Introduction
# ElevenLabs Speech-to-Text
> **Official ElevenLabs skill for speech-to-text transcription.**
Convert audio to text with state-of-the-art accuracy. Supports 90+ languages, speaker diarization, and realtime streaming.
## Prerequisites
- **ffmpeg** installed (`brew install ffmpeg` on macOS) - **ELEVENLABS_API_KEY** environment variable set - Python 3.8+ (dependencies auto-install on first run)
## Usage
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh <audio_file> [options] {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh --url <stream_url> [options] {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh --mic [options] ```
## Examples
### Batch Transcription
Transcribe a local audio file:
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh recording.mp3 ```
With speaker identification:
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh meeting.mp3 --diarize ```
Get full JSON response with timestamps:
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh interview.wav --diarize --json ```
### Realtime Streaming
Stream from a URL (e.g., live radio, podcast):
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh --url https://npr-ice.streamguys1.com/live.mp3 ```
Transcribe from microphone:
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh --mic ```
Stream a local file in realtime (useful for testing):
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh audio.mp3 --realtime ```
### Quiet Mode for Agents
Suppress status messages on stderr:
```bash {baseDir}/scripts/transcribe.sh --mic --quiet ```
## Options
| Option | Description | |--------|-------------| | `--diarize` | Identify different speakers in the audio | | `--lang CODE` | ISO language hint (e.g., `en`, `pt`, `es`, `fr`) | | `--json` | Output full JSON with timestamps and metadata | | `--events` | Tag audio events (laughter, music, applause) | | `--realtime` | Stream local file instead of batch processing | | `--partials` | Show interim transcripts during realtime mode | | `-q, --quiet` | Suppress status messages (recommended for agents) |
## Output Format
### Text Mode (default)
Plain text transcription:
``` The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. ```
### JSON Mode (`--json`)
```json { "text": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.", "language_code": "eng", "language_probability": 0.98, "words": [ {"text": "The", "start": 0.0, "end": 0.15, "type": "word", "speaker_id": "speaker_0"} ] } ```
### Realtime Mode
Final transcripts print as they're committed. With `--partials`:
``` [partial] The quick [partial] The quick brown fox The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. ```
## 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 3GB file size, 10 hours duration
## Error Handling
The script exits with non-zero status on errors:
- **Missing API key:** Set `ELEVENLABS_API_KEY` environment variable - **File not found:** Check the file path exists - **Missing ffmpeg:** Install with your package manager - **API errors:** Check API key validity and rate limits
## When to Use Each Mode
| Scenario | Command | |----------|---------| | Transcribe a recording | `./transcribe.sh file.mp3` | | Meeting with multiple speakers | `./transcribe.sh meeting.mp3 --diarize` | | Live radio/podcast stream | `./transcribe.sh --url <url>` | | Voice input from user | `./transcribe.sh --mic --quiet` | | Need word timestamps | `./transcribe.sh file.mp3 --json` |