Can I test a companion before publishing it?

Yes — the Studio has a Try this companion button. It opens a test chat with whatever is on the form right now, including a greeting you just changed and pictures you just picked, even before you save. Nothing is published, nothing is added to your Chats, and nothing in a test chat is saved. To keep a chat history, publish the AI character, publicly or privately. A real AI model answers, so messages cost what they normally would. If any words that are not allowed are still on the form, the content check stops you first and shows you where they are.