HeyGen API

Use the HeyGen API via direct curl calls to create AI-generated videos with digital avatars, text-to-speech voices, and video templates.

Official docs: https://docs.heygen.com/reference

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create AI avatar videos from text scripts with digital presenters
• List available avatars and voices to choose the right presenter and narration
• Generate videos from templates with variable substitution
• Translate videos into 175+ languages with natural voice dubbing
• Check video generation status and retrieve completed video URLs

Prerequisites

1. Sign up at HeyGen and create an account
2. Go to your account settings and generate an API key
3. Store your API key in the environment variable HEYGEN_TOKEN

export HEYGEN_TOKEN="your-heygen-api-key"

API Limits

• API key is passed via the x-api-key header
• Video generation consumes API credits based on duration
• Generated video URLs expire after 7 days

How to Use

All examples below assume you have HEYGEN_TOKEN set.

The base URL for the HeyGen API is:

• v1 endpoints: https://api.heygen.com/v1
• v2 endpoints: https://api.heygen.com/v2

1. List Available Avatars

Get all avatars available to your account:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/avatars" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq '.data.avatars[] | {avatar_id, avatar_name, gender}'

Each avatar has an avatar_id needed for video generation.

2. Get Avatar Details

Retrieve detailed information about a specific avatar. Replace <avatar_id> with an actual avatar ID:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/avatar/<avatar_id>/details" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq .data

3. List Available Voices

Get all AI voices for video narration:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/voices" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq '.data.voices[] | {voice_id, name, language, gender}'

Voice properties include:

• voice_id: Unique identifier for use in video generation
• language: Primary language (e.g., "English", "Multilingual")
• gender: "female", "male", or "unknown"
• emotion_support: Whether the voice supports emotion variations

4. Create an Avatar Video

Generate a video with an AI avatar presenter. Replace <avatar_id> and <voice_id> with actual IDs from the list endpoints.

Write to /tmp/heygen_request.json:

{
  "video_inputs": [
    {
      "character": {
        "type": "avatar",
        "avatar_id": "<avatar_id>",
        "avatar_style": "normal"
      },
      "voice": {
        "type": "text",
        "input_text": "Hello! Welcome to our product demo. Let me walk you through the key features.",
        "voice_id": "<voice_id>",
        "speed": 1.0
      },
      "background": {
        "type": "color",
        "value": "#FFFFFF"
      }
    }
  ],
  "dimension": {
    "width": 1920,
    "height": 1080
  },
  "title": "Product Demo Video"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video/generate" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/heygen_request.json | jq .

The response contains a video_id to track the generation progress.

5. Check Video Status

Poll for video generation status using the video_id from the generate response. Replace <video_id> with the actual video ID:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v1/video_status.get?video_id=<video_id>" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq '{status: .data.status, video_url: .data.video_url, duration: .data.duration}'

Status values:

• pending: Video is queued
• processing: Video is being rendered
• completed: Video is ready (includes video_url)
• failed: Generation failed (includes error details)

6. List Videos

Retrieve all videos associated with your account:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v1/video.list" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq .

7. Delete a Video

Remove a video from your account. Replace <video_id> with the actual video ID:

curl -s -X DELETE "https://api.heygen.com/v1/video.delete" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"video_id": "<video_id>"}' | jq .

8. List Templates

Get all video templates created in your account:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/templates" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq .data

9. Get Template Details

Retrieve a template configuration and its variables. Replace <template_id> with the actual template ID:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/template/<template_id>" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq .data

10. Generate Video from Template

Create a video using a template with variable substitution. Replace <template_id> and variable keys with actual values from the template details.

Write to /tmp/heygen_request.json:

{
  "caption": false,
  "title": "Video from Template",
  "variables": {
    "script": {
      "name": "script",
      "type": "text",
      "properties": {
        "content": "Your custom script text goes here."
      }
    }
  }
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v2/template/<template_id>/generate" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/heygen_request.json | jq .

11. Translate a Video

Translate an existing video into another language. Replace <video_url> and <language> with actual values:

Write to /tmp/heygen_request.json:

{
  "video_url": "<video_url>",
  "output_language": "<language>",
  "title": "Translated Video"
}

Then run:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d @/tmp/heygen_request.json | jq .

12. List Supported Translation Languages

Get all languages available for video translation:

curl -s -X GET "https://api.heygen.com/v2/video_translate/target_languages" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" | jq .data

13. Share a Video

Generate a public sharing URL for a video. Replace <video_id> with the actual video ID:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.heygen.com/v1/video/share" --header "x-api-key: $(printenv HEYGEN_TOKEN)" --header "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"video_id": "<video_id>"}' | jq .

Guidelines

1. Poll for completion: Video generation is asynchronous. After calling the generate endpoint, poll video_status.get until status is completed or failed
2. Download promptly: Video and thumbnail URLs expire after 7 days
3. Use templates for consistency: Create templates in the HeyGen dashboard and use the template generate endpoint for repeatable video production
4. Choose appropriate avatars: List avatars first to find one matching your use case, then get details for supported styles
5. Monitor credits: Video generation consumes API credits based on video duration
6. Use JSON files for complex bodies: Write request bodies to /tmp/heygen_request.json to avoid shell quoting issues