Set it up
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Turn on ElevenLabs in your AI
In Claude: Settings → Connectors → add ElevenLabs (or the MCP). In ChatGPT: Settings → Apps & Connectors. Then just ask it to read text aloud, make a jingle, or transcribe a file.
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Add it to your app once
Copy the short config below into your app. It just tells your AI where to find ElevenLabs.
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Just ask
Tell it what you want in plain words — no special commands.
For example, say
“Read this in a deep, dramatic movie-trailer voice: [paste your text].”
Need the exact config? Show it +
Add to your client
{
"mcpServers": {
"ElevenLabs": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"elevenlabs-mcp"
],
"env": {
"ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "<your-elevenlabs-api-key>"
}
}
}
}Paste into your client's MCP configuration file.
Get the skill
A ready-made skill that teaches your AI agent to use ElevenLabs well. Drops into Claude Code, Cursor and other agents.
npx skills add elevenlabs/skills Ready-to-run prompts
If you ask, ElevenLabs does it. Copy one, paste it into Claude, Codex or ChatGPT, done. No setup.
ElevenLabs Voice a movie trailer
If you ask
“Read this in a deep, dramatic movie-trailer voice: [paste your text].”
Then
Read your text like a dramatic film trailer.
ElevenLabs Narrate a nature doc
If you ask
“Narrate this in the calm style of a nature documentary: [paste your text].”
Then
Calm, documentary-style narrator.
ElevenLabs Voice a reel
If you ask
“Read my reel script in a warm, upbeat voice with natural pauses: [paste your script].”
Then
Warm, upbeat voiceover for a short video.
How to get good results
Checked 2026-06-14 — live · by Ilya GindinTested prompts and honest limits — deeper than the README.
With ElevenLabs the words you say about the delivery matter more than the script. The default read is flat; one line of direction on tone, pace, and feel is what makes it sound human. Pick the voice first, then direct it.
Get a natural, non-robotic read
Prompt that works
“Read this in a warm, conversational voice with natural pauses — relaxed, not announcer-style: [your text].”
Why: The model reads flat by default. Naming the tone and pacing ('warm, conversational, natural pauses') is the single biggest lever on how human it sounds.
Match the voice to the content
Prompt that works
“Use a calm documentary voice for this narration, slow and measured: [your script].”
Why: Different jobs want different voices — pick one that fits (documentary, upbeat ad, audiobook) instead of forcing one voice to do everything.
Fix mispronounced names and acronyms
Prompt that works
“Read this, but pronounce 'mcpservers' as 'M-C-P servers' and 'GIF' as 'jif': [text].”
Why: It guesses on unusual names and acronyms. Spell the pronunciation phonetically and it gets them right.
What it can’t do
- ×Reads from your monthly character quota — long scripts burn a free tier fast.
- ×Voice cloning and some premium voices are gated by plan and consent rules.
- ×It's voice only — pair it with a video tool for anything on screen.
- ×Very long text works better chunked into sections than fed as one giant block.
What it can access
Text you ask it to read is sent to ElevenLabs’ API with your ELEVENLABS_API_KEY; generated audio is written to your machine (default folder ~/Desktop, configurable).
Source: github.com · checked 2026-07-13
About
ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform. Its official connector lets an assistant like Claude or ChatGPT speak in lifelike voices, compose music from a prompt, build conversational voice agents, and transcribe recordings — you just say what you want in plain English.
It is an open-source MCP server with 24 tools covering text-to-speech, speech-to-text, voice design, and music.
Workflows That Use ElevenLabs
Paste your script, direct the delivery — tone, pace, pauses — and get a natural voiceover file back. The direction is the skill, not the script.
Find the moments by describing them, cut by editing the transcript, caption for free — and optionally re-voice a clip in another language with ElevenLabs.
Narrate in ElevenLabs, generate matching scenes in Runway, then cut and caption it in Descript by editing text — a social-ready explainer with no camera.
Animate one still in Kling, add a natural voiceover in ElevenLabs, and post a vertical reel — no video editor, no studio voice.
Read your script aloud in ElevenLabs, generate matching scenes in Runway, and assemble a narrated explainer — from text, with no footage.
Polish the shot in Freepik, give it motion in Kling, add a friend-like voice in ElevenLabs, caption it in Descript — a TikTok-ready ad from a single photo.
FAQ
What does ElevenLabs do? +
ElevenLabs is an AI audio platform. Its official connector lets an assistant like Claude or ChatGPT speak in lifelike voices, compose music from a prompt, build conversational voice agents, and transcribe recordings — you just say what you want in plain English.
Do I need to know how to code? +
No. Turn it on in your AI's settings and ask in plain English — no terminal, no coding.
How do I install ElevenLabs? +
In Claude Code, run: claude mcp add ElevenLabs -e ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=<your-elevenlabs-api-key> -- uvx elevenlabs-mcp. Copy-paste configs for Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf are at the top of this page.
How do I get a natural, non-robotic read with ElevenLabs? +
Try this prompt: "Read this in a warm, conversational voice with natural pauses — relaxed, not announcer-style: [your text]." — The model reads flat by default. Naming the tone and pacing ('warm, conversational, natural pauses') is the single biggest lever on how human it sounds.
How do I match the voice to the content with ElevenLabs? +
Try this prompt: "Use a calm documentary voice for this narration, slow and measured: [your script]." — Different jobs want different voices — pick one that fits (documentary, upbeat ad, audiobook) instead of forcing one voice to do everything.
How do I fix mispronounced names and acronyms with ElevenLabs? +
Try this prompt: "Read this, but pronounce 'mcpservers' as 'M-C-P servers' and 'GIF' as 'jif': [text]." — It guesses on unusual names and acronyms. Spell the pronunciation phonetically and it gets them right.
