Automate Text-to-Speech with Elevenlabs & n8n Webhook

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a freelance video editor and content creator who spends hours recording voice-overs for her videos. She needs to produce consistent, high-quality audio narration in multiple voices, but this manual process is time-consuming and prone to errors like mispronunciations and interruptions. Each video can require 30 minutes to an hour of voice recording and editing, which adds significantly to her project timelines and costs.

Sarah wishes there were a way to instantly generate natural-sounding voice narration from any text script without setting up complex software or spending hours on voice recordings. The problem is compounded when she needs to switch between different voice profiles or languages.

This is precisely where this n8n workflow shines, streamlining text-to-speech creation by connecting directly to the Elevenlabs API via an easy-to-trigger webhook endpoint. By automating this process, Sarah can transform any text instantly into speech audio files, saving hours of manual work and eliminating delays in her video production.

2. What This Automation Does

When you run this workflow, it provides a simple HTTP POST API endpoint that accepts text and a voice ID, and returns the generated speech audio as a binary response. Here’s what it accomplishes in detail:

• Exposes a secure webhook endpoint to receive text and voice parameters for speech synthesis.
• Validates input parameters to ensure both voice ID and text are provided before processing.
• Connects to the Elevenlabs API to generate high-quality, natural text-to-speech audio in the specified voice.
• Returns the synthesized speech audio directly as a binary response, ready for immediate use or download.
• Handles invalid inputs gracefully by responding with a clear JSON error message.
• Offers easy integration potential with other platforms via standard HTTP requests.

This workflow saves Sarah several hours per week by automating a previously manual, error-prone process and offers developers a ready-to-use text-to-speech API with minimal setup.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account (self-hosted or cloud)
• Elevenlabs API key with access to their text-to-speech service 🔐
• Familiarity with sending HTTP POST requests to trigger webhooks 🔌
• n8n Custom HTTP Credentials configured for Elevenlabs API authentication 🔑

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create Custom Credentials for Elevenlabs API

In n8n, go to Credentials → New Credential → HTTP Request with custom authentication. Enter JSON headers like:

{
  "headers": {
    "xi-api-key": "your-elevenlabs-api-key"
  }
}

Replace your-elevenlabs-api-key with your actual API key. Save the credential as, for example, Elevenlabs API Key.

Common mistake: Missing the correct header name xi-api-key or not saving credentials after entry.

Step 2: Add and Configure the Webhook Node

Drag a Webhook node from the nodes panel. Configure it as follows:

• HTTP Method: POST
• Path: generate-voice (this is your webhook endpoint)
• Response Mode: Response Node (to handle replies via downstream nodes)
• Save and activate the webhook to get the public URL.

You should now have a unique URL endpoint to call from your API client or frontend application.

Common mistake: Using GET instead of POST will cause the workflow not to trigger properly.

Step 3: Add the If Node to Validate Inputs

Add an If node named “If params correct” connected to the Webhook node. Configure conditions:

• Check if voice_id exists in the request body.
• Check if text exists in the request body.
• Set both conditions to exists and combine them with AND.

Expected result: If both parameters are sent, workflow continues; otherwise, errors out.

Common mistake: Forgetting to check for both parameters or incorrect case sensitivity settings.

Step 4: Configure HTTP Request Node to Generate Voice

Add an HTTP Request node named “Generate voice” linked to the true output of the If node. Configure it:

• Method: POST
• URL: https://api.elevenlabs.io/v1/text-to-speech/{{ $json.body.voice_id }} — dynamically pulled from webhook body.
• Headers: Content-Type: application/json
• Body (JSON): { "text": "{{ $json.body.text }}" } substituting text from the webhook payload.
• Authentication: Use the custom HTTP credentials created in step 1.

Common mistake: Forgetting to set authentication or incorrect URL formatting causes failed API calls.

Step 5: Respond with Binary Audio

Connect the HTTP Request nodes output to a Respond to Webhook node configured to respond with binary data.

When triggered, the workflow returns the synthesized speech audio immediately to the original HTTP request caller.

Common mistake: Not setting the response type to binary or connecting nodes incorrectly will result in no audio output.

Step 6: Handle Errors Gracefully

Connect the false output of the If node to another Respond to Webhook node named “Error” configured to return JSON { "error": "Invalid inputs." }.

This ensures clients get meaningful feedback when required parameters are missing.

Common mistake: Forgetting to handle invalid input scenarios reduces workflow robustness.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Support Multiple Voices: In the API request node, you can extend JSON body or URL to support additional voice features supported by Elevenlabs, such as language or style IDs.
• Change Webhook Path: Modify the webhook node’s “Path” field from generate-voice to any URL path you prefer, allowing multiple TTS endpoints within the same n8n instance.
• Add Logging: Insert a Set or Function node to log requests or responses into a Google Sheet or database for usage tracking.
• Add Authentication: Before the If node, insert a node to validate API keys or use n8n’s built-in access control to secure the webhook endpoint.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “HTTP request failed with status 401 Unauthorized”

Cause: Incorrect or missing Elevenlabs API key in custom credentials.

Solution: Revisit the custom credential setup. Ensure the xi-api-key header is correctly named and the key is valid.

Problem: “If node conditions do not evaluate as expected”

Cause: Incorrect parameter paths or case sensitivity issues in the If node’s condition setup.

Solution: Verify that you’re checking for body.voice_id and body.text correctly with exact case matches and ‘exists’ operator.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Verify Elevenlabs API key is active and has rights to use TTS.
• Test webhook URL by sending sample POST requests with valid voice_id and text.
• Confirm that the output is audio binary format playable in your client.
• Ensure error responses trigger when sending incomplete parameters.
• Backup your n8n workflow JSON before deployment.

8. Deployment Guide

Activate the workflow in your n8n instance once configured. Share the webhook URL securely with your application or team.

For production environments, monitor webhook usage and API call limits on Elevenlabs dashboard to avoid hitting quotas.

This workflow supports easy scaling as text-to-speech requests increase and can be integrated into multi-step automations.

9. FAQs

Can I use other TTS services with this workflow?

Yes, by modifying the HTTP Request node URL and authentication, you can connect to alternate TTS APIs, but you may need to adapt payloads accordingly.

Does this consume Elevenlabs API credits?

Every voice generation counts as one API call billed per Elevenlabs pricing. Monitor your usage to control costs.

Is my data safe on this workflow?

Your data is handled securely within your n8n environment and transmitted securely via HTTPS to Elevenlabs. Ensure you use HTTPS endpoints to protect data in transit.

10. Conclusion

By following this comprehensive guide, you have created a powerful n8n text-to-speech automation using the Elevenlabs API through a webhook. You can now instantly generate natural voice audio from text with just a simple POST request, dramatically saving Sarah—and you—hours of manual recording and editing.

Consider adding features like multi-voice support, logging, or authentication to extend this workflow’s utility. Great job on automating a critical content creation task with n8n and Elevenlabs!