speech-to-text

How to use

Copy the installation command and review the source package before installing it in your own agent environment.
Check the source document for required tools, credentials and supported hosts.
Describe your input and desired deliverable; review the output against the source material.

npx skills add https://github.com/elevenlabs/skills --skill speech-to-text

Before you start

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Original skill document

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ElevenLabs Speech-to-Text

Transcribe audio to text with Scribe v2 - supports 90+ languages, speaker diarization, and word-level timestamps.

Setup, before writing any code: if ELEVENLABS_API_KEY isn't set for this project, run npx -y @elevenlabs/cli@latest onboard init from the app's folder first and follow what it prints: it signs the user in and stores a key for the project, so nobody copies one by hand. Otherwise see the Installation Guide. For JavaScript, use @elevenlabs/* packages only.

Quick Start

Python

python

from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

client = ElevenLabs()

with open("audio.mp3", "rb") as audio_file:
    result = client.speech_to_text.convert(file=audio_file, model_id="scribe_v2")

print(result.text)

JavaScript

javascript

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

const client = new ElevenLabsClient();
const result = await client.speechToText.convert({
  file: createReadStream("audio.mp3"),
  modelId: "scribe_v2",
});
console.log(result.text);

CLI

bash

elevenlabs speech-to-text convert --file audio.mp3 --model-id scribe_v2

Models

Model ID	Description	Best For
`scribe_v2`	State-of-the-art accuracy, 90+ languages	Batch transcription, subtitles, long-form audio
`scribe_v2_medical`	Specialized recognition for medical and clinical audio, 90+ languages	Clinical documentation, medical dictation, patient calls
`scribe_v2_realtime`	Low latency (~150ms)	Live transcription, voice agents
`scribe_v2_realtime_turbo`	Realtime transcription variant	Live transcription
`scribe_v2_realtime_lite`	Realtime transcription variant	Live transcription

Transcription with Timestamps

Word-level timestamps include type classification and speaker identification:

python

result = client.speech_to_text.convert(
    file=audio_file, model_id="scribe_v2", timestamps_granularity="word"
)

for word in result.words:
    print(f"{word.text}: {word.start}s - {word.end}s (type: {word.type})")

Speaker Diarization

Identify WHO said WHAT - the model labels each word with a speaker ID, useful for meetings, interviews, or any multi-speaker audio:

python

result = client.speech_to_text.convert(
    file=audio_file,
    model_id="scribe_v2",
    diarize=True
)

for word in result.words:
    print(f"[{word.speaker_id}] {word.text}")

For call recordings, the batch API can label diarized speakers as agent and customer by setting detect_speaker_roles=true alongside diarize=true. This option is not compatible with use_multi_channel=true.

If your workspace has registered speaker profiles, set use_speaker_library=true with diarize=true to match detected speakers against the speaker library.

bash

elevenlabs speech-to-text convert \
  --file call.mp3 \
  --model-id scribe_v2 \
  --diarize true \
  --detect-speaker-roles true \
  --use-speaker-library true

Multichannel Audio

Use use_multi_channel=true when each speaker is isolated on a separate audio channel. By default, the API returns one transcript per channel under transcripts; set multichannel_output_style="combined" to receive one transcript merged by timestamp, with channel_index on each word.

python

result = client.speech_to_text.convert(
    file=audio_file,
    model_id="scribe_v2",
    use_multi_channel=True,
    multichannel_output_style="combined",
)

Keyterm Prompting

Help the model recognize specific words it might otherwise mishear - product names, technical jargon, or unusual spellings (up to 100 terms):

python

result = client.speech_to_text.convert(
    file=audio_file,
    model_id="scribe_v2",
    keyterms=["ElevenLabs", "Scribe", "API"]
)

Language Detection

Automatic detection with optional language hint:

python

result = client.speech_to_text.convert(
    file=audio_file,
    model_id="scribe_v2",
    language_code="eng"  # ISO 639-1 or ISO 639-3 code
)

print(f"Detected: {result.language_code} ({result.language_probability:.0%})")

Supported Formats

Audio: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, WebM, AAC, AIFF, Opus Video: MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WMV, FLV, WebM, MPEG, 3GPP

Limits: Up to 5.0GB file size, 10 hours duration

Response Format

json

{
  "text": "The full transcription text",
  "language_code": "eng",
  "language_probability": 0.98,
  "words": [
    {"text": "The", "start": 0.0, "end": 0.15, "type": "word", "speaker_id": "speaker_0"},
    {"text": " ", "start": 0.15, "end": 0.16, "type": "spacing", "speaker_id": "speaker_0"}
  ]
}

Word types:

word - An actual spoken word
spacing - Whitespace between words (useful for precise timing)
audio_event - Non-speech sounds the model detected (laughter, applause, music, etc.)

Error Handling

python

try:
    result = client.speech_to_text.convert(file=audio_file, model_id="scribe_v2")
except Exception as e:
    print(f"Transcription failed: {e}")

Common errors:

401: Invalid API key
422: Invalid parameters
429: Rate limit exceeded

Tracking Costs

Monitor usage via request-id response header:

python

response = client.speech_to_text.with_raw_response.convert(file=audio_file, model_id="scribe_v2")
result = response.data
print(f"Request ID: {response.headers.get('request-id')}")

Real-Time Streaming

For live transcription with ultra-low latency (~150ms), use the real-time API. The real-time API produces two types of transcripts:

Partial transcripts: Interim results that update frequently as audio is processed - use these for live feedback (e.g., showing text as the user speaks)
Committed transcripts: Final, stable results after you "commit" - use these as the source of truth for your application

A "commit" tells the model to finalize the current segment. You can commit manually (e.g., when the user pauses) or use Voice Activity Detection (VAD) to auto-commit on silence.

Python (Server-Side)

python

import asyncio
from elevenlabs import CommitStrategy, ElevenLabs, RealtimeEvents, RealtimeUrlOptions

client = ElevenLabs()

async def transcribe_realtime():
    done = asyncio.Event()
    connection = await client.speech_to_text.realtime.connect(RealtimeUrlOptions(
        model_id="scribe_v2_realtime",
        url="https://npr-ice.streamguys1.com/live.mp3",
        commit_strategy=CommitStrategy.VAD,  # URL streams never commit on their own
        include_timestamps=True,
        keyterms=["ElevenLabs", "Scribe"],
        no_verbatim=True,
    ))

    def on_error(error):
        print(f"Error: {error}")
        done.set()

    connection.on(RealtimeEvents.PARTIAL_TRANSCRIPT, lambda data: print(f"Partial: {data.get('text', '')}"))
    connection.on(RealtimeEvents.COMMITTED_TRANSCRIPT, lambda data: print(f"Final: {data.get('text', '')}"))
    connection.on(RealtimeEvents.ERROR, on_error)
    connection.on(RealtimeEvents.CLOSE, done.set)

    try:
        await done.wait()
    finally:
        await connection.close()

asyncio.run(transcribe_realtime())

JavaScript (Client-Side with React)

typescript

import { useScribe, CommitStrategy } from "@elevenlabs/react";

function TranscriptionComponent() {
  const [transcript, setTranscript] = useState("");

  const scribe = useScribe({
    modelId: "scribe_v2_realtime",
    commitStrategy: CommitStrategy.VAD, // Auto-commit on silence for mic input
    keyterms: ["ElevenLabs", "Scribe"],
    noVerbatim: true,
    includeLanguageDetection: true,
    onPartialTranscript: (data) => console.log("Partial:", data.text),
    onCommittedTranscript: (data) => setTranscript((prev) => prev + data.text),
  });

  const start = async () => {
    // Get token from your backend (never expose API key to client)
    const { token } = await fetch("/scribe-token").then((r) => r.json());

    await scribe.connect({
      token,
      microphone: { echoCancellation: true, noiseSuppression: true },
    });
  };

  return <button onClick={start}>Start Recording</button>;
}

Commit Strategies

Strategy	Description
Manual	You call `commit()` when ready - use for file processing or when you control the audio segments
VAD	Voice Activity Detection auto-commits when silence is detected - use for live microphone input

Set includeLanguageDetection: true to receive the detected language code in delayed final transcript events.

typescript

// React: set commitStrategy on the hook (recommended for mic input)
import { useScribe, CommitStrategy } from "@elevenlabs/react";

const scribe = useScribe({
  modelId: "scribe_v2_realtime",
  commitStrategy: CommitStrategy.VAD,
  keyterms: ["ElevenLabs", "Scribe"],
  noVerbatim: true,
  // Optional VAD tuning:
  vadSilenceThresholdSecs: 1.5,
  vadThreshold: 0.4,
});

javascript

// JavaScript client: pass vad config on connect
const connection = await client.speechToText.realtime.connect({
  modelId: "scribe_v2_realtime",
  keyterms: ["ElevenLabs", "Scribe"],
  noVerbatim: true,
  vad: {
    silenceThresholdSecs: 1.5,
    threshold: 0.4,
  },
});

Event Types

Event	Description
`partial_transcript`	Live interim results
`final_transcript`	Stable segment result sent before the segment is committed
`final_transcript_with_timestamps`	Delayed final result with timestamps and/or detected language
`committed_transcript`	Final results after commit
`committed_transcript_with_timestamps`	Final with word timing
`committed_transcript_entities`	Entities detected in a committed segment
`edited_transcript`	Original and edited text for a committed segment when transcript editing is enabled
`invalid_request`	Connection parameters were rejected and the session closes
`error`	Error occurred

See real-time references for complete documentation.

How to use

Before you start

ElevenLabs Speech-to-Text

Quick Start

Python

JavaScript

CLI

Models

Transcription with Timestamps

Speaker Diarization

Multichannel Audio

Keyterm Prompting

Language Detection

Supported Formats

Response Format

Error Handling

Tracking Costs

Real-Time Streaming

Python (Server-Side)

JavaScript (Client-Side with React)

Commit Strategies

Event Types

References

More skills

agents

dubbing

music

onboarding