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Deployment modes control whether an agent responds directly to customers or runs with testing safeguards.

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Available Modes

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Live Mode

The agent responds directly to customers. Use when:
  • Agent has been validated in testing mode
  • You’re confident in response quality
  • Ready for production traffic

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Testing Mode

The agent processes matching deployment events with testing safeguards. Use when:
  • Testing a new agent or deployment
  • Validating on real traffic before going live
  • Debugging a specific channel, trigger, or filter
  • Checking behavior after major configuration changes

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Testing Options

When a deployment is in testing mode, you can enable additional safeguards.

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Internal Notes Only

Duckie response tools use internal notes instead of public responses. Use this when you want the agent to process real messages without sending public customer replies.

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No Write Actions

Tools marked as write actions are skipped during execution. Use this when you want to validate reasoning, retrieval, and response quality without modifying external systems.

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Choosing the Right Mode

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New Deployment

  1. Test in the playground until confident
  2. Deploy in testing mode
  3. Review test runs and internal notes
  4. Switch to live when quality is consistent

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Existing Deployment with Major Changes

  1. Pause the deployment
  2. Make configuration changes
  3. Switch to testing mode
  4. Validate the changes
  5. Return to live

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Minor Change

For minor, low-risk changes:
  • Update directly in live mode
  • Monitor closely afterward

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Change Modes

1

Open Deployment

Go to Deploy and click on your deployment.
2

Edit Deployment

Click Edit to modify settings.
3

Change Mode

Select Live or Testing.
4

Save

Save to apply the change.

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Review Testing Runs

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In Run History

  1. Go to Analyze > Runs
  2. Filter by deployment
  3. Review agent responses
  4. Check execution steps and tool calls

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In the Source System

When Internal Notes Only is enabled, responses are written as internal notes on channels that support them.

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Quality Checks

When reviewing testing runs, ask:
  • Is the response accurate?
  • Is the tone appropriate?
  • Did the agent find the right knowledge?
  • Did guardrails work correctly?
  • Would you send this to a customer?

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Go Live

Before switching from testing to live:
1

Review Sample

Review a representative sample of testing runs.
2

Check Metrics

Verify escalation rate and response quality are acceptable.
3

Address Issues

Fix any problems found in review.
4

Switch Mode

Change mode to Live.
5

Monitor Closely

Watch performance for the first few hours or days.

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Best Practices

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Start in Testing

New deployments and major changes should go through testing mode:
  • Catches issues before public customer responses
  • Builds confidence in the configuration
  • Provides run data for validation

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Set Review Expectations

In testing mode:
  • Decide how many runs to review before going live
  • Set a timeline, such as testing for a few days
  • Define quality criteria for switching to live

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Keep a Testing Deployment

Consider maintaining a testing deployment for ongoing validation:
  • Test new configurations safely
  • Catch regressions
  • Compare behavior before updating a live deployment

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Next Steps

Create Deployment

Set up a deployment

Monitor Runs

Review agent activity