# Test Environments & Accounts

> This is where you decide which address verification opens and who it signs in as. Site addresses, test accounts, and safely encrypted secrets — everything to set up before running a verification.

## Verification needs a "where" and a "who"

Verification means a real browser opening a real address and clicking through it. So before running one, two things must be decided:

- **Where** — the site address to test (a test environment)
- **Who** — for flows that require signing in, which account to use (a test account)

Both live in the **Test Environment** tab of your workspace board. Set them up once, and every verification after that follows the same settings.

## Registering a test environment

A test environment is simply "the site address verification opens." In the Test Environment tab, a name and an address are all it takes:

- **Name** — a label for yourself (e.g. "Staging", "Production")
- **Site address** — the frontend address verification opens (e.g. `https://staging.example.com`)

You can keep several environments — say, "Staging" for pre-release checks alongside "Production" — and pick one per run. Mark one as the **default environment**, and any verification that doesn't specify otherwise runs there.

When a run group (round) is created, the environment and account you chose at that moment are **locked to that group** — so re-verifying within the same group always uses the same environment and account, keeping results consistent.

> The address must be reachable by Specnote's servers. If your app only runs on your own PC (`localhost`), see "If your app only runs on your computer" below.

## Connecting test accounts

To verify member-only screens, Specnote needs a **test account** to sign in with. Register an email and password under **Sign-in accounts** in the Test Environment tab.

Accounts can be scoped **per environment** — staging and production credentials usually differ. An account you register without picking an environment isn't tied to one; it **can be used in any environment.** When accounts must differ per environment, register them with a specific environment instead.

One principle applies here too: register a **test-only account, not production credentials**. An account that costs you nothing if leaked is the safest kind.

Each test can be viewed as a **member or a visitor** (not signed in), so the same screen can be verified from both perspectives — for example, "can someone who isn't signed in reach the checkout screen?"

## Secrets — stored safely

Registered accounts and keys are **encrypted the moment you save them** (using KMS, a dedicated vault). Only you can reveal them, and even then "show value" displays a value for just 5 seconds before masking it again.

Beyond accounts, other values your verification needs — like sandbox payment keys — can be stored as **secrets**. They're kept fully separate from your production secrets, so store only the minimum your tests require.

If Specnote spots credential-like values while your code is connected, it asks "store this as a secret?" — you review and decide.

## If your app only runs on your computer (LOCAL)

You can verify apps that only run on your PC (`localhost`) before they're deployed. Just choose the **My computer (LOCAL)** option when registering the environment.

Sign-in flows work a little differently here. Specnote's servers can't reach the sign-in screen on your PC, so **you sign in once on its behalf**:

1. Click **Sign in on my computer** in the Test Environment tab.
2. A sign-in browser window opens on your computer shortly after.
3. Sign in there as you normally would.
4. Come back and click **Signed in** — done.

Specnote safely carries that signed-in state into the verification. If the browser window doesn't open for a while, follow the on-screen guide to start the Specnote helper on your computer.

## You can ask your AI instead

Everything above can be done on screen — or by asking your connected AI:

> Register a test environment in Specnote. Name it "Staging", address https://staging.example.com. Also add the test account tester@example.com with password ○○○.

Your AI registers the environment and account for you. Not connected yet? See [Connect Your AI (Install MCP)](/en/docs/install-mcp) first.

With environments and accounts in place, head to [Running Verifications & Reading Results](/en/docs/running-and-results) and try a run. If sign-in steps keep failing, [Troubleshooting](/en/docs/troubleshooting) has a checklist for that.

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Source: https://specnote.io/en/docs/test-environments