Last updated: 2026-05-13
AI Agent Studio gives you two ways to evaluate your agent before it reaches employees: the Preview panel for interactive, conversation-by-conversation testing, and the Test section for running many queries at once. Each serves a different purpose. This article explains what each approach does, where it fits in the build cycle, and how to use them together.
Key concepts to know before you start
The following terms come up throughout this article.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Preview panel | A slide-in chat interface that opens within AI Agent Studio. You send messages to the agent and see its responses in real time, one conversation at a time. |
| Test section | A dedicated page in AI Agent Studio where you submit a list of queries to the agent all at once and review the results in a table. |
| Interactive testing | Testing by having a live conversation with the agent — the approach used in the Preview panel. |
| Batch testing | Testing by submitting many queries simultaneously and reviewing the results in aggregate — the approach used in the Test section. |
| Answered | A status label in the Test results table indicating the agent produced a response to a query. |
| Unanswered | A status label in the Test results table indicating the agent could not find relevant content for a query. |
| Generate sample queries | A Freddy-powered feature in the Test section that automatically creates up to 50 test questions drawn from your agent's knowledge sources. |
What each approach does
Preview: test one conversation at a time
The Preview panel opens as a slide-in panel on the right side of AI Agent Studio. You type a message, the agent responds, and you can keep the conversation going across multiple turns — just as an employee would. Because the panel stays open while you work, you can make a change in Build and immediately send a follow-up message to see whether it took effect.
Use Preview when you want to:
``` Each new conversation in the Preview panel starts with a clean context. The agent does not carry information from a previous conversation into a new one. Use the New conversation option to reset context when you want to start a fresh test. ```
Test: evaluate many queries at once
The Test section lets you build a list of queries and run them all against the agent in a single pass. Results appear in a table showing whether each query was Answered or Unanswered, a preview of the agent's response, the knowledge source it referenced, and controls to rate each response.
Use the Test section when you want to:
``` Batch tests are single-turn. Each query is treated independently — the Test section does not simulate multi-turn conversations or carry context between queries. ```
How they compare
| Preview | Test | |
|---|---|---|
| How you interact | Send messages one at a time in a live chat | Submit a list of queries all at once |
| Conversation context | Supports multi-turn conversations | Single-turn only — no context between queries |
| Speed | One scenario at a time | Many queries in a single run |
| What you see | Full response in the chat interface | Response summary, status, and source in a table |
| Best for | Specific scenarios, workflow testing, UX validation | Coverage checks, identifying gaps, pre-deployment review |
| Query source | You type each message | Manual entry, or generated by Freddy |
| Result format | Conversational — no export | Table view with Export option |
When to use each approach
While building the agent
Use the Preview panel as your primary testing tool during the build phase. It gives you immediate feedback as you add knowledge, adjust instructions, and configure workflows. After each meaningful change, open a conversation in Preview and ask the kinds of questions your employees are likely to ask.
Run a batch test in the Test section when you want to check the overall state of the agent after a significant change — for example, after adding a large knowledge source or enabling a new workflow. This tells you whether the change improved coverage, introduced gaps, or had no effect on unrelated areas.
Before going live
Before deploying the agent, run a comprehensive batch test to confirm that the agent can handle the full range of expected questions. Review Unanswered results and address any gaps in your knowledge base. Then use Preview to walk through the most important end-to-end scenarios — particularly any multi-step workflows or handover paths — to confirm the experience is right.
After making changes
During ongoing quality checks
After the agent is live, use the Test section periodically to run the same set of queries and compare results over time. If you notice a drop in the Answered rate, switch to Preview to investigate the affected topics interactively and trace the cause.
How they work together
Preview and Test are designed to complement each other. A typical workflow looks like this:
1. Build and refine with Preview. Use the Preview panel while you add knowledge, configure workflows, and adjust instructions. Test specific scenarios interactively as you go.
2. Run a batch test to check coverage. Once the agent feels solid, use the Test section to run a broader set of queries. Review which topics come back as Unanswered.
3. Investigate gaps with Preview. For any Unanswered results or unexpected responses in the batch test, switch to Preview and explore those queries conversationally. This often reveals whether the gap is a missing knowledge article, a phrasing mismatch, or something in the agent's instructions.
4. Fix, then retest. Make the necessary changes in Build, then run the affected queries again in the Test section to confirm the improvement.
5. Validate end-to-end with Preview. Before deploying, walk through the most critical user journeys in Preview to confirm the full experience — not just individual answers — is ready.