plugin are different shelves that all get called plugins somewhere.
Common confusion
Plugin does not always mean connectorA connector is a ready-made connection that lets an application use another service's data or actions.. A plugin adds a feature. A connector is one kind of connection that feature might provide.
Sources
Updated September 30, 2026.