Testing Safely

Overview

The Speechify API has no separate test mode or sandbox environment. Every API key is live: requests bill real usage against your workspace balance and perform real actions.

To test safely, use a dedicated workspace for development. Each workspace is its own billing entity, so test traffic and spend stay isolated from production.

Create a development workspace

1. Sign in to the Speechify Console
2. Open the workspace switcher in the top-left corner
3. Click Create Workspace
4. Name it clearly (e.g., “Development” or “Staging”)

The free workspace tier requires no credit card. Generate a separate API key for this workspace and use it in your development environment.

Control spend

Prepaid balance

Fund your development workspace with a controlled prepaid balance. New requests are rejected once the balance reaches zero, but in-flight synthesis can still complete and bill.

1. Navigate to Billing
2. Add a small prepaid amount (e.g., $10 or$25)
3. Monitor usage in the Usage dashboard

Enforcement lag: During bursts or billing-service delays, enforcement can lag behind real-time usage. In-flight calls that complete successfully bill metered usage even if the balance hits zero before delivery. Budget a small buffer above your target test spend.

Per-key spend limits

Set a monthly spend cap on individual API keys to limit blast radius:

1. Open API Keys
2. Create or edit a key
3. Set a monthly spend limit in USD
4. New requests are rejected when the key approaches the limit

In-flight behavior: Requests that start before the limit is reached can complete and contribute metered usage beyond the nominal cap. Enforcement is best-effort, not a hard ceiling.

See Spend Limits for details.

Voice agents and telephony

Voice-agent calls and phone-number purchases use real carriers. There is no mock telephony.

Keep test calls short. Per-plan concurrency and max-call-duration caps bound worst-case spend, but short calls minimize actual costs:

• Test with single calls before batch operations
• Use short prompts and end conversations quickly
• Monitor active calls in the Console

Environment separation

Keep production and development credentials separate:

Never share API keys across workspaces or environments.

What’s planned

A dedicated test mode is planned but not yet available. Future capabilities:

• Test-scoped API keys that short-circuit billing
• Mock telephony for voice-agent calls
• Optional sandbox base URL

These features are not scheduled. Use dedicated workspaces and spend controls until they ship.

FAQ