diff --git a/chat_savant/elevenlabs.py b/chat_savant/elevenlabs.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/chat_savant/settings.py b/chat_savant/settings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..665333a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chat_savant/settings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+from pydantic import BaseSettings, Field, SecretStr
+
+
+class SavantSettings(BaseSettings):
+    """Savant Application Settings.
+
+    All environment varaibles supplied should be prefixed with "SAVANT_".
+    """
+
+    eleven_labs_api_key: SecretStr = Field(
+        default="", description="An optional Eleven Labs API key for text to speech."
+    )
+    llm_model_name: str = Field(
+        default="eachadea_vicuna-7b-1.1", description="The large language model name used in API requests."
+    )
+    openai_api_key: SecretStr = Field(
+        default="EMPTY", description="An OPEN_API_KEY or an empty value if using FastChat replacement server"
+    )
+    openai_api_base: str = Field(
+        default="http://localhost:8000/v1",
+        description="The base url to an OpenAI API compliant endpoint. \
+            Defaulted to FastChat replacement server defaults.",
+    )
+
+    class Config:
+        env_prefix = "SAVANT_"
+
+
+savant_settings = SavantSettings()
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index bdcd7ea..9f863f7 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ savant-cli = "chat_savant.cli:main"
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
 whisper = ["openai-whisper"]
+elevenlabs = ["elevenlabs", "mpv"]
 
 [tool.setuptools]
 packages = ["chat_savant"]
@@ -29,3 +30,10 @@ packages = ["chat_savant"]
 [tool.setuptools.dynamic]
 version = {attr = "chat_savant.__version__"}
 dependencies = {file = ["requirements.txt"]}
+
+[tool.black]
+line-length = 120
+skip-string-normalization = true
+
+[tool.ruff]
+line-length = 120
diff --git a/requirements.in b/requirements.in
index e69de29..ad519bb 100644
--- a/requirements.in
+++ b/requirements.in
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+pydantic>=1.6.2,<2.0.0
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index ea51277..d91d0a3 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 #
-# This file is autogenerated by pip-compile with Python 3.11
+# This file is autogenerated by pip-compile with Python 3.10
 # by the following command:
 #
-#    pip-compile --output-file=requirements.txt requirements.in
+#    pip-compile requirements.in
 #
+pydantic==1.10.8
+    # via -r requirements.in
+typing-extensions==4.6.2
+    # via pydantic
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_settings.py b/tests/unit/test_settings.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb2d2bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_settings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import os
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from pydantic.types import SecretStr
+
+from chat_savant.settings import SavantSettings
+
+SETTING_DEFAULTS = {
+    "OPENAI_API_KEY": "EMPTY",
+    "OPENAI_API_BASE": "http://localhost:8000/v1",
+    "LLM_MODEL_NAME": "eachadea_vicuna-7b-1.1",
+    "ELEVEN_LABS_API_KEY": "",
+}
+
+
+def test_setting_defaults():
+    """Regression test for settings schema."""
+    with patch.dict(os.environ, {}, clear=True):
+        savant_settings = SavantSettings()
+        assert len(savant_settings.dict()) == len(SETTING_DEFAULTS)
+        for k, v in SETTING_DEFAULTS.items():
+            _setting_value = getattr(savant_settings, k.lower())
+            unmasked_setting = (
+                _setting_value.get_secret_value() if isinstance(_setting_value, SecretStr) else _setting_value
+            )
+            unmasked_setting == v
+
+
+def test_with_envvar_prefix():
+    with patch.dict(os.environ, {"SAVANT_ELEVEN_LABS_API_KEY": "thisisnotreal"}, clear=True):
+        savant_settings = SavantSettings()
+        assert savant_settings.eleven_labs_api_key.get_secret_value() == "thisisnotreal"