diff --git a/.env b/.env
index 2d7830c..9c5954b 100644
--- a/.env
+++ b/.env
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-RAILS_ENV=development
 PORT=3000
 UNICORN_TIMEOUT=60
 UNICORN_WORKERS=1
diff --git a/.env.test b/.env.test
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75ae373
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.test
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+PUSHER_APP_ID=1234
+PUSHER_KEY=deadbeef
+PUSHER_SECRET=deadbeef
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index fb30b9f..9c01fc3 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -140,6 +140,9 @@ group :development do
   gem 'rb-fchange',              require:false
   gem 'terminal-notifier-guard', require:false
 
+  # stub version of the Pusher API
+  gem 'pusher-fake'
+
   # measure test coverage
   gem 'coveralls',               require:false
 
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 587e744..49d46ff 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ GEM
       compass (>= 0.12.2, < 0.14)
     configatron (2.13.0)
       yamler (>= 0.1.0)
+    cookiejar (0.3.0)
     coveralls (0.6.7)
       colorize
       multi_json (~> 1.3)
@@ -109,6 +110,17 @@ GEM
     dragonfly (0.9.15)
       multi_json (~> 1.0)
       rack
+    em-http-request (1.0.3)
+      addressable (>= 2.2.3)
+      cookiejar
+      em-socksify
+      eventmachine (>= 1.0.0.beta.4)
+      http_parser.rb (>= 0.5.3)
+    em-socksify (0.3.0)
+      eventmachine (>= 1.0.0.beta.4)
+    em-websocket (0.5.0)
+      eventmachine (>= 0.12.9)
+      http_parser.rb (~> 0.5.3)
     erubis (2.7.0)
     eventmachine (1.0.3)
     execjs (2.0.0)
@@ -253,6 +265,11 @@ GEM
       httpclient (~> 2.3.0)
       multi_json (~> 1.0)
       signature (~> 0.1.6)
+    pusher-fake (0.9.0)
+      em-http-request (~> 1.0)
+      em-websocket (~> 0.5)
+      multi_json (~> 1.6)
+      thin (~> 1.5)
     query_reviewer (0.1.8)
     quiet_assets (1.0.2)
       railties (>= 3.1, < 5.0)
@@ -448,6 +465,7 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   pry-nav
   pry-rails
   pusher
+  pusher-fake
   query_reviewer
   quiet_assets
   rack-cache
diff --git a/features/support/pusher.rb b/features/support/pusher.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f64d1e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/features/support/pusher.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+require "pusher-fake"
+require "pusher-fake/cucumber"