Sandbox Testing

Before publishing challenges to your community, test them in an isolated sandbox. Challenges created in sandbox don’t appear on public leaderboards and auto-delete after 2 hours.

What is Sandbox?

A sandbox is a temporary, private channel where you can:

Create and test CTF challenges
Verify flag checking works correctly
Preview challenge embeds
Try different difficulty levels and point values
Never affect public leaderboards

Sandbox channels auto-delete after 2 hours to keep your server clean and prevent sandbox clutter.

Creating a Sandbox

Run /start-sandbox in any guild channel
Bot creates a private channel under the Sandbox category
Only you can see the channel (permission-locked to your user)
Channel will auto-delete in 2 hours

/start-sandbox
→ Sandbox created: #sandbox-@yourname
→ Panel posted with options
→ Auto-deletes in 2 hours

Sandbox Commands

Inside your sandbox channel, use these commands:

`/sb-create-ctf`

Create a test challenge in the sandbox:

Select difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane)
Select category (Web, Crypto, Pwn, Reversing, Misc, etc.)
Select input type (text flag or file upload)
Fill modal: title, guidance, flag, max attempts
Challenge posted in sandbox (with Submit Flag button)

Important: This is identical to /create-ctf, except:

Sandbox-only visibility
Not counted in guild leaderboards
Can be deleted easily

`/sb-edit-ctf`

Modify an existing sandbox challenge:

/sb-edit-ctf [challenge_id]
→ Opens editor
→ Change title, guidance, flag, attempts, etc.

`/sb-remove-ctf`

Delete a sandbox challenge:

/sb-remove-ctf [challenge_id]
→ Removes embed from sandbox
→ Deletes from database

Sandbox Workflow

Testing a Challenge

1. /start-sandbox
   → Private channel created

2. /sb-create-ctf
   → New challenge embed posted
   → Try solving it yourself
   → Test with different flags (correct + wrong)

3. /sb-edit-ctf
   → Adjust guidance, flag, or difficulty
   → Re-test if needed

4. Satisfied?
   → Copy challenge details
   → Go to public channel
   → Run /create-ctf in public
   → Publish to guild-wide leaderboard

Sandbox Cleanup

When you’re done testing:

Manually end: Click “End Sandbox” button in the panel
Auto-expire: 2 hours later, channel auto-deletes

Panel Controls

When you create a sandbox, a control panel appears:

Button	Action
Create Test Challenge	Run `/sb-create-ctf`
View Sandbox Info	Shows remaining TTL + message count
End Sandbox	Delete immediately (don’t wait 2 hours)

Sandbox Isolation

Private Access

Only the creator can see the sandbox channel (scoped to your user ID).

No Leaderboard Impact

Sandbox solves don’t affect guild leaderboards or stats.

Independent Database

Sandbox challenges are stored separately; deleting sandbox doesn’t touch guild challenges.

TTL Enforcement

Channels auto-delete after 2 hours via Discord scheduled events.

Use Cases

Solo Testing

Create a sandbox to test your challenge ideas before sharing:

/start-sandbox
/sb-create-ctf "My First Web Challenge"
→ Test the flag verification
→ Make sure guidance is clear
→ Satisfied → publish to guild

Collaborative Review

Invite admins to your sandbox (by sharing a temporary link) to review challenges before publishing:

/start-sandbox
/sb-create-ctf "Advanced Crypto Challenge"
→ @AdminA views and provides feedback
→ /sb-edit-ctf to adjust
→ @AdminB approves
→ /create-ctf in public

Difficulty Tuning

Test multiple difficulty levels for the same challenge:

/sb-create-ctf "Web Exploitation (Easy)"
→ Try solving (very easy? change to Medium)
/sb-edit-ctf 1
→ Adjust difficulty
→ Adjust max_attempts if needed

Timeouts & Expiration

Best Practices

Test Your Own Challenges

Before publishing, always solve your own challenge to verify the flag works and guidance is clear.

Check Edge Cases

Try wrong answers, special characters, case sensitivity, whitespace. Make sure your flag checking is robust.

Get Admin Feedback

Invite other admins to sandbox to review difficulty, wording, and correctness before publishing.

Keep It Short

Don’t leave sandboxes running for hours. End them when done to keep server clean.

Document Changes

Before publishing, note any final edits you made so you publish the final version correctly.

Sandbox vs. Public Challenges

Feature	Sandbox	Public
Visibility	Private to creator	Guild-wide
Leaderboard	Not counted	Counted
TTL	2 hours (auto-delete)	Permanent
Edit commands	`/sb-edit-ctf`	`/edit-ctf`
Delete commands	`/sb-remove-ctf`	CTF manage menu
Attempt limits	Unlimited testing	Configured per challenge

Support

Having issues with sandbox?

Channel won’t delete: Try clicking “End Sandbox” button manually
Can’t see sandbox commands: You must be inside the sandbox channel to run /sb-* commands
Forgot to test before publishing: Use /edit-ctf to fix public challenges

Next Steps

CTF Builder — Guide for creating public challenges
Admin Setup — Configuring your server
Commands Reference — Full command list