ElevenLabs▌
by elevenlabs
Unlock powerful text to speech and AI voice generator tools with ElevenLabs. Create, clone, and customize speech easily.
Unleash powerful Text-to-Speech and audio processing with the official ElevenLabs MCP server. It enables MCP clients like Claude Desktop, Cursor, and OpenAI Agents to generate speech, clone voices, transcribe audio, and create unique sounds effortlessly. Customize voices, convert recordings, and build immersive audio scenes with easy-to-use APIs designed for creative and practical applications. This server integrates seamlessly, expanding your AI toolkit to bring rich, dynamic audio experiences to life across various platforms and projects.
Both formats append explainx.ai attribution and the canonical URL for this MCP server listing.
best for
- / Content creators needing voiceovers and narration
- / Developers building audio-enabled applications
- / Podcasters and video producers
- / Accessibility applications requiring text-to-speech
capabilities
- / Generate speech from text using various voices
- / Clone voices from audio samples
- / Transcribe audio files to text
- / Create custom sound effects and audio
- / Convert between different audio formats
- / Customize voice settings and parameters
what it does
Integrates ElevenLabs APIs to generate speech from text, clone voices, transcribe audio, and create custom sound effects. Requires ElevenLabs API key but offers 10k free credits monthly.
about
ElevenLabs is an official MCP server published by elevenlabs that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Unlock powerful text to speech and AI voice generator tools with ElevenLabs. Create, clone, and customize speech easily. It is categorized under other, ai ml.
how to install
You can install ElevenLabs in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.
license
MIT
ElevenLabs is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.
readme
Quickstart with Claude Desktop
- Get your API key from ElevenLabs. There is a free tier with 10k credits per month.
- Install
uv(Python package manager), install withcurl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | shor see theuvrepo for additional install methods. - Go to Claude > Settings > Developer > Edit Config > claude_desktop_config.json to include the following:
{
"mcpServers": {
"ElevenLabs": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["elevenlabs-mcp"],
"env": {
"ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "<insert-your-api-key-here>"
}
}
}
}
If you're using Windows, you will have to enable "Developer Mode" in Claude Desktop to use the MCP server. Click "Help" in the hamburger menu at the top left and select "Enable Developer Mode".
Other MCP clients
For other clients like Cursor and Windsurf, run:
pip install elevenlabs-mcppython -m elevenlabs_mcp --api-key={{PUT_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE}} --printto get the configuration. Paste it into appropriate configuration directory specified by your MCP client.
That's it. Your MCP client can now interact with ElevenLabs through these tools:
Example usage
⚠️ Warning: ElevenLabs credits are needed to use these tools.
Try asking Claude:
- "Create an AI agent that speaks like a film noir detective and can answer questions about classic movies"
- "Generate three voice variations for a wise, ancient dragon character, then I will choose my favorite voice to add to my voice library"
- "Convert this recording of my voice to sound like a medieval knight"
- "Create a soundscape of a thunderstorm in a dense jungle with animals reacting to the weather"
- "Turn this speech into text, identify different speakers, then convert it back using unique voices for each person"
Optional features
File Output Configuration
You can configure how the MCP server handles file outputs using these environment variables in your claude_desktop_config.json:
ELEVENLABS_MCP_BASE_PATH: Specify the base path for file operations with relative paths (default:~/Desktop)ELEVENLABS_MCP_OUTPUT_MODE: Control how generated files are returned (default:files)
Output Modes
The ELEVENLABS_MCP_OUTPUT_MODE environment variable supports three modes:
-
files(default): Save files to disk and return file paths"env": { "ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "your-api-key", "ELEVENLABS_MCP_OUTPUT_MODE": "files" } -
resources: Return files as MCP resources; binary data is base64-encoded, text is returned as UTF-8 text"env": { "ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "your-api-key", "ELEVENLABS_MCP_OUTPUT_MODE": "resources" } -
both: Save files to disk AND return as MCP resources"env": { "ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "your-api-key", "ELEVENLABS_MCP_OUTPUT_MODE": "both" }
Resource Mode Benefits:
- Files are returned directly in the MCP response as base64-encoded data
- No disk I/O required - useful for containerized or serverless environments
- MCP clients can access file content immediately without file system access
- In
bothmode, resources can be fetched later using theelevenlabs://filenameURI pattern
Use Cases:
files: Traditional file-based workflows, local developmentresources: Cloud environments, MCP clients without file system accessboth: Maximum flexibility, caching, and resource sharing scenarios
Data residency keys
You can specify the data residency region with the ELEVENLABS_API_RESIDENCY environment variable. Defaults to "us".
Note: Data residency is an enterprise only feature. See the docs for more details.
Contributing
If you want to contribute or run from source:
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/elevenlabs/elevenlabs-mcp
cd elevenlabs-mcp
- Create a virtual environment and install dependencies using uv:
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
- Copy
.env.exampleto.envand add your ElevenLabs API key:
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add your API key
- Run the tests to make sure everything is working:
./scripts/test.sh
# Or with options
./scripts/test.sh --verbose --fail-fast
-
Install the server in Claude Desktop:
mcp install elevenlabs_mcp/server.py -
Debug and test locally with MCP Inspector:
mcp dev elevenlabs_mcp/server.py
Troubleshooting
Logs when running with Claude Desktop can be found at:
- Windows:
%APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp-server-elevenlabs.log - macOS:
~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp-server-elevenlabs.log
Timeouts when using certain tools
Certain ElevenLabs API operations, like voice design and audio isolation, can take a long time to resolve. When using the MCP inspector in dev mode, you might get timeout errors despite the tool completing its intended task.
This shouldn't occur when using a client like Claude.
MCP ElevenLabs: spawn uvx ENOENT
If you encounter the error "MCP ElevenLabs: spawn uvx ENOENT", confirm its absolute path by running this command in your terminal:
which uvx
Once you obtain the absolute path (e.g., /usr/local/bin/uvx), update your configuration to use that path (e.g., "command": "/usr/local/bin/uvx"). This ensures that the correct executable is referenced.
FAQ
- What is the ElevenLabs MCP server?
- ElevenLabs is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
- How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
- Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
- How are reviews shown for ElevenLabs?
- This profile displays 54 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.6 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.
Use Cases▌
Extended AI Capabilities
Add new capabilities to Claude beyond text generation
Example
Access external data sources, execute code, interact with tools and services
Transform Claude from chatbot to action-taking agent
Context Enhancement
Provide Claude with access to relevant context and data
Example
Load project documentation, access knowledge bases, query databases
Get more accurate, context-aware responses
Workflow Automation
Automate multi-step workflows combining AI and external tools
Example
Research → Summarize → Create document → Send notification
Complete complex tasks end-to-end without manual steps
Implementation Guide▌
Prerequisites
- ›Claude Desktop 0.7.0+ or Cursor IDE with MCP support
- ›Basic understanding of MCP architecture and capabilities
- ›Access credentials for integrated services (if required)
- ›Willingness to experiment and iterate on configuration
Time Estimate
15-60 minutes depending on server complexity
Installation Steps
- 1.Install MCP server: npm install -g [package-name] or via GitHub
- 2.Add server configuration to ~/.claude/mcp.json
- 3.Provide required credentials and configuration
- 4.Restart Claude Desktop to load new server
- 5.Test basic functionality with simple prompts
- 6.Explore capabilities and experiment with use cases
- 7.Document successful patterns for reuse
Troubleshooting
- ⚠MCP server not loading: Check config syntax, verify installation
- ⚠Connection errors: Check network, firewall, credentials
- ⚠Feature not working: Read server docs, check required parameters
- ⚠Performance issues: Monitor resource usage, check for network latency
- ⚠Conflicts with other servers: Check port assignments, namespace collisions
Best Practices▌
✓ Do
- +Read server documentation thoroughly before setup
- +Start with simple use cases to validate functionality
- +Test in non-production environment first
- +Monitor resource usage and performance
- +Keep servers updated for bug fixes and new features
- +Document configuration for team members
- +Use environment variables for sensitive configuration
✗ Don't
- −Don't grant overly permissive access to MCP servers
- −Don't skip reading security considerations in docs
- −Don't expose sensitive data without proper controls
- −Don't run untrusted MCP servers without code review
- −Don't ignore error messages—investigate root cause
💡 Pro Tips
- ★Combine multiple MCP servers for powerful workflows
- ★Create custom MCP servers for your specific needs
- ★Share successful configurations with team
- ★Use MCP inspector for debugging
- ★Join MCP community for tips and troubleshooting
Technical Details▌
Architecture
Model Context Protocol standardizes how AI hosts (Claude, Cursor) communicate with external tools and data sources through server implementations.
Protocols
- Model Context Protocol (MCP)
- JSON-RPC 2.0
- stdio or HTTP transport
Compatibility
- Claude Desktop
- Cursor IDE
- Custom MCP clients
When to Use This▌
✓ Use When
Use when you need Claude to access external data, execute actions, or integrate with tools. Best for extending AI capabilities beyond conversation.
✗ Avoid When
Avoid when native integrations exist (use official APIs directly), for real-time critical systems, or when security/compliance requires zero external dependencies.
Integration▌
- →Tool composition: Chain multiple MCP tools in workflows
- →Context augmentation: Provide AI with relevant external data
- →Action delegation: Let AI execute tasks on external systems
- →Bidirectional sync: Keep AI context and external systems in sync
Discussion
Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)- No comments yet — start the thread.
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Ratings
4.6★★★★★54 reviews- ★★★★★Shikha Mishra· Dec 24, 2024
I recommend ElevenLabs for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.
- ★★★★★Mia Sharma· Dec 20, 2024
ElevenLabs reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.
- ★★★★★Isabella Srinivasan· Dec 20, 2024
ElevenLabs has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.
- ★★★★★Xiao Jain· Dec 16, 2024
Useful MCP listing: ElevenLabs is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.
- ★★★★★Benjamin Bhatia· Dec 8, 2024
We wired ElevenLabs into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.
- ★★★★★Benjamin Zhang· Nov 27, 2024
ElevenLabs reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.
- ★★★★★Yash Thakker· Nov 15, 2024
ElevenLabs is a well-scoped MCP server in the explainx.ai directory — install snippets and categories matched our Claude Code setup.
- ★★★★★Benjamin Yang· Nov 11, 2024
We wired ElevenLabs into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.
- ★★★★★Isabella White· Nov 11, 2024
According to our notes, ElevenLabs benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.
- ★★★★★Nia Rao· Oct 18, 2024
ElevenLabs is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.
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