> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.trynota.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environments

> Define the environments Nota uses when running your web workflows.

# 🌍 Environments

Environments let you map Nota workflows to the right instance of your app—development, staging, production, or any custom stack you maintain.

***

## What You Can Configure

| Field                   | Why it matters                                                          | Example                       |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Name**                | Appears in workflow dropdowns so teammates pick the right target.       | `Staging`, `QA`, `Production` |
| **Application URL**     | Base URL used for workflow execution and AI exploration.                | `https://staging.trynota.ai`  |
| **Default Environment** | Serves as the fallback when a workflow does not specify an environment. | Toggle on for `Production`    |

> 💡 **Tip:** Use names that match the terms your team already uses internally; it keeps execution history easy to scan.

***

## Add or Edit an Environment

1. Go to **Settings → Environments**.
2. Click **➕ Environment** (or edit an existing row).
3. Complete the fields:
   * Set a clear **Name**.
   * Provide the base **Application URL**.
   * Toggle **Default** if this should be the fallback target.
4. Save to make the environment instantly available across Nota.

***

## Example List

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/notaai/QHGAotH6qBy3S-kq/images/settings/environments/list.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=QHGAotH6qBy3S-kq&q=85&s=c492347ab9d4b291fdb1367864a79b26" alt="environment list" width={1200} height={600} data-path="images/settings/environments/list.png" />

***

## Environment Badge

When workflows run, an **Environment Badge** appears in the run metadata and live log panels. The badge displays:

* A **globe icon** with the environment name
* A **dynamically generated color** unique to each environment name, making it easy to distinguish environments visually
* A **clickable link** to the environment URL (when configured)

This helps you identify at a glance which environment a particular run executed against, especially when reviewing artifacts from multiple environments.

***

## Application Context

Each environment automatically builds **application context** as workflow runs complete. This context powers features like the [Prompt Optimizer](/view-artifacts/prompt-optimizer), giving the AI detailed knowledge of your application's behavior.

The environment row displays context status beneath the name — a brain icon showing the number of pages and runs ingested, or "No context yet" for new environments.

### Refresh Context

If you had successful runs before application context was introduced, you can **backfill** the context manually:

1. Go to **Settings → Environments**.
2. Open the action menu (⋯) on the environment row.
3. Click **"Refresh Context"**.

This ingests data from successful runs in the last 30 days. The action is available to **admins only**.

> 💡 Going forward, context is built automatically — you only need to refresh once for backfill.

***

## Best Practices

* **Mirror production behavior** by reusing environment variables with different values per environment.
* **Limit defaults** to a single environment so there is no ambiguity when workflows run on a schedule.
* **Update URLs quickly** when staging or preview environments change domains—the change applies to every workflow instantly.