Transcribes audio/video files using ElevenLabs Scribe v2 API. Use when transcribing audio files, generating transcripts, or converting speech to text.
<quick_start>
Via slash command:
/elevenlabs-transcribe path/to/audio.mp3
/elevenlabs-transcribe path/to/audio.mp3 --output transcript.txt --num-speakers 3
Requirements:
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY in the project's .env fileuv installed (dependencies auto-install via PEP 723)
</quick_start>uv is available (dependency installation is automatic via inline script metadata — no venv or manual pip install needed)
API key configured in the .env file where Claude is running:
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your-key-here
Audio file exists and is a supported format (mp3, wav, mp4, m4a, ogg, flac, webm, etc.)
MUST stop if the API key is missing — inform the user to add it to their .env file.
</prerequisites>
Step 1: Parse user input
Extract the audio file path and any options from $ARGUMENTS or the user's message. Supported options:
--output <path> or -o <path> — where to save the transcript--language <code> — ISO-639 language code (e.g., eng, spa, fra, deu, jpn, zho)--num-speakers <n> — max speakers in the audio (1-32)--keyterms "term1" "term2" — words/phrases to bias transcription towards--timestamps none|word|character — timestamp granularity--no-diarize — disable speaker identification--no-audio-events — disable audio event tagging--json — output full JSON responseStep 2: Validate the audio file
Confirm the file path exists. Expand ~ paths. The script handles validation automatically but check early for a clear error message.
Step 3: Check for API key
grep -q "ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=" .env 2>/dev/null && echo "API key configured" || echo "API key missing"
If missing, tell the user to add ELEVENLABS_API_KEY= to their .env file and stop.
Step 4: Run transcription
Dependencies are installed automatically by uv via inline script metadata (PEP 723). No venv or manual pip install needed.
Basic transcription (diarize + audio events + auto language):
uv run ~/.claude/skills/elevenlabs-transcribe/scripts/transcribe.py "<audio_file_path>"
With output file and options:
uv run ~/.claude/skills/elevenlabs-transcribe/scripts/transcribe.py "<audio_file_path>" --output transcript.txt --language eng --num-speakers 3
With key terms for better accuracy:
uv run ~/.claude/skills/elevenlabs-transcribe/scripts/transcribe.py "<audio_file_path>" --keyterms "technical term" "product name"
Full JSON response:
uv run ~/.claude/skills/elevenlabs-transcribe/scripts/transcribe.py "<audio_file_path>" --json --output result.json
Step 5: Present results
Format the transcription output cleanly for the user. If diarization is enabled, group text by speaker. Highlight any audio events detected. Example output:
[Speaker 0]: Hello, how are you doing today?
[Speaker 1]: I'm doing great, thanks for asking! (laughter)
<script_options>
| Flag | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
<file> | Path to audio/video file (required) | - |
--output <path>, -o | Save transcription to file | stdout |
--language <code> | ISO-639 code (eng, spa, fra, deu, jpn, zho) | auto-detect |
--num-speakers <n> | Max speakers in audio (1-32) | auto-detect |
--keyterms "t1" "t2" | Terms to bias transcription towards (max 100) | none |
--timestamps <level> | Granularity: none, word, character | word |
--no-diarize | Disable speaker identification | diarize enabled |
--no-audio-events | Disable audio event tagging | events enabled |
--json | Output full JSON response | formatted text |
| </script_options> |
<supported_formats> All major audio and video formats: mp3, wav, mp4, m4a, ogg, flac, webm, aac, wma, mov, avi, mkv, and more. Maximum file size: 3GB. </supported_formats>
<api_details>
<error_handling>
| Error | Resolution |
|---|---|
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY not found | Add key to .env file in current directory |
uv: command not found | Install uv: curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh pipe to sh |
File not found | Verify the file path and expand any ~ |
422 Validation Error | Check file format/size, ensure model_id is valid |
401 Unauthorized | API key is invalid or expired |
| </error_handling> |
<success_criteria>
.env without exposure in chat--output specified, file written to requested path