generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: https://docs.instantcommerce.io/developer/getting-started/sandbox
description: >-
  Instant ships a sandbox, but it is a LOCAL BLOCK-DEVELOPMENT sandbox delivered
  by the CLI, not a test-mode API environment. There is no test/live key pair, no
  test-mode host, no test cards or hosted test tokens, no time simulation and no
  fixture/trigger tooling — Instant is not a payments or transactional API and
  publishes none of those. What it publishes is an isolated local preview of a
  single block against a real connected store, which is recorded faithfully below.
docs: https://docs.instantcommerce.io/developer/getting-started/sandbox
kind: local-development-sandbox
test_mode_keys: none
test_credentials: none
test_data_fixtures: none
time_simulation: none
sandbox:
  name: Instant CLI sandbox
  enabled_by_default: true
  activation: >-
    Enabled by default when initializing a new project with `instant init`;
    started with `instant dev`.
  purpose: >-
    Isolates one block at a time so a developer can build an entire block with a
    preview of the Instant Commerce admin environment without leaving their local
    environment.
  surfaces:
    - name: Toolbar
      capabilities:
        - Switch between connected stores when logged in.
        - Bookmark specific blocks for highlighting.
        - Reload a block, open it in a separate browser window, toggle the side panel.
    - name: Left panel
      capabilities:
        - Search blocks (ctrl+k / cmd+k).
        - Bookmarked blocks listed above all blocks.
    - name: Viewport
      capabilities:
        - Preview across device sizes, or set width/height manually.
        - Toggle light/dark background and preview scaling.
    - name: Right panel
      capabilities:
        - Preview the customizer schema and the content schema; fields appear once declared in the block's code.
  data_source: >-
    A real connected store selected from the store dropdown — the sandbox does
    not provide synthetic commerce data.
  caveat: >-
    The provider warns that customizer and content settings in the sandbox are
    for previewing only; once published, a block uses the customizer settings
    selected in the admin and the content values from the headless CMS.
free_tier_as_trial:
  note: >-
    The closest thing to an evaluation environment for the product surface is the
    Free plan, which allows unlimited previews and publishing of 1 page, 1 section
    and 1 blog post, and a 7-day free trial on Starter. Recorded here because a
    developer evaluating Instant has no API sandbox to fall back on.
  docs: https://instant.so/pricing
mcp_sandbox:
  available: false
  note: >-
    There is no sandbox or dry-run mode for the MCP server. Access tokens are
    issued against a real project and agent tools consume real AI credits, so
    there is no way to exercise the agent surface without spending a paid quota
    against live content.
  checked: '2026-08-13'