Fix · Payments

Test keys versus live keys (nothing works after going live)

Blocks your workNot checked against the vendor's current screens

What you may see

Real cards fail on the live site, or test cards work where they should not
The gateway says merchant not found or invalid credentials

Most likely cause

The test (sandbox) and live systems have separate keys and separate web addresses; one of them is still set to the wrong one.

Check first (about two minutes)

Check which environment variables hold the keys and the gateway address in the live site (names only).
Check the gateway account: is it activated for live payments?

The fix prompt

What you type here never leaves your browser. The search runs on this page, and nothing is sent to a server or to an AI.

The exact error or what you see

What you did before it happened

Kept only in this browser, on this device. Keys and passwords are removed before anything is saved.

Prompt language

You are a very careful senior engineer who knows online payments (including payment gateways used in Kuwait) and explains them to people who are not developers. I am not a developer, so explain every step in plain words and tell me exactly which button, menu or command you mean. If you are not sure about something, say so; do not guess.

Menu and button names change over time. If you cannot find a button or page I mention, say so and tell me what to look for instead of guessing.

THE PROBLEM
Test keys versus live keys (nothing works after going live)

THE EXACT ERROR OR WHAT I SEE
[paste the exact error here]

WHAT I DID BEFORE IT HAPPENED
[write in a few words what you did before it happened]

MOST LIKELY CAUSE
The test (sandbox) and live systems have separate keys and separate web addresses; one of them is still set to the wrong one.

DO THESE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER
1. List the settings that differ between test and live (keys, gateway address, callback addresses) by name.
2. Make the code read ONE mode switch and choose all matching settings, and show the active mode in the admin area (not in public pages).
3. Give me a go-live checklist: live keys in the host settings, live callback addresses, one tiny real payment by me and a refund.
Stop and tell me if what you see does not match a step. Do not skip ahead.

CHECK THAT IT WORKED
- One small real payment completes end to end and is refunded, and test cards no longer work live.
Tell me exactly what I should see on the screen when it works.

DO NOT CHANGE
- Do not put live keys in the code or in Git.
- Anything I did not ask about: the design, the text, other pages, other settings or the data.
- Do not delete files, data or branches, do not reset or force-push, and do not rewrite history, unless you first show me exactly what would be lost and I say yes.
- Do not paste, print or ask me to paste a password or secret key into this chat. If one is needed, tell me which settings page of the right service to store it in.

WHEN YOU FINISH
Explain in simple words what you changed (file by file or setting by setting), why you changed it, and how I can undo it.

Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Cursor, then follow what it says.

After you tried it, did it work?

Steps

List the settings that differ between test and live (keys, gateway address, callback addresses) by name.
Make the code read ONE mode switch and choose all matching settings, and show the active mode in the admin area (not in public pages).
Give me a go-live checklist: live keys in the host settings, live callback addresses, one tiny real payment by me and a refund.

Do not do this

Do not test live with other people's cards.
Do not put live keys in the code or in Git.

Try another entry