# Sandbox Mode

Try the full creator dashboard without signing up. Sandbox mode gives you an ephemeral account that works like a real one, with a few guardrails.

## Starting a Sandbox

1. Visit [/sandbox](/sandbox) (or click **Try the Dashboard** on the homepage)
2. Click **Start sandbox**
3. You're dropped into a pre-seeded dashboard with a demo project and two sample items

No email, no password, no commitment. The session starts immediately.

## What Works

Everything in the creator dashboard works in sandbox mode:

- **Projects**: Create, edit, delete, change visibility and settings
- **Items**: Create any item type, set pricing (fixed, free, pay-what-you-want), add descriptions, manage chapters and sections
- **Blog**: Write and publish blog posts with the full markdown editor
- **Tags & metadata**: Organize content with tags, categories, and labels
- **Membership tiers**: Create tiers with simulated payment details
- **License keys**: Configure license key settings and generate keys
- **Promo codes**: Create discount and free-access codes
- **Collections**: Group items into collections
- **Custom links**: Add links to your profile
- **File uploads**: Upload real files up to 5 MB each (50 MB total)
- **Analytics**: View the revenue dashboard and sales charts (with your sandbox data)
- **Export**: Export your sandbox data as CSV or JSON

## What's Different

A few things are restricted:

| Feature | Sandbox behavior |
|---------|-----------------|
| **Stripe payments** | Simulated. Membership tiers get placeholder IDs. No real money moves. |
| **Broadcast email** | Blocked. No emails are sent from sandbox accounts. |
| **Follows** | Blocked. Sandbox accounts can't follow real users. |
| **Public visibility** | Sandbox content never appears on the discover page, search, or public profiles. |
| **2FA / passkeys** | Disabled. Security setup on a 1-hour account isn't useful. |
| **File size** | 5 MB per file, 50 MB total (real accounts get up to {{ tier_limits.big_files_per_file }} per file depending on tier). |
| **Duration** | 1 hour. After that, the account and all its data are permanently deleted. |

## Limits

- **1 hour**: your sandbox expires automatically. There is no way to extend it.
- **5 MB per file**: enough to upload sample audio, cover images, or small downloads.
- **50 MB total storage**: keeps sandbox resource usage bounded.
- **Rate limited**: a maximum of 2 sandboxes can be created per 30 seconds from the same IP, with 3 concurrent sandboxes active at once.

## Converting to a Real Account

Sandbox data cannot be transferred to a real account. When you're ready:

1. [Create a real account](/join)
2. [Apply for creator access](/creators)
3. Recreate the projects and items you liked from your sandbox session

## See Also

- [Getting Started](./getting-started.md): Full account setup walkthrough
- [Content Types](./02-content.md): Items, uploads, and organization
- [Pricing Tiers](./tiers.md): File limits and features per tier