> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.360dialog.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.360dialog.com/docs/mba/meta-business-agent/4.-test-your-agent.md).

# 4. Test your Agent

Before customers reach your agent, send it test messages and check the replies. The test endpoint returns the agent's response plus useful diagnostics — no real WhatsApp message is sent.

```bash
curl -s -X POST https://waba-v2.360dialog.io/agent_test \
  -H "D360-API-KEY: <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "user_msg": "Do you deliver to Rio?" }'
```

[Run an agent test](/docs/mba/api-ref/operate/run-an-agent-test.md)

{% hint style="info" %}
**A 4XX or 500 from `agent_test` isn't always a real error.** Endpoints occasionally fail with no obvious cause while Meta debugs an ongoing instability. Retry after a few hours before treating it as a configuration problem. See [Known limitations](/docs/mba/meta-business-agent/known-limitations.md#platform-stability).
{% endhint %}

The response includes `agent_response` (the reply text), `conversation_id`, `handoff_reason`, `no_response_reason`, `quick_replies`, and `product_variant_ids`.

## How to test safely today

Because of the caveat above, the practical way to test before a public launch is to **test on real WhatsApp under an allowlist**, not through `agent_test`:

1. Set `ai_audience` to `ALLOWLISTED_ONLY` and add your own phone numbers to the [allowlist](/docs/mba/meta-business-agent/5.-go-live.md).
2. Message the agent from those allowlisted numbers on WhatsApp and observe the replies directly on the phone.
3. Iterate on skills, FAQs, and business info, then repeat.

Use `agent_test` for quick automated checks in environments where it's acceptable to have the agent on `EVERYONE` (for example, a dedicated test number), and use the allowlist-on-real-WhatsApp method for pre-launch validation of a production number.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Each `agent_test` call starts a fresh conversation** unless you pass a `conversation_id` back in to continue a thread. The consumer/`to` field is ignored. So to test a multi-turn flow, capture the `conversation_id` from the first response and send it with the next message.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="success" %}
**You can watch a live agent conversation over webhooks.** While the agent holds a conversation, the consumer's messages and the agent's replies arrive on the `standby` field of your number's webhook, alongside `messaging_handovers` and `bizai`-tagged delivery statuses. This makes allowlist testing on real WhatsApp observable end to end — see [Webhooks](/docs/mba/webhooks.md)
{% endhint %}

Once you're happy with the replies, continue to [Go live with an allowlist](/docs/mba/meta-business-agent/5.-go-live.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
**Want to see exactly why the agent replied the way it did?** Once you've sent a test message, look up that conversation's turns — including which tools were called and how long each step took — in [Controlling your Agent.](/docs/mba/meta-business-agent/controlling-your-agent.md)
{% endhint %}


---

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