> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://novu-c5de82d9-docs-homepage-redesign.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Going to Production

> Learn how to run a conversational agent on your local machine, test it in a development environment, and deploy it to production.

Agents built with Novu can run on your local machine. Deploy them to development and production environments when you are ready.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Local">
    By default, the agent runs on your local machine. To run the agent locally:

    * Scaffold your agent with `npx novu init -t agent`.
    * Add valid `NOVU_SECRET_KEY` and `NOVU_API_URL` values to your `.env` file.
    * Run the scaffolded project on your local machine.
    * Set the bridge option to `Local` in the agent overview section.

    When you complete these steps, run the agent using the Novu CLI command below.

    ```bash theme={null}
    npx novu@latest dev --port <bridge_application_port> --no-studio
    ```

    * **bridge\_application\_port** - Port where your scaffolded project runs. Defaults to 4000.
    * **no-studio** - Disables Studio.

    After you run the command, a tunnel starts on your machine. It forwards requests to your scaffolded project on `bridge_application_port`.

    Novu sets the bridge URL automatically to `tunnel-url/api/novu`.

    The agent listens for new messages and responds while running locally.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Development">
    After you test the agent locally, deploy it to a development environment. A scaffolded app from `npx novu init -t agent` uses Next.js and exposes a `/api/novu` endpoint for communicating with Novu. Deploy the app to your preferred hosting provider, then copy the deployed URL.

    * Add valid `NOVU_SECRET_KEY` and `NOVU_API_URL` values in the environment variables section of your hosting provider.
    * Toggle the bridge option to `Development` in the agent overview section.
    * For a deployed app at `https://dev.my-agent-app.com`, use `https://dev.my-agent-app.com/api/novu` as the bridge URL in the agent overview section.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    Before you use an agent in production, publish the agent from the development environment to the production environment. Use the *Publish changes* option on the dashboard.

    After you publish:

    * Publishing sends the agent to production with the same name, identifier, and description.
    * The agent stays inactive until you activate it from the agent overview section.
    * Configure and connect every provider again in the production environment.
    * Deploy the agent bridge application to the production environment.
    * Add valid `NOVU_SECRET_KEY` and `NOVU_API_URL` values in the environment variables section of your hosting provider.

    ### Deploying to production

    After you publish the agent and complete the above steps, deploy the agent bridge application to the production environment.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash title="Novu CLI" theme={null}
      npx novu@latest sync --bridge-url <bridge_url> --secret-key <NOVU_SECRET_KEY> --api-url <NOVU_API_URL>
      ```

      ```yaml title="GitHub Actions" theme={null}
      name: Deploy agent to Novu Cloud

      on:
        workflow_dispatch:
        push:
          branches:
            - main

      jobs:
        deploy:
          runs-on: ubuntu-latest
          steps:
            # https://github.com/novuhq/actions-novu-sync
            - name: Deploy agent to Novu Cloud
              uses: novuhq/actions-novu-sync@v2
              with:
                # The secret key used to authenticate with Novu Cloud
                # To get the secret key, go to https://web.novu.co/api-keys.
                # Required.
                secret-key: ${{ secrets.NOVU_SECRET_KEY }}

                # The publicly available endpoint hosting the bridge application
                # where notification entities (e.g. workflows, topics) are defined.
                # Required.
                bridge-url: ${{ secrets.NOVU_BRIDGE_URL }}

                # The Novu Cloud API URL to sync with.
                # Optional.
                # Defaults to https://api.novu.co
                api-url: https://api.novu.co
      ```
    </CodeGroup>

    For example, with `https://prod.my-agent-app.com` as the bridge app URL, use `https://prod.my-agent-app.com/api/novu` as the bridge URL.

    In the CLI command above:

    * `<bridge_url>`: URL of your deployed agent bridge application.
    * `<NOVU_SECRET_KEY>`: secret key for your Novu account.
    * `<NOVU_API_URL>`: API URL for your Novu account.

    You can also use our built-in GitHub Action to deploy your agent to the production environment. See [Deploy with GitHub Actions](/agents/custom-code-agent/going-to-production) for setup details.

    After you run the command, the agent overview section shows the updated production bridge URL.

    <Warning>
      Local tunnel bridge URLs cannot be activated on production environments (returns 403 Forbidden) to prevent accidental routing of production traffic to a local machine.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card icon="messages-square" href="/agents/conversations" title="Conversation observability">
    View agent conversations, lifecycle, and signal activity in the dashboard.
  </Card>
</Columns>