Every account has an issuing mode: test or prod. New accounts start in test mode so you can try AgentCard with no risk.
| Mode | What you get |
|---|
test | Sandbox cards (numbers start 4242…), no real charges, not usable at real merchants. Bypass plan limits and don’t count toward monthly usage. |
prod | Live cards funded by your saved payment method and charged when used. |
Check and switch
agent-cards mode # show current mode
agent-cards mode prod # switch to live cards
agent-cards mode test # switch back to sandbox
get_mode — show the current issuing mode.set_mode with mode: 'prod' or mode: 'test'.
Always confirm before switching to prod — cards created in prod mode draw on your real payment method when used.
4242…, your account is still in test mode. Switch to prod when you’re ready to issue real cards.
You can also force a single sandbox card while in prod by passing sandbox: true to create_card (MCP) — useful for one-off testing without changing your account mode. 
