Sandbox Mode

Sandbox mode lets you test the Limitguard API without calling real data sources, making USDC payments, or spending a prepaid balance.

How to Activate

Sandbox mode is decided by the key, never by a header: a request is a sandbox request when its X-API-Key is a sandbox key (lg_sandbox_...).

Create a free sandbox key. No wallet, no payment:

curl -X POST https://api.limitguard.ai/v1/keys/create \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"email": "you@example.com", "tier": "sandbox"}'
# -> {"api_key": "lg_sandbox_...", "tier": "sandbox", ...}

Send it on any endpoint:

curl -X POST https://api.limitguard.ai/v1/entity/check \
  -H "X-API-Key: lg_sandbox_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_name": "Any Company Name", "country": "NL"}'

import httpx

response = httpx.post(
    "https://api.limitguard.ai/v1/entity/check",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "lg_sandbox_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"},
    json={"entity_name": "Any Company Name", "country": "NL"},
)

const response = await fetch("https://api.limitguard.ai/v1/entity/check", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "X-API-Key": "lg_sandbox_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ entity_name: "Any Company Name", country: "NL" }),
});

There is no sandbox header. An X-Limitguard-Mode: sandbox header is ignored, so a request that sends it with a live key is a normal, paid call. Keys starting with lg_test_ are refused in production with 401 Test keys not accepted in production.

POST /v1/reports/entity (and the MCP get_compliance_report tool) refuses sandbox keys with 403: reports are built only from real checks.

Sandbox Behavior

Property	Behavior
Data sources	No real sources called (KVK, sanctions, VIES, etc.)
Responses	Deterministic mock data — same input always gives same output
Payments	No USDC payment required — x402 is skipped
Balance	Not debited
Rate limit	10 requests per minute per IP

Mock Data Examples

/v1/entity/check (sandbox)

{
  "trust_score": 75,
  "trust_level": "medium",
  "cluster": "verified_startup",
  "recommendation": "review",
  "confidence": 0.85,
  "top_factors": [
    {
      "source": "sandbox",
      "signal": "Mock data for Acme Corp BV",
      "impact": "positive",
      "weight": 0.5
    }
  ],
  "correlations": {},
  "sources_checked": 0,
  "processing_time_ms": 1,
  "version": "1.0",
  "sandbox": true
}

The signal echoes the entity_name you sent. sandbox: true marks every mock response.

/v1/risk/score (sandbox)

{
  "risk_score": 25,
  "risk_level": "low",
  "recommendation": "proceed",
  "top_factors": [
    {
      "source": "sandbox",
      "signal": "Mock risk data for Acme Corp BV",
      "impact": "positive",
      "weight": 0.4
    }
  ],
  "processing_time_ms": 1,
  "sandbox": true
}

Rate Limit Response

When the sandbox rate limit is exceeded:

HTTP 429

{
  "error": "Sandbox rate limit exceeded (10 req/min). Use a real API key for higher limits."
}

The response includes a Retry-After: 60 header.

Use Cases

Scenario	Recommendation
First-time integration	Sandbox key
CI/CD automated tests	Sandbox key in an environment variable; it can never trigger a paid call
Frontend development	Sandbox key
Load testing	Sandbox key (10 requests per minute per IP); never load test production
Demo / prototype	Sandbox key

Middleware Execution Order

Sandbox detection runs before x402 payment verification, so a sandbox request never reaches the payment check and is never charged.

Transitioning to Production

When ready to use real data, replace the lg_sandbox_ key with an lg_live_ key from the dashboard or POST /v1/keys/create, or pay per call with x402. No other code changes required. The same endpoints, request format, and response structure apply in both modes.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Post-mortems

How to Activate

Sandbox Behavior

Mock Data Examples

/v1/entity/check (sandbox)

/v1/risk/score (sandbox)

Rate Limit Response

Use Cases

Middleware Execution Order

Transitioning to Production

​How to Activate

​Sandbox Behavior

​Mock Data Examples

​/v1/entity/check (sandbox)

​/v1/risk/score (sandbox)

​Rate Limit Response

​Use Cases

​Middleware Execution Order

​Transitioning to Production

How to Activate

Sandbox Behavior

Mock Data Examples

/v1/entity/check (sandbox)

/v1/risk/score (sandbox)

Rate Limit Response

Use Cases

Middleware Execution Order

Transitioning to Production