---
title: "Test Mode"
description: "Run sandboxed test sessions with MCP access and multi-agent delegation - before going live in Slack."
---

Test Mode lets you have a conversation with an agent inside the dashboard, exactly the way Slack would, but without posting anything to a real channel. MCPs work, boss delegation works, memory works - it's a safe sandbox for iterating.

## Open the Test tab

1. Go to the agent's detail page
2. Click **Test** in the tab bar
3. You'll see an empty conversation pane

## Start a test session

Type your prompt at the bottom and press Enter:

```
What tables do we have in the warehouse?
```

The agent streams its reply with the same tool-call trace you'd see in logs - every MCP call, every read, every tool result is visible inline.

## Use MCPs in the test

MCPs assigned to the agent work in Test Mode. If the agent has `playwright`, asking it to browse a URL actually opens a browser. If it has `notion`, it reads real Notion pages. No mocking - real tools, real side effects.

<Note>
  Side effects are real. Test deletes, writes, or postings are not isolated. Use a sandbox workspace for destructive MCPs.
</Note>

## Delegate to other agents

Type `@another-agent-slug` in your message and Test Mode routes the request through your Boss agent, exactly like Slack would. You'll see:

1. Your original message
2. Boss's delegation line
3. The specialist's reply streaming in
4. Boss's summary

This exercises the full multi-agent delegation path without sending anything to Slack.

## Inspect the trace

Each turn shows:

- **Tool calls** - chips with the tool name, args, and result
- **Cost** - total tokens and dollar estimate
- **Duration** - wall-clock time for the turn
- **Session ID** - click to tie back to the log stream

## When to use Test Mode

- **Before first deployment** - confirm the agent replies the way you expect
- **After a Coach-driven change** - sanity-check the new prompt
- **When an MCP seems off** - reproduce without the Slack round-trip
- **Debugging delegation** - exercise `@mention` chains in isolation

Once it works in Test Mode, it works in Slack.
