# Sandbox

> The sandbox route that's open today, what's real in it and what isn't.

Source: https://cairva.xyz/docs/sandbox

The sandbox is how Cairva runs today. It's the full product on a development route: real requests, quotes, agreements, activation, keys and metering, with no money involved.

## What's open now

| | |
| --- | --- |
| Model | `gemma4:e2b`, an open-weight model |
| Runtime | Ollama, on Cairva's development infrastructure |
| Supplier | Cairva Supply Desk, Cairva's first-party supply |
| Region | `local-dev` |
| Capacity class | Metered allowance only |
| Settlement | Sandbox, no charge |
| Keys | `cv_test_…` |

This is the only route on Cairva right now. There's no live commercial supply listed yet, and nothing in these docs should be read as a promise that a particular model or supplier will be available.

## What's real

- The deal flow: requests, deal rooms, versioned quotes, acceptance with a terms hash, countersignature and activation checks.
- The gateway: authentication, scopes, admission, rate limits, holds and every error code.
- The model: requests go to a real model server, and usage is the token count it reports, not an estimate.
- The meter: usage events, remaining allowance and depletion work exactly as they would on a live route.

## What isn't

- **Money.** Sandbox agreements settle as no-charge. Countersignature records a zero-amount settlement marked paid, and the agreement goes straight to activation checks.
- **Guarantees.** There's no SLA, no throughput minimum and no promise the route stays up. It's development infrastructure.
- **Capacity classes.** Sandbox routes can only offer metered allowance.

## How to recognise sandbox

Sandbox is labelled in the workspace and on the market, keys start with `cv_test_`, settlement reads **Sandbox, no charge**, and every response has `"service_mode": "sandbox"` in its `cairva` object.

## Sandbox stand-in routes

Cairva can also run a sandbox route on a built-in stand-in that calls no model. It replies with a fixed message saying no model was called, and labels its usage `sandbox_estimate`. The route open today isn't one of these. It calls the real model and reports `provider_reported` usage.

## Before you test

The sandbox route is a small model on development hardware, so expect modest speed and output quality. If the model reasons before answering, those tokens count as output even though you don't see them. If answers come back empty with `finish_reason: "length"`, raise `max_tokens`. See [Chat completions](https://cairva.xyz/docs/chat-completions#output-tokens-you-don-t-see).

Check route health on the [status page](https://cairva.xyz/status) first.