Next.JS

Learn how to create a web application that enables voice conversations with ElevenLabs AI agents

This tutorial will guide you through creating a web client that can interact with a Conversational AI agent. You’ll learn how to implement real-time voice conversations, allowing users to speak with an AI agent that can listen, understand, and respond naturally using voice synthesis.

What You’ll Need

1. An ElevenLabs agent created following this guide
2. npm installed on your local system.
3. We’ll use Typescript for this tutorial, but you can use Javascript if you prefer.

Looking for a complete example? Check out our Next.js demo on GitHub.

Setup

1. Create a new Next.js project

   Open a terminal window and run the following command:

   npm create next-app my-conversational-agent
   

   It will ask you some questions about how to build your project. We’ll follow the default suggestions for this tutorial.

2. Navigate to project directory

   cd my-conversational-agent
   

3. Install the ElevenLabs dependency

   npm install @11labs/react
   

4. Test the setup

   Run the following command to start the development server and open the provided URL in your browser:

   npm run dev
   

Implement Conversational AI

1. Create the conversation component

   Create a new file app/components/conversation.tsx:

   app/components/conversation.tsx

   'use client';
   
   import { useConversation } from '@11labs/react';
   import { useCallback } from 'react';
   
   export function Conversation() {
     const conversation = useConversation({
       onConnect: () => console.log('Connected'),
       onDisconnect: () => console.log('Disconnected'),
       onMessage: (message) => console.log('Message:', message),
       onError: (error) => console.error('Error:', error),
     });
   
   
     const startConversation = useCallback(async () => {
       try {
         // Request microphone permission
         await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ audio: true });
   
         // Start the conversation with your agent
         await conversation.startSession({
           agentId: 'YOUR_AGENT_ID', // Replace with your agent ID
         });
   
       } catch (error) {
         console.error('Failed to start conversation:', error);
       }
     }, [conversation]);
   
     const stopConversation = useCallback(async () => {
       await conversation.endSession();
     }, [conversation]);
   
     return (
       <div className="flex flex-col items-center gap-4">
         <div className="flex gap-2">
           <button
             onClick={startConversation}
             disabled={conversation.status === 'connected'}
             className="px-4 py-2 bg-blue-500 text-white rounded disabled:bg-gray-300"
           >
             Start Conversation
           </button>
           <button
             onClick={stopConversation}
             disabled={conversation.status !== 'connected'}
             className="px-4 py-2 bg-red-500 text-white rounded disabled:bg-gray-300"
           >
             Stop Conversation
           </button>
         </div>
   
         <div className="flex flex-col items-center">
           <p>Status: {conversation.status}</p>
           <p>Agent is {conversation.isSpeaking ? 'speaking' : 'listening'}</p>
         </div>
       </div>
     );
   }
   

2. Update the main page

   Replace the contents of app/page.tsx with:

   app/page.tsx

   import { Conversation } from './components/conversation';
   
   export default function Home() {
     return (
       <main className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-between p-24">
         <div className="z-10 max-w-5xl w-full items-center justify-between font-mono text-sm">
           <h1 className="text-4xl font-bold mb-8 text-center">
             ElevenLabs Conversational AI
           </h1>
           <Conversation />
         </div>
       </main>
     );
   }
   

(Optional) Authenticate the agents with a signed URL

This authentication step is only required for private agents. If you’re using a public agent, you can skip this section and directly use the agentId in the startSession call.

If you’re using a private agent that requires authentication, you’ll need to generate a signed URL from your server. This section explains how to set this up.

What You’ll Need

1. An ElevenLabs account and API key. Sign up here.

1. Create environment variables

   Create a .env.local file in your project root:

   .env.local

   ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   NEXT_PUBLIC_AGENT_ID=your-agent-id-here
   

   1. Make sure to add .env.local to your .gitignore file to prevent accidentally committing sensitive credentials to version control.
   2. Never expose your API key in the client-side code. Always keep it secure on the server.
2. Create an API route

   Create a new file app/api/get-signed-url/route.ts:

   app/api/get-signed-url/route.ts

   import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
   
   export async function GET() {
     try {
       const response = await fetch(
         `https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/convai/conversation/get_signed_url?agent_id=${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_AGENT_ID}`,
         {
           headers: {
             'xi-api-key': process.env.ELEVENLABS_API_KEY!,
           },
         }
       );
   
       if (!response.ok) {
         throw new Error('Failed to get signed URL');
       }
   
       const data = await response.json();
       return NextResponse.json({ signedUrl: data.signed_url });
     } catch (error) {
       return NextResponse.json(
         { error: 'Failed to generate signed URL' },
         { status: 500 }
       );
     }
   }
   

3. Update the Conversation component

   Modify your conversation.tsx to fetch and use the signed URL:

   app/components/conversation.tsx

   // ... existing imports ...
   
   export function Conversation() {
     // ... existing conversation setup ...
     const getSignedUrl = async (): Promise<string> => {
       const response = await fetch("/api/get-signed-url");
       if (!response.ok) {
         throw new Error(`Failed to get signed url: ${response.statusText}`);
       }
       const { signedUrl } = await response.json();
       return signedUrl;
     };
   
     const startConversation = useCallback(async () => {
       try {
         // Request microphone permission
         await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ audio: true });
   
         const signedUrl = await getSignedUrl();
   
         // Start the conversation with your signed url
         await conversation.startSession({
           signedUrl,
         });
   
       } catch (error) {
         console.error('Failed to start conversation:', error);
       }
     }, [conversation]);
   
     // ... rest of the component ...
   }
   

   Signed URLs expire after a short period. However, any conversations initiated before expiration will continue uninterrupted. In a production environment, implement proper error handling and URL refresh logic for starting new conversations.

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic implementation, you can:

1. Add visual feedback for voice activity
2. Implement error handling and retry logic
3. Add a chat history display
4. Customize the UI to match your brand

For more advanced features and customization options, check out the @11labs/react package.