For Agents
Synthesize speech from text and transcribe audio files using Cartesia's Sonic and Ink voice models, with streaming output for low-latency agent voice.
Install Jentic One Beta
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Cartesia API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | shStep 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
What an agent can do with Cartesia API.
Synthesize text into raw audio bytes via Sonic TTS for batch playback
Stream synthesized speech as server-sent events for sub-second voice agent responses
Transcribe uploaded audio files into text using the Ink speech-to-text model
GET STARTED
Use for: I need to convert a chatbot reply into spoken audio, Stream a voice agent response with minimal first-token latency, Transcribe a recorded customer call into text, Generate a podcast voiceover from a written script
Not supported: Does not handle voice cloning, real-time STT streaming, or audio editing — use for Sonic text-to-speech and Ink file transcription only.
Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for Cartesia API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. Cartesia provides ultra-fast, realistic voice AI for text-to-speech and speech-to-text using the Sonic model family for synthesis and the Ink model family for transcription. The API supports both raw byte responses and server-sent event streaming for low-latency TTS, plus file-based audio upload for STT. It is designed for real-time agent voices, conversational interfaces, and audio content production where sub-second first-token latency matters.
Select voice, language, and output sample rate per text-to-speech request
Authenticate with a Cartesia bearer API key for both TTS and STT calls
Patterns agents use Cartesia API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Real-time voice agent responses
Stream synthesized speech to a voice agent or phone assistant via the /tts/sse endpoint so the user hears the first audio chunk in well under a second. Sonic generates audio incrementally as the LLM produces tokens, keeping conversation natural without long silences. Suited to support bots, IVR replacements, and interactive voice experiences.
POST to /tts/sse with the assistant's reply text, voice id, and language=en, then forward the streaming audio chunks to the caller as they arrive.
Batch audio narration
Use POST /tts/bytes to render scripted text into a complete audio file in a single response, suitable for podcasts, e-learning narration, audiobook chapters, or pre-recorded prompts. The byte endpoint returns the full clip once synthesis completes, which is simpler to handle than streaming for offline rendering.
Call POST /tts/bytes with a 500-word script, voice id, and 24000 Hz output, then save the returned audio bytes as narration.mp3.
Call recording transcription
Upload recorded audio files to /stt to obtain text transcripts using the Ink model. Useful for call summarization, meeting notes, voice note search, and feeding spoken content back into LLM workflows.
POST a meeting.wav file to /stt and store the returned transcript text against the meeting record.
AI voice agent integration via Jentic
Agents using Jentic search by intent ('synthesize speech') and load the Cartesia /tts/sse schema, then execute the call with the bearer token managed inside the Jentic vault. This avoids hand-coding streaming SSE clients and keeps Cartesia credentials out of the agent's prompt.
Search Jentic for 'synthesize speech with cartesia', load the /tts/sse operation, and execute it with the supplied script to return streaming audio.
3 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for cartesia api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
/tts/bytes
Synthesize text to a complete audio byte payload
/tts/sse
Stream synthesized speech as server-sent events
/stt
Transcribe an uploaded audio file into text
/tts/bytes
Synthesize text to a complete audio byte payload
/tts/sse
Stream synthesized speech as server-sent events
/stt
Transcribe an uploaded audio file into text
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Cartesia bearer API keys are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault (MAXsystem). Agents receive scoped access at execution time and the raw key never enters the prompt or logs.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search by intent (e.g., 'synthesize speech' or 'transcribe audio') and Jentic returns the matching Cartesia operation along with its input schema, so the agent calls the right TTS or STT endpoint without browsing docs.
Time to first call
Direct Cartesia integration including SSE streaming and key handling: 1-2 days. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load, execute.
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
Specific to using Cartesia API through Jentic.
Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for Cartesia API?
Cartesia does not publish an OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call Cartesia API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.
What authentication does the Cartesia API use?
The Cartesia API uses HTTP bearer token authentication. You pass your Cartesia API key as a Bearer token in the Authorization header. Through Jentic, the key is stored encrypted in the MAXsystem vault and never exposed to the agent's prompt context.
Can I stream text-to-speech output instead of waiting for the full file?
Yes. POST to /tts/sse to receive synthesized audio as server-sent events, with the first chunk arriving in well under a second. Use /tts/bytes when you want the complete audio payload returned in a single response.
What audio inputs does the Cartesia speech-to-text endpoint accept?
The /stt endpoint accepts uploaded audio files for transcription using the Ink model family. You send the file as a multipart form upload and receive transcript text in the response.
What are the rate limits for the Cartesia API?
Cartesia does not publish rate limits in this OpenAPI spec; quotas depend on your account plan. Check your Cartesia dashboard at https://docs.cartesia.ai for current limits and upgrade options.
How do I synthesize speech with Cartesia through Jentic?
Run pip install jentic, then search Jentic with the query 'synthesize speech with cartesia', load the /tts/sse or /tts/bytes operation schema, and execute it with your text and voice id. Jentic injects the Cartesia bearer token from the vault at execution time.