ElevenLabs API Authentication

Comprehensive authentication setup for ElevenLabs voice AI platform including SDK installation, API key management, environment configuration, and connection testing.

Overview

This skill provides:

• Automated SDK installation for TypeScript and Python

• Secure API key configuration with environment variables

• Connection testing and validation scripts

• Production-ready client templates

• Complete authentication examples for Next.js and Python projects

Authentication Method

ElevenLabs uses API key authentication via HTTP headers:

xi-api-key: YOUR_ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

Security Requirements:

• API keys must be stored in environment variables (never hardcoded)

• Keys should never be exposed in client-side code

• Each key can have endpoint restrictions and credit quotas

Scripts

All scripts are fully functional and production-ready:

1. setup-auth.sh

Configures ELEVENLABS_API_KEY in .env file with validation.

bash scripts/setup-auth.sh [api-key]

2. test-connection.sh

Tests API connectivity using curl and validates credentials.

bash scripts/test-connection.sh

3. install-sdk.sh

Installs @elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js (TypeScript) or elevenlabs (Python) SDK.

bash scripts/install-sdk.sh [typescript|python]

4. validate-env.sh

Validates .env file has required ELEVENLABS_API_KEY.

bash scripts/validate-env.sh

5. generate-client.sh

Generates API client boilerplate from templates.

bash scripts/generate-client.sh [typescript|python] [output-path]

Templates

All templates are production-ready and fully implemented:

Environment Configuration

• templates/.env.template
• Environment variable template with all required keys

TypeScript Templates

• templates/api-client.ts.template

• ElevenLabs client with error handling

• templates/api-client-nextjs.ts.template

• Next.js server-side client

• templates/api-client-edge.ts.template

• Edge runtime compatible client

Python Templates

• templates/api-client.py.template

• ElevenLabs client with error handling

• templates/api-client-async.py.template

• Async client with connection pooling

• templates/api-client-fastapi.py.template

• FastAPI integration client

Examples

All examples include complete README.md files with step-by-step instructions:

Basic Usage Examples

examples/nextjs-auth/README.md

• Complete Next.js authentication example

• Environment setup

• Server action implementation

• API route handler

• Error handling patterns

examples/python-auth/README.md

• Complete Python authentication example

• Environment configuration

• Client initialization

• Error handling

• Connection testing

examples/edge-runtime/README.md

• Edge runtime authentication example

• Vercel Edge Functions setup

• Cloudflare Workers setup

• Deno Deploy setup

• Environment variable access

Advanced Examples

examples/multi-environment/README.md

• Multi-environment configuration (dev, staging, prod)

• Environment-specific API keys

• Configuration management

• Platform-specific setup (Vercel, Railway, Fly.io)

examples/api-key-rotation/README.md

• API key rotation patterns

• Zero-downtime rotation strategies

• Dual-key pattern implementation

• Automated rotation scripts

Usage Instructions

Initial Setup

Install SDK:

For TypeScript projects

bash scripts/install-sdk.sh typescript

For Python projects

bash scripts/install-sdk.sh python

Configure API Key:

Interactive setup

bash scripts/setup-auth.sh

Or provide key directly

bash scripts/setup-auth.sh sk_your_api_key_here

Test Connection:

bash scripts/test-connection.sh

Generate Client:

TypeScript

bash scripts/generate-client.sh typescript src/lib/elevenlabs.ts

Python

bash scripts/generate-client.sh python src/elevenlabs_client.py

Integration Workflow

For Next.js projects:

• Run bash scripts/install-sdk.sh typescript

• Run bash scripts/setup-auth.sh

• Read examples/nextjs-auth/README.md for integration guide

• Generate client: bash scripts/generate-client.sh typescript src/lib/elevenlabs.ts

For Python projects:

• Run bash scripts/install-sdk.sh python

• Run bash scripts/setup-auth.sh

• Read examples/python-auth/README.md for integration guide

• Generate client: bash scripts/generate-client.sh python src/elevenlabs_client.py

For FastAPI projects:

• Run bash scripts/install-sdk.sh python

• Run bash scripts/setup-auth.sh

• Use template: templates/api-client-fastapi.py.template

Validation

Validate your setup:

Check environment variables

bash scripts/validate-env.sh

Test API connection

bash scripts/test-connection.sh

Security Best Practices

• Never commit .env files - Add to .gitignore

• Use environment-specific keys - Different keys for dev/staging/prod

• Rotate keys regularly - Follow key rotation patterns in examples

• Set endpoint restrictions - Configure in ElevenLabs dashboard

• Monitor credit usage - Set custom credit quotas per key

Troubleshooting

API Key Not Found:

• Run bash scripts/validate-env.sh

• Ensure .env file exists in project root

• Check environment variable is loaded (dotenv)

Connection Failed:

• Run bash scripts/test-connection.sh for detailed diagnostics

• Verify API key is valid in ElevenLabs dashboard

• Check network connectivity and firewall rules

SDK Installation Failed:

• Ensure Node.js/npm (for TypeScript) or Python/pip (for Python) is installed

• Check package.json or requirements.txt exists

• Run with verbose flag: bash -x scripts/install-sdk.sh typescript

References

• ElevenLabs Authentication Docs

• ElevenLabs Quickstart

• TypeScript SDK Docs

• Python SDK Docs