Test and Live

Test is an isolated environment that cannot affect Live customers, billing, or commitments. Live is the environment used for customer-facing Quotes and Commitments.

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The environment toggle

The environment indicator sits in the top bar of your workspace. It shows either:

• Test — flask icon, warning-ochre tint, explicit “Test” text
• Live — globe icon, quiet default, no special tint

Switching the environment rewrites ?mode on the current URL. The destination and layout are preserved. Live is the quiet default; Test is the one that looks different.

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Exact comparison

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Key rules

• Reads, simulations, quotes, Test mode, and non-ready outcomes are not metered.
• Test mode cannot affect Live customers, billing, or commitments.
• The same Book version and evaluator are used in both environments — only the data, credentials, and customer visibility differ.
• Switching mode preserves layout and announces completion.

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When to use Test

• Starting your first Book
• Reviewing and calibrating a draft
• Verifying Statements before publishing
• Testing API integrations before going Live
• Running simulations without affecting customers
• Approving or correcting results in approval-first mode

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When to use Live

• Publishing an immutable Book version
• Receiving customer-facing Quotes
• Creating Commitments
• Operating with real customer data

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Your first Book starts in Test

The onboarding flow always starts in Test context. The welcome screen redirects to your first Book at ?mode=test. You stay in Test through extraction, review, clarification, calibration, and verification until you are ready to publish.

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API key isolation

Each environment has its own keys:

• Test keys are prefixed with sk_test_
• Live keys are prefixed with sk_live_

You create and manage keys on the Developers page. When creating a key, you choose Test or Live. A Test key cannot be used to address Live resources, and vice versa.

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