# elevenlabs-voice-mcp

A tiny [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) server that gives
Claude a voice through the [ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io) text-to-speech API.

It exposes two tools over stdio so any MCP client (Claude Code, Claude Desktop) can
**speak its responses out loud** or **discover voices** — operated in plain English:

| Tool | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| `list_voices` | List the voices available on your ElevenLabs account (id + name + labels). |
| `text_to_speech` | Turn text into an MP3 with a chosen voice/model, save it, and play it. |

Multilingual by default (`eleven_multilingual_v2`), so Polish reads correctly too.

## Why

I build agentic systems with Claude and MCP. This wires ElevenLabs into that world
as a first-class tool: instead of a one-off API script, Claude itself can decide to
speak, pick a voice, and read something back — the same MCP pattern I use elsewhere,
pointed at ElevenLabs' audio models.

## Setup

```bash
npm install
npm run build              # or: npm run dev   (runs from source via tsx)
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=sk_...   # free key: elevenlabs.io → Profile → API Keys
npm start
```

### Use it from Claude Code

```bash
claude mcp add elevenlabs-voice -- node /absolute/path/to/dist/index.js
# (set ELEVENLABS_API_KEY in your environment first)
```

Or add it to your Claude Desktop config:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elevenlabs-voice": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/elevenlabs-voice-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": { "ELEVENLABS_API_KEY": "sk_..." }
    }
  }
}
```

Then just ask Claude: *"list the ElevenLabs voices"* or *"say 'cześć, świecie' out loud."*

## Notes

- A free ElevenLabs account includes enough monthly characters to try this out.
- Playback uses the OS default (`afplay` on macOS, `aplay` on Linux, PowerShell on
  Windows); generation still works headless if no player is present.
- Override the default voice/model with `ELEVENLABS_VOICE_ID` / `ELEVENLABS_MODEL_ID`,
  or per call via the tool arguments.

## License

MIT