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

# Create a local test project

> Run the developer control plane and issue a scoped test key.

This guide runs the current GOL platform and console on your machine. It gives you a test API key you can use with [`GET /v1/whoami`](/get-started/first-request). It does not create an account or a mandate.

## Before you begin

You need Node.js 22 or newer, pnpm 11, and access to local checkouts of the GOL `platform` and `console` source. These repositories are currently private. If you do not have access, the public hosted onboarding flow is not available yet. The console's default mock mode is useful for UI exploration; the steps below use its real local platform mode so the resulting key can authenticate against the platform API.

## Start the platform

From the `platform` repository root:

```sh theme={null}
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
cp .env.example .env
pnpm dev
```

The default local API is `http://127.0.0.1:4100`. Its in-memory storage is temporary. The local email verification code is returned only in local development.

## Start the console

In a second terminal, from the `console` repository root:

```sh theme={null}
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
cp .env.example .env.local
GOL_CONSOLE_MODE=platform GOL_PLATFORM_URL=http://127.0.0.1:4100 pnpm dev
```

Open the local console URL printed by Next.js. If port 3000 is free, it will be `http://localhost:3000`.

## Create your first key

1. Enter an email address and use the verification code shown by the local development flow.
2. Create a project. Its test environment is active; its live environment is unavailable.
3. Create a test API key with `project:read` scope.
4. Copy the secret when it appears. The console shows it once.

Keep the key in a server-side environment variable for your next step. If you lose it, create or rotate a key; the existing secret cannot be revealed again. Continue with [make your first request](/get-started/first-request).

<Warning>
  Local in-memory data disappears when the platform process stops. A local verification code and a test key are development artifacts, not proof of a hosted test service.
</Warning>