I want o create a conversational agent and a text only widget using the same agent. Is this possibl | ElevenLabs | Page 1

brave nicheBOT Dec 2, 2025, 8:14 AM

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AI-generated Answer for tututim_1

Short answer: Yes—you can use the same agent for both voice and text-only. The widget is multimodal by design, and “text-only” behavior depends on how the conversation is started.

What’s happening with your widget

The dashboard “Interface” options enable text input, but the widget still shows voice controls. Text‑only “Chat Mode” is activated when the conversation is initiated with a typed message; if you press the call/mic button, it will start an audio session. This is expected. (elevenlabs.io)

Ways to make the same agent run text‑only in your embed

Start-in-text: Keep the agent as-is, set the widget Interface to allow text, and begin the conversation by sending a text message (this triggers Chat Mode and the session runs without audio). (elevenlabs.io)
Force text‑only via agent config: Configure the agent in “Chat Mode” (text_only = true). When an agent is set to chat mode in settings/API, all conversations are text‑only by default. (elevenlabs.io)
Force text‑only per page/app via SDK: If you’re building with the SDK, set a runtime override conversation.textOnly = true (enable “Text-only mode” in the agent’s Security > Overrides first). (elevenlabs.io)

Notes

The public widget attributes (HTML) expose overrides like prompt, language, first message, and voice, but not a “text-only” flag—use agent configuration or SDK overrides if you need to enforce text-only for that embed. (elevenlabs.io)
ElevenLabs’ recent multimodal update confirms you can configure agents/widgets for text input or text-only use cases without creating a separate agent. (elevenlabs.io)

If you want the widget to present as chat-only (no call button at all), the docs don’t list an HTML attribute to hide voice controls; you’d enforce text-only via agent settings or build your chat UI with the SDK and set textOnly there. (elevenlabs.io)

Sources:
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation
Chat Mode | ElevenLabs Documentation
Chat Mode | ElevenLabs Documentation
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation
ElevenLabs — Introducing Multimodal Conversational AI
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation

vital kestrel Dec 2, 2025, 8:27 AM

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what does text only mode switch do in the widget config then?

brave nicheBOT Dec 2, 2025, 8:27 AM

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AI-generated Answer for tututim_1

It enables Chat Mode for the widget: if the user initiates the conversation by typing, that session runs in text‑only (no voice) inside the widget. It does not turn the agent into a permanently text‑only bot across all entry paths; starting via voice will still create a voice session. To force text‑only regardless of how the session starts, set the agent to Chat Mode in the agent configuration or enforce text_only via an SDK override. (elevenlabs.io)

Sources:
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation

vital kestrel Dec 2, 2025, 8:31 AM

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if i toggle text only mode on/off it makes no difference to the embed code and I dont see the ability to enter text with the widget, it still starts an audio call is this expected behaviour

brave nicheBOT Dec 2, 2025, 8:31 AM

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AI-generated Answer for tututim_1

Yes—this is expected.

The embed code is static. The widget reads its modality settings from your agent’s dashboard at runtime, so toggling modes won’t change the HTML snippet. (elevenlabs.io)
The “text only / Chat Mode” toggle controls conversation modality, but it does not, by itself, add a text input to the widget UI. To see a text field, enable the Interface option that allows text input (Voice + text) in the widget settings. The docs note that the widget defaults to voice-only and you must enable text input to allow multimodal interactions. (elevenlabs.io)
When Chat Mode is enabled, conversations start in text-only if you initiate with a text message; clicking the call button will still start a voice call. (elevenlabs.io)
If you need the agent to operate purely as a chat bot (no audio), configure the agent for text-only via the API or enforce text_only via SDK/runtime overrides; in chat mode no audio I/O is used. (elevenlabs.io)
Note that any SDK overrides you pass will take precedence over dashboard UI settings. (elevenlabs.io)

Related references: widget customization (modality, embed behavior) and chat mode guide (text-only via API/overrides). (elevenlabs.io)

vital kestrel Dec 2, 2025, 8:37 AM

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the options are chat (text-only) mode, send text while on call in the ionterface section which shouyld be on and which should be off

brave nicheBOT Dec 2, 2025, 8:37 AM

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AI-generated Answer for tututim_1

Short answer:

For a text‑only widget: turn ON “Chat (text‑only) mode” and leave “Send text while on call” OFF. This forces text‑only conversations with no audio. (elevenlabs.io)
For a voice widget that also allows typing: leave “Chat (text‑only) mode” OFF and turn ON “Send text while on call” (the “Voice + text” option), which enables text input during a voice session. (elevenlabs.io)

Notes:

The widget’s embed code doesn’t change when you toggle these; the widget reads the configuration you set under Widget → Interface. (elevenlabs.io)
If needed, you can also enforce text‑only in code via conversation.textOnly/text_only overrides in the SDKs. (elevenlabs.io)

Sources:
Chat Mode | ElevenLabs Documentation
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation
Widget customization | ElevenLabs Documentation
Chat Mode | ElevenLabs Documentation

vital kestrel Dec 2, 2025, 8:39 AM

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In which case there is a bug. If i toggle Chat (text-only) to on and refresh my browser, I still only have the ability to start the widget in voice mode

brave nicheBOT Dec 2, 2025, 8:39 AM

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AI-generated Answer for tututim_1

Short answer: this is expected behavior, not a bug.

What the “Chat (text‑only)” toggle does

It controls conversation behavior, not the UI. With Chat Mode on, a session will run text‑only if it is initiated with a text message. The widget still defaults to voice unless the user can start by typing. (elevenlabs.io)

How to get a text input in the widget

You must also enable the “Text input” option (Voice + text) in the widget’s Interface settings. That exposes the text field so users can start by typing; with Chat Mode on, those text‑initiated sessions remain text‑only. (elevenlabs.io)

If you want the widget to be text‑only (no voice) by default

Configure the agent for text‑only via API (conversation.text_only = true) or enforce it at runtime with overrides; ensure “Text‑only mode” overrides are enabled in the agent’s Security tab. This removes audio I/O for the conversation. (elevenlabs.io)

Why the embed code doesn’t change

The embed snippet stays the same; it loads the widget using whatever defaults you set in the dashboard. SDK/runtime overrides take priority over UI settings if you’re using them. (elevenlabs.io)

References:

Widget customization (modality options and behavior). (elevenlabs.io)
Chat Mode guide (text_only configuration and runtime overrides). (elevenlabs.io)
Overrides (enable “Text‑only mode” override; example with conversation.text_only). (elevenlabs.io)

vital kestrel Dec 2, 2025, 8:42 AM

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there is no 'text input' option in the widget configuration page

#I want o create a conversational agent and a text only widget using the same agent. Is this possibl