For your Companion to use your ElevenLabs account, it needs an API key – a long string of characters that works like a password. This page creates it in 3 steps.
A finished ElevenLabs account (part 1)About 5 minutesFree
Before you start: one term, nothing more
API key
A password for programs. Whoever has it may generate speech in your account’s name. At ElevenLabs it starts with sk_.
Permission
You can define what the key is allowed to do – we deliberately restrict it to just what is needed: text to speech.
This is part 2 of 3. It builds on the finished account from part 1. After this comes part 3: choosing the voice.
1
Open the Developers area
In the left menu: Developers → “API Keys” tab
In the menu on the left, click “Developers”.
At the top, select the “API Keys” tab and click “+ Create API Key”.
Developers sounds technical – but all you need is two clicks.
Menu item not visible?Some views hide “Developers” behind the gear ⚙ (Settings) or your profile picture. Or go there directly: elevenlabs.io/app/developers/api-keys
2
Set the name and permission
In the “Create API Key” window
Give the key a name, e.g. VYYNU – so you can tell later what it is for.
Permission: enable “Text to Speech” and leave the rest off – the key can then only generate speech, nothing else.
Optionally set a credit limit (e.g. 10000) as a safeguard. Then click “Create”.
Allow only “Text to Speech” – fewer rights, more security.
What does “Restrict Key” mean?It limits what the key may do. It is restricted by default anyway – good. Only text to speech needs to be on.
3
Copy the key right away
In the window that appears right after “Create”
Your key is now displayed – it starts with sk_. It is shown in full only this one time!
Click the copy icon next to the key.
Paste it into a safe place right away: a password manager or a text file kept only on your computer. Only then click “Done”.
The most important moment: copy first, then close.
Closed it too soon?No drama: in the list, delete the old key via the ⋯ menu and create a new one. Showing it again is not possible, for security reasons.
Done – part 2 of 3!
Your API key is ready. Hand it to the program that sets up the Companion. On to part 3: choosing the voice.
ElevenLabs: $6 a month on the Starter plan.Or $5 a month billed yearly. It includes 30,000 credits for speech output, and you may use the voice for work. The free plan does not allow that. The API key and choosing voices cost nothing extra.
Speech output uses up credits.Every message read aloud counts against the monthly quota. How far Starter goes depends on how much your Companion reads out; your account always shows what is left. If you have a lot read out, move up to the next plan.
Don’t mix up two separate cost pots.ElevenLabs bills only the speech output. The “thinking” of your Companion runs through OpenRouter (its own page) – DeepSeek V4 Pro is preset there and inexpensive. Premium models like Claude Opus 4.8 can cost €20 there in half an hour.
Important: how to handle the key
The key is like a house key.Whoever has it can generate speech at your expense. Please don’t put it on the public internet, don’t post it in forums, don’t pass it on to strangers. If it falls into the wrong hands: delete it in the API Keys list via the ⋯ menu and create a new one – the old one is instantly worthless.
Common stumbling blocks
My key doesn’t work
Usually a copying error: a character is missing or a space came along. Delete the old key, create a new one and take it over with the copy icon. Also check that “Text to Speech” is enabled as a permission.
I lost my key
Showing it again is not possible. In the Developers area, delete the old key via the ⋯ menu, create a new one and copy it right away this time.
What is a “Credit limit”?
An optional cap per key. Handy as a brake in case a lot of speech gets generated by accident. Leaving it empty is fine, too.