HelloSign embedded signing shows a "test mode" watermark on production documents - how to fix

TL;DR: The signature request was created in test mode - either with a test API key or with test mode switched on - and that watermark is permanent for that document. Switch the integration to the production key, make sure test mode is off, and create a brand-new signature request. Test-mode documents are not legally binding, so reissue anything the counterparty already signed.

test mode

1. Check which API key your integration is using. Expected: it is a test key - that alone puts every request in test mode.

2. Swap in the production (live) API key and confirm the create call does not set test mode. Expected: config shows the live key and no test-mode flag.

3. Create a new signature request for the same document. Expected: the new request has no watermark.

4. Send the fresh request to the signers and void the watermarked one. Expected: signers complete a clean, legally binding document.

5. Audit any other recent sends for the watermark before they go to counterparties. Expected: no more test-mode documents in the wild.

Use this when

• embedded signing requests come back with a "test mode" watermark
• you just promoted code from staging to production
• the watermark appears on every new request, not just one

Not for this skill when

• the watermark is on a document you intentionally created for testing (that is working as designed)
• you need the test request's audit trail (it stays in test mode forever)
• the issue is a different watermark or branding problem

Variant phrasings

hellosign test mode watermark production

dropbox sign embedded signing test mode remove

hellosign api test mode vs live mode

Why it happens

Test mode is a per-request sandbox flag rendered as a watermark so test documents can never be mistaken for real ones. It triggers from the test API key or an explicit test-mode setting, and it is baked in at creation - no API call removes it afterward.

Edge cases

• Test-mode documents are explicitly not legally binding; do not file them as executed contracts.
• Unclaimed-draft and embedded-template flows each carry their own test-mode setting - check both.
• If only some requests are watermarked, the key or flag is set per call site, not globally - search the codebase for it.
• Rotating from test to live key mid-day? Finish in-flight test requests first so nothing half-signed goes out.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstIkAbPuJKcU39y4S0asY1g

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstIkAbPuJKcU39y4S0asY1g

Thread query: HelloSign embedded signing shows a "test mode" watermark on production documents - how to fix

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