> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.paypathiq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Go-live checklist

> The steps from a sandbox key to production ingestion, and who owns each one.

Use this list to track your move from sandbox to production. Steps 1 and 2 are yours. Steps 3 to 5 need PayPathIQ and your Client. Check [Certification and capabilities](/certification) for what has been proven on a deployed build.

## 1. Get a sandbox key

* [ ] An Organization administrator, or a Client administrator for their own Client, creates the sandbox Integration, Client grant and key under **Settings → API access**. See [Get a sandbox key](/authentication#get-a-sandbox-key).
* [ ] You store the key in a secret manager. You never commit it, log it or put it in a URL.
* [ ] You have the `clientCode` for your Client.

## 2. Prove your integration in sandbox

Use synthetic data only. Sandbox sends messages only to recipients on PayPathIQ's allowlist, so they do not reach the Customers you create.

* [ ] You can create Customers and Receivables. See the [quickstart](/quickstart).
* [ ] You use stable, non-sensitive [external IDs](/glossary).
* [ ] Your retries are safe. You resend the same body to the same ID, and you do not generate a new ID for a retry. See [Safe retries](/idempotency).
* [ ] You handle conflicts. You read the record and reconcile before you resend. See [Errors and retries](/errors-and-retries).
* [ ] You report Payment observations and lifecycle commands. See [Report a payment](/report-a-payment).
* [ ] Your safety assertions affect only Integration-owned protections, and omitting one never clears it. See [Safety assertions](/concepts#safety-assertions).
* [ ] You back off on `429` and `503` and honor `Retry-After`.
* [ ] You can recover after an outage with the [change feed](/change-feed).

## 3. PayPathIQ approves production

PayPathIQ approves:

* the production Integration,
* its scopes and Portfolio,
* an IP allowlist, if one is required, and
* a named technical contact.

PayPathIQ then shares the production key through an approved expiring secret-sharing channel. Production keys start with `ppiq_live_` and work only against `https://api.paypathiq.com`. See [Environments](/environments).

* [ ] You have a production key, and it is in your secret manager.
* [ ] Your base URL and key are set per environment, not shared.

## 4. Reconcile a cohort

Production starts with ingestion only.

* [ ] You load a representative cohort. See [Load your first book](/load-your-first-book).
* [ ] PayPathIQ and the Client reconcile that cohort against the source system.

## 5. Activate the connection

The authorized Client contact and the Integration administrator approve connection activation separately.

* [ ] You have both approvals.
* [ ] You understand that importing an obligation never starts recovery. Each Receivable stays held until a [recovery instruction or a Client-approved rule](/concepts#recovery-entry) authorizes it, and every other protection is still checked when an action is attempted.

Production ingestion does not by itself start recovery activity.


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