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Dev Mode

Run and test the gaming packages (GEP, Overlay, Recorder) during local development, before your app is signed or packaged.

To make those packages load in a build you distribute to users, see App Signing.

PropertyValue
SurfaceOverwolf Electron (ow-electron)
Minimum versionow-electron-builder@26.9.0 and ow-electron@39.8.10
PlatformWindows
When to useLocal development, before the app is signed or packaged
CredentialsNew developers: OW_DEV_KEY from your dev.overwolf.com profile. After your app passes QA review: OW_CLI_EMAIL and OW_CLI_API_KEY from the Developer Console. See Which credentials you have.

What dev mode is​

Dev mode is a path in the package manager (owepm) that skips most production integrity checks. It is built for local development, before your app is signed and packaged.

Dev mode can't activate on a distributed or packaged app. If any condition is false, the app routes to the production validation path, where a missing or invalid signature stops gaming packages from loading. For that path, see App Signing.

Which credentials you have​

Even in dev mode, you authenticate with Overwolf before gaming packages load. Which credential you use depends on where you are in the onboarding journey. Overwolf gives you two separate accounts at two different points, and each one gives you a different dev credential.

dev.overwolf.com accountDeveloper Console account
When you get itWhen you sign up on dev.overwolf.com.After your app passes the QA review. Overwolf creates it for you and onboards you to the console.
Dev credential it gives youOW_DEV_KEY, generated from your profile once your Developer status is Approved.OW_CLI_EMAIL (your console account email) and OW_CLI_API_KEY (generated in the console, under Profile > API Keys).
Where you log indev.overwolf.comconsole.overwolf.com
What you use it forLocal development in dev mode.Dev mode, App Signing, the Overwolf CLI, and managing your releases.
No Developer Console access yet? That's expected

If you only have a dev.overwolf.com account, you don't have a Developer Console account, an API key, or a console email yet. You don't need them to develop. Use OW_DEV_KEY from your dev.overwolf.com profile. See Option A: Developer key.

Your Developer Console account is a separate account from your dev.overwolf.com account. Overwolf sets it up for you only after you submit your app and it passes QA review.

The journey, in order:

  1. Sign up on dev.overwolf.com and submit your app idea.
  2. The DevRel team reviews your idea. Once approved, your Developer status changes from Pending to Approved.
  3. Generate OW_DEV_KEY from your profile and develop your app locally in dev mode.
  4. Submit your app for QA review using the submission form. You don't need Developer Console access to submit.
  5. After your app passes QA review, Overwolf creates your Developer Console account and onboards you to the Developer's Console. From then on, you can also use OW_CLI_EMAIL and OW_CLI_API_KEY.

If OW_DEV_KEY, OW_CLI_EMAIL, and OW_CLI_API_KEY are all absent, dev mode credential verification fails and gaming packages don't load. The app itself still runs.

Set up dev credentials​

Use the option that matches the account you have. If both are set, the console credentials take precedence over OW_DEV_KEY. See Precedence order.

VariableOptionSource
OW_DEV_KEYAYour dev.overwolf.com profile, once your Developer status is Approved. No Developer Console account needed.
OW_CLI_EMAILBYour Developer Console account email. Available after your app passes QA review.
OW_CLI_API_KEYBThe Developer Console, under Profile > API Keys. Available after your app passes QA review.

Option A: Developer key (OW_DEV_KEY)​

Use this option if you have a dev.overwolf.com account and your Developer status is Approved. You don't need a Developer Console account.

  1. If you haven't already, submit your app idea. The DevRel team reviews it manually. Once approved, you get an email and your Developer status on your profile changes from Pending to Approved.
  2. Log in to dev.overwolf.com.
  3. Open your profile and confirm Developer status shows Approved.
  4. Under Developer Key:
    • No key yet: press Generate key.
    • Renewing an existing key: press Extend. Extend stays disabled until you're close to the key's expiry. The text under the button tells you exactly when it unlocks.
  5. The key field is masked by default. Press the eye icon to reveal it, or press the copy icon to copy the value directly.

Set the value you copied as OW_DEV_KEY before launching your app in dev mode.

# Linux / macOS
export OW_DEV_KEY='<your-dev-token>'
# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:OW_DEV_KEY = '<your-dev-token>'

Launch your app with yarn start or npm start. To launch with the VS Code debugger (F5) instead, see Setting credentials in VS Code.

OW_DEV_KEY is equivalent to OW_CLI_EMAIL:OW_CLI_API_KEY for dev mode verification. It uses Bearer authentication instead of Key.

Option B: Console credentials (OW_CLI_EMAIL and OW_CLI_API_KEY)​

Use this option if your app passed QA review and Overwolf onboarded you to the Developer Console. If you don't have a Developer Console account yet, use Option A: Developer key.

  1. Log in to the Developer Console with your console account.
  2. Open Profile and generate a key under API Keys. For more information, see Profile.
  3. Set your console account email as OW_CLI_EMAIL and the key as OW_CLI_API_KEY before launching your app in dev mode.
# Linux / macOS
export OW_CLI_EMAIL=your-email@example.com
export OW_CLI_API_KEY=your-api-key-from-console
# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:OW_CLI_EMAIL = 'your-email@example.com'
$env:OW_CLI_API_KEY = 'your-api-key-from-console'

Use single quotes in PowerShell so it doesn't interpret the $ characters in the key.

Launch your app with yarn start or npm start. To launch with the VS Code debugger (F5) instead, see Setting credentials in VS Code.

The same credentials also authenticate App Signing and the Overwolf CLI.

Setting credentials in VS Code​

When you launch from the VS Code debugger (F5), the app doesn't inherit your terminal's environment, so variables you set in the terminal aren't picked up. Put the credentials in the debug configuration's env block instead. Use the variables from the option you chose.

Option A (developer key):

{
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "OW-Electron: Main Process",
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      // …
      "env": {
        "OW_DEV_KEY": "<your-dev-token>"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Option B (console credentials):

{
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "OW-Electron: Main Process",
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      // …
      "env": {
        "OW_CLI_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com",
        "OW_CLI_API_KEY": "your-api-key-from-console"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Other IDEs: the same principle applies. Set the variables in your IDE's run/debug configuration. The mechanism differs per IDE, but the requirement is identical: the variables must be set on the launched process's environment, because IDE launches don't read your shell.

If your launch.json config passes --owepm-packages-url as a launch argument, replace it with --owepm-package-channel. You request a dev or QA channel per package, and the package manager fetches that channel's build from the same production endpoint, so you no longer point your app at a different server:

--owepm-package-channel=gep:dev,overlay:dev

For the full API, see Package Channels.

Precedence order​

OW_CLI_EMAIL env var (highest)
  -> OW_CLI_API_KEY env var
    -> OW_DEV_KEY env var (alternative path, not combined with the above)

Frequently asked questions​

What runs in dev mode?

With valid dev credentials, a dev-mode build runs the full gaming package set: GEP (game events), Overlay, Recorder. Without credentials, the app runs but the gaming packages don't load.

Why don't I have access to the Developer Console?

This is expected until your app passes QA review. The Developer Console account is separate from your dev.overwolf.com account, and Overwolf creates it for you after you submit your app and it passes QA review. Until then, use Option A: Developer key for dev mode.

Where do I find my API key and email?

OW_CLI_EMAIL and OW_CLI_API_KEY belong to your Developer Console account, not your dev.overwolf.com account. If you don't have a Developer Console account yet, you don't have them yet, and you don't need them for local development. Use OW_DEV_KEY from your dev.overwolf.com profile instead.

Why does my Developer status still show Pending?

Your app idea hasn't been approved yet, so you can't generate OW_DEV_KEY. Confirm you submitted your app idea. The DevRel team reviews each submission manually and emails you once it's approved.