New ‘Agents-as-Code’ approach targets developers building next-gen voice-first AI applications

AI voice technology company ElevenLabs has unveiled a new command-line interface (CLI) tool designed to make building conversational AI agents easier and more efficient for developers. The tool, announced earlier this week, enables developers to use familiar coding environments to create, test, and deploy conversational agents powered by ElevenLabs’ AI voice models.

The release of this CLI marks a significant evolution in the company’s vision to democratize voice AI, allowing developers to interact with voice-enabled AI agents through standard terminal commands. ElevenLabs claims the tool will support faster development cycles and seamless deployment across applications, enhancing how brands build interactive, voice-first experiences.

Building AI Agents with Code

Central to the new CLI is ElevenLabs' concept of “Agents-as-Code,” a model that treats AI agents not as abstract systems but as programmable units of code. This allows for tighter integration with developer workflows, including version control tools like Git, and greater flexibility in creating conversational agents tailored to specific user needs.

With the CLI, developers can set up an agent in minutes, define personality traits, voice styles, behavioral logic, and conversational memory—entirely within their code editor. The tool also supports the ability to assign specific goals to agents, enabling them to process user prompts more intelligently over time.

The new CLI is part of ElevenLabs’ broader strategy to empower developers with tools that enable real-time, responsive voice agents. The company has already gained widespread recognition for its voice synthesis capabilities, including multilingual text-to-speech models, voice cloning, and speech-to-speech conversion.

Developer-Centric Approach

Unlike traditional no-code or low-code AI platforms that cater to non-technical users, ElevenLabs is taking a developer-first approach. The CLI gives technical professionals full control over logic, memory, and user interaction styles.

This level of customization is especially important for enterprises looking to embed AI agents in their digital ecosystems—ranging from customer service chatbots to interactive tutorials, training modules, and voice assistants.

The CLI also facilitates integration with ElevenLabs’ real-time voice synthesis engine, which supports human-like intonation, emotion, and multilingual output. This makes it an ideal tool for developers building voice AI solutions for global user bases.

Addressing Market Demand

The conversational AI market is seeing an explosion in demand, with businesses racing to integrate voice-first features into their products. From healthcare and finance to gaming and education, interactive AI agents are becoming critical components in user engagement strategies.

However, building sophisticated, responsive agents typically involves a steep learning curve. ElevenLabs’ CLI aims to reduce this barrier by enabling developers to build modular AI systems with little overhead, while retaining flexibility.

According to the company, early access users have reported reduced development time and greater precision in agent behavior using the CLI. By incorporating traditional software engineering practices into AI agent creation, ElevenLabs is attempting to bridge the gap between generative AI innovation and real-world deployment.

The Road Ahead

Founded in 2022, ElevenLabs has quickly established itself as a frontrunner in generative voice AI. The company raised $80 million in Series B funding earlier this year, backed by major investors including a16z and Nat Friedman.

The CLI tool is currently available via ElevenLabs’ developer platform, with plans for additional features such as pre-built agent templates, cloud deployment tools, and performance monitoring dashboards in upcoming updates.

As AI agents continue to move from experimental chatbots to enterprise-grade tools, ElevenLabs’ CLI launch represents a timely push towards making voice AI development more scalable and accessible.

By bringing “Agents-as-Code” into the hands of developers, ElevenLabs is positioning itself not only as a voice technology provider but as a foundational platform for building the next generation of human-AI interaction.