installation

Installation

CLI (Recommended)

The ElevenLabs CLI is the recommended way to create and manage agents:

npm install -g @elevenlabs/cli
# or
pnpm add -g @elevenlabs/cli
# or
yarn global add @elevenlabs/cli

Requires Node.js 16.0.0 or higher.

Authentication

elevenlabs auth login          # Authenticate with API key
elevenlabs auth whoami         # Verify current login status
elevenlabs auth logout         # Remove stored credentials

API keys are securely stored in `~/.agents/api_keys.json`.

Quick Start

# Initialize a new project
elevenlabs agents init

# Create an agent from template
elevenlabs agents add "My Assistant" --template complete

# Push to ElevenLabs platform
elevenlabs agents push

JavaScript / TypeScript SDK

For programmatic access and client-side integration:

npm install @elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js@latest

> **Important:** Always use `@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js`. The old `elevenlabs` npm package (v1.x) is deprecated and should not be used.

import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";

// Option 1: Environment variable (recommended)
// Set ELEVENLABS_API_KEY in your environment
const client = new ElevenLabsClient();

// Option 2: Pass directly
const client = new ElevenLabsClient({ apiKey: "your-api-key" });

Migrating from deprecated packages

If you have old packages installed, remove them:

# Remove deprecated packages
npm uninstall elevenlabs

# Install the current packages
npm install @elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js@latest

# For browser apps, install the package that matches your UI layer:
npm install @elevenlabs/client@latest  # Vanilla JavaScript in the browser
npm install @elevenlabs/react@latest   # React on the web

Temporary LiveKit WebSocket pin

There is a known LiveKit server compatibility issue where WebRTC startup may hit the underlying LiveKit WebSocket path `/rtc/v1` and return 404, causing delays or failed sessions in React, Next.js, Electron, and other browser clients. Until the upstream issue is resolved, pin `livekit-client` to `2.16.1` when using `connectionType: "webrtc"` or when logs mention `wss://livekit.rtc.elevenlabs.io/rtc/v1`:

{
  "overrides": {
    "livekit-client": "2.16.1"
  }
}

This belongs in the app's `package.json`. Apply it when logs include `/rtc/v1` 404s, `v1 RTC path not found`, or `could not establish pc connection`. Remove the override once the ElevenLabs LiveKit server or SDK no longer requires the workaround.

**Import changes:**

import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";
import { Conversation } from "@elevenlabs/client";
import {
  ConversationProvider,
  useConversationControls,
  useConversationStatus,
} from "@elevenlabs/react";

`@elevenlabs/react` re-exports `@elevenlabs/client`, so React apps usually only need `@elevenlabs/react`. Wrap hook consumers in `ConversationProvider` and prefer granular hooks such as `useConversationControls` and `useConversationStatus`; `useConversation` remains available as the convenience all-in-one hook.

Use `@elevenlabs/react-native` for React Native projects with the same provider-and-hooks API; only the import path changes.

Python

pip install elevenlabs

from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

# Option 1: Environment variable (recommended)
# Set ELEVENLABS_API_KEY in your environment
client = ElevenLabs()

# Option 2: Pass directly
client = ElevenLabs(api_key="your-api-key")

cURL / REST API

Set your API key as an environment variable:

export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Include in requests via the `xi-api-key` header:

curl -X POST "https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/convai/agents/create" \
  -H "xi-api-key: $ELEVENLABS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "My Agent", "conversation_config": {"agent": {"prompt": {"prompt": "You are helpful.", "llm": "gemini-2.0-flash"}}, "tts": {"voice_id": "JBFqnCBsd6RMkjVDRZzb"}}}'

Getting an API Key

1. Sign up at [elevenlabs.io](https://elevenlabs.io) 2. Go to [API Keys](https://elevenlabs.io/app/settings/api-keys) 3. Click **Create API Key** 4. Copy and store securely

Or use the `setup-api-key` skill for guided setup.

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | `ELEVENLABS_API_KEY` | Your ElevenLabs API key (required) |