# Environments

> Decide whether you need a second environment, then create, rename, and switch between environments, and see what each one keeps apart.

After this page you can decide whether you need a second environment, create one, and say what it keeps apart and what it shares.

## What this is

An **environment** is a named partition inside your org, such as Sandbox, Test, or Production. Everything built in one environment belongs to it and can't see anything in another.

Every org starts with exactly one environment, called **Sandbox**. Its address is `original`, and it's marked **Default**.

## What it keeps apart

| Lives inside one environment | Shared by the whole org |
|---|---|
| Agents, scripts, and functions | Members and their roles |
| Connections, their operations, and their credentials | Org settings, including the personal data policy, audit retention, reply language, and the write operation switch |
| Triggers and schedules | Model keys and embedding keys |
| Conversations and runs | |
| API keys | |

The connections are what make two environments different. Say the invoice exceptions agent is built in Test, and Test's finance connection holds the credentials for your test finance system. That agent can't read a real invoice or send a real supplier query, even if its instructions tell it to, because the credentials for the real system aren't in Test.

A webhook address names both your org and the environment, so a delivery always lands in the environment it was set up in.

## Create an environment

Only admins can create or rename an environment.

1. Open **Settings → Environments**. You can also get there from **Manage environments** in the **Environment** switcher.
2. Enter a name under **New Environment**, such as "Production".
3. Press **Create Environment**.

Mindset derives the environment's address from its name. If the address is already taken, it adds a number, so a second "Test" gets the address `test-2`. The message after you create it tells you the address.

## Rename an environment

On **Settings → Environments**, press **Rename** next to the environment, type the new name, and press Enter. This changes the name people see. The address never changes, so every link, stored URL, and MCP client address keeps working. You can rename Sandbox too.

## Switch environments

Use the **Environment** switcher in the left navigation. The one you're in has a tick, and the default is marked "(default)". Everything you open after switching is in that environment.

## How work moves between them

Nothing is copied from one environment to another. Promoting a change means making the same change again in the next environment once it holds up.

A common setup is two environments:

| Environment | Connections point at | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| **Test** | Your test finance system, your test CRM | Building and trying changes |
| **Production** | Your real finance system, your real CRM | The agents people rely on |

You don't need a second environment to start, and you can add one at any time.

Two things to plan for:

- **Operation approvals are separate.** Each environment has its own connections, so approving "send supplier query" in Test doesn't approve it in Production.
- **The write operation switch is org-wide.** **Turn on connections that change other systems automatically** on **Settings → Systems** applies in every environment. You can't hold new write operations for approval in Production only. See [Set up your workspace](https://docs4.mindset.ai/docs/ams/set-up-your-workspace#the-one-decision-worth-making-deliberately).

## Things to be aware of

- **You can't delete an environment.** Name it deliberately.
- **An environment's address is permanent.** Only its name can change.
- **Membership is access to every environment.** You can't invite someone into Test only.
- **An API key works only in the environment it was created in.** Your Test software needs a Test key.
- **Mindset environments aren't Power Platform environments.** If you also use Copilot Studio, the two are unrelated and one has no effect on the other.

## When it doesn't work

**A colleague can't find an agent you built.** They're probably in a different environment. Check the **Environment** switcher first.

**Your software gets refused when it names another environment.** Each API key acts only in its own environment. Create a key in the environment you want to reach.