Version: Latest (4.6.0)

AiAgent

Configure an AI Agent using the Fluent API. This API provides a structured interface for creating AI Agents in ServiceNow's AI Agent Studio, automatically handling all underlying complexity and relationships between multiple tables.

Overview

The AiAgent API enables you to define intelligent agents that can:

Execute Tools: Use built-in or custom tools (CRUD, Script, RAG, Web Search, etc.)
Process Context: Apply custom scripts to transform context before execution
Control Access: Define role-based security and data access controls
Trigger Automatically: Configure triggers for automatic agent invocation
Manage Versions: Support multiple versions with different configurations

The plugin automatically generates all required ServiceNow records (~9 tables) with proper relationships and defaults.

Supported Record Types

Based on the metadata files generated by this plugin:

Record Type	Table	Description
AI Agent	`sn_aia_agent`	Primary agent definition
AI Agent Config	`sn_aia_agent_config`	Agent configuration and settings
AI Agent Version	`sn_aia_version`	Version information for the agent
AI Agent Tool	`sn_aia_tool`	Tool definitions (script, CRUD, RAG, etc.)
AI Agent Tool M2M	`sn_aia_agent_tool_m2m`	Many-to-many relationship between agents and tools
Agent Access Role Configuration	`sys_agent_access_role_configuration`	Role-based data access controls
Trigger Configuration	`sn_aia_trigger_configuration`	Automated trigger definitions
Trigger Agent Usecase M2M	`sn_aia_trigger_agent_usecase_m2m`	Mapping between triggers, agents, and use cases

API Parameters

Main Configuration

Field Name	Type	Mandatory	Description
`$id`	`Now.ID[string]`	Yes	Unique identifier for the agent
`name`	`string`	Yes	Display name of the AI Agent
`description`	`string`	Yes	Brief description of what the agent does
`agentRole`	`string`	Yes	Role or purpose of the agent (e.g., "News research specialist")
`securityAcl`	`SecurityAclUserAccessConfig`	Yes	MANDATORY - Automatically generates `sys_security_acl` and `sys_security_acl_role` records. Defines user access controls and role-based permissions for this agent
`active`	`boolean`	No	Whether the agent is active (default: `true`)
`advancedMode`	`boolean`	No	Enables advanced configuration options for power users (default: `false`)
`agentConfigSysOverrides`	`string \| Record<'sn_aia_agent_config'>`	No	Reference to override another agent config
`agentLearning`	`boolean`	No	Enable agent learning from interactions (default: `false`)
`agentType`	`AiAgentAgentType`	No	Type: `'internal'`, `'external'`, `'voice'`, or `'aia_internal'` (default: `'internal'`)
`channel`	`AiAgentChannelType`	No	Channel: `'nap'` (Now Assist Panel) or `'nap_and_va'` (Panel + Virtual Agent) (default: `'nap_and_va'`)
`compiledHandbook`	`string`	No	Compiled handbook content for the agent
`condition`	`string`	No	Condition table reference
`contextProcessingScript`	`((context: any, ...dependencies: any[]) => any) \| string`	No	Server-side script that transforms or enriches context before agent execution
`dataAccess`	`DataAccessConfigType`	No	Data access controls (required if `runAsUser` not set)
`docUrl`	`string`	No	Documentation URL for the agent
`external`	`boolean`	No	Whether the agent is external
`externalAgentConfiguration`	`string \| Record<'sn_aia_external_agent_configuration'>`	No	Reference to external agent configuration
`iconUrl`	`string`	No	Icon URL for the agent in the UI
`memoryCategories`	`AiAgentMemoryCategory[]`	No	Categories of long-term memory the agent may access: `'device_and_software'`, `'meetings_and_events'`, `'projects'`, `'workplace'`
`parent`	`string \| Record<'sn_aia_agent'>`	No	Reference to the parent AI Agent
`postProcessingMessage`	`string`	No	Message displayed after agent completes
`processingMessage`	`string`	No	Message displayed while agent is processing
`public`	`boolean`	No	Whether the agent is publicly accessible (default: `false`)
`recordType`	`AiAgentRecordType`	No	Lifecycle stage: `'template'`, `'aia_internal'`, `'custom'`, or `'promoted'` (default: `'template'`)
`runAsUser`	`string \| Record<'sys_user'>`	No	User to run the agent as (sys_user sys_id or Record reference). When set, `dataAccess` is optional
`sourceId`	`string \| Record<'sn_aia_agent'>`	No	Reference to source agent (for cloned agents)
`sysDomain`	`string`	No	Domain ID
`tools`	`AiAgentToolDetailsType[]`	No	Array of tools the agent can use
`triggerConfig`	`AiAgentTriggerConfigType[]`	No	Array of trigger configurations for automatic invocation
`versionDetails`	`AiAgentVersionDetailsType[]`	No	Array of version details with instructions

Version Details (`versionDetails`)

Version information for the agent. This is an array that can contain multiple versions.

Key Fields:

name — Version name (e.g., "V1", "V2", "Production")
number — Version number (e.g., 1, 2, 3)
state — Version state: 'draft', 'committed', 'published', or 'withdrawn'
instructions — Most important field — Detailed instructions that guide the agent's behavior, capabilities, and decision-making process
condition — Optional condition for when this version should be used

Data Access Controls (`dataAccess`)

MANDATORY when runAsUser is not set - Defines which roles the agent can inherit from the invoking user during execution.

When to Use:

Use dataAccess when you want the agent to run with dynamic user identity (inheriting roles from the invoking user)
Omit dataAccess when runAsUser is set to a specific user sys_id

Security ACL Configuration (`securityAcl`)

MANDATORY - Automatically generates sys_security_acl and sys_security_acl_role records for this agent. Controls who can invoke the agent.

Access Types

'Any authenticated user' — Any logged-in user can invoke this agent. No roles required.

'Specific role' — Only users who hold at least one of the listed roles can access. roles is required.

'Public' — No authentication required. Anyone can access.

Important Notes:

securityAcl controls who can invoke the agent (access control)
runAsUser / dataAccess controls which user identity the agent runs under (execution context) — these are separate concerns
The plugin automatically creates sys_security_acl and sys_security_acl_role records
The ACL name is derived from the agent's internal name: {domain}.{scope}.{agentName}

Tools (`tools`)

Tools allow agents to perform actions during execution. The type field acts as a discriminator — required fields differ per tool type.

Tool Types

Each tool type uses a discriminated union on the type field:

`type`	Required extra field	Description
`'crud'`	`inputs: ToolInputType`	Database CRUD operations (script is auto-generated)
`'script'`	`script`	Custom server-side script
`'capability'`	`capabilityId`	Now Assist skill
`'subflow'`	`subflowId`	Flow Designer flow
`'action'`	`flowActionId`	Flow Designer action
`'catalog'`	`catalogItemId`	Service Catalog item
`'topic'`	`virtualAgentId`	Virtual Agent topic
`'topic_block'`	`virtualAgentId`	Virtual Agent topic block
`'web_automation'`	(none)	OOB Web Search tool
`'knowledge_graph'`	(none)	OOB Knowledge Graph tool
`'file_upload'`	(none)	OOB File Uploader tool
`'rag'`	(none)	OOB RAG Search Retrieval tool
`'deep_research'`	(none)	Deep Research tool
`'desktop_automation'`	(none)	Desktop Automation tool
`'mcp'`	(none)	MCP tool

Note: For script tools, inputs is a simple array of ToolInputField. For CRUD tools, inputs is a ToolInputType object. The SDK auto-generates the input_schema from inputs.

Trigger Configuration (`triggerConfig`)

Configure automatic agent invocation based on record changes or schedules.

Trigger Types

Trigger Type	Description
`record_create`	Triggers when a new record is created
`record_create_or_update`	Triggers when a record is created or updated
`record_update`	Triggers when an existing record is updated
`email`	Triggers based on email events
`scheduled`	Triggers at scheduled intervals
`daily`	Triggers daily at a specified time
`weekly`	Triggers weekly on a specified day
`monthly`	Triggers monthly on a specified day

Complete Example

Below example shows all the different configurations for an AI agent. It has different types of triggers supported and different types of tools supported.

import { AiAgent } from '@servicenow/sdk/core';

export const newsCollectorAgent = AiAgent({
  $id: Now.ID['news_collector_agent'],
  name: 'News Collector Agent',
  description: 'AI agent that searches for and saves news articles',
  agentRole: 'News research specialist',

  // Core properties
  recordType: 'custom',
  channel: 'nap_and_va',
  processingMessage: 'Searching for news...',
  postProcessingMessage: 'News collection completed',
  active: true,
  public: false,

  // Version details with instructions
  versionDetails: [
    {
      name: 'V1',
      number: 1,
      state: 'published',
      instructions: `You are a news collection specialist. Your job is to:

1. Search the web for the latest news articles using the Web Search tool
2. Analyze and extract relevant information from search results
3. Save articles to the database using the Save Article tool
4. Provide a comprehensive summary of findings

Guidelines:
- Focus on recent and credible news sources
- Extract key information: title, content, source, and publication date
- Verify information accuracy before saving
- Organize results by topic and relevance`,
    }
  ],

  // Security ACL — controls who can invoke this agent
  securityAcl: {
    $id: Now.ID['news_collector_agent_acl'],
    type: 'Specific role',
    roles: [
      '282bf1fac6112285017366cb5f867469',  // itil role sys_id
      'b05926fa0a0a0aa7000130023e0bde98',  // user role sys_id
    ],
  },

  // Data access — controls which roles the agent can inherit from the invoking user
  dataAccess: {
    roleList: [
      '282bf1fac6112285017366cb5f867469',
      'b05926fa0a0a0aa7000130023e0bde98',
    ],
    description: 'Role-based access for news collection',
  },

  // Tools
  tools: [
    // OOB Web Search tool
    {
      name: 'Web Search',
      description: 'Searches the web for latest news articles',
      type: 'web_automation',
      executionMode: 'autopilot',
      maxAutoExecutions: 5,
      displayOutput: true,
      outputTransformationStrategy: 'paraphrase',
      preMessage: 'Searching the web for news...',
      postMessage: 'Search completed',
    },
    // Custom CRUD tool to save articles
    {
      name: 'Save Article',
      description: 'Saves a news article to the database',
      type: 'crud',
      recordType: 'custom',
      executionMode: 'autopilot',
      maxAutoExecutions: 10,
      displayOutput: true,
      outputTransformationStrategy: 'summary',
      preMessage: 'Saving article...',
      postMessage: 'Article saved successfully',
      inputs: {
        operationName: 'create',
        table: 'x_my_app_news_articles',
        inputFields: [
          {
            name: 'title',
            description: 'Article title',
            mandatory: true,
            mappedToColumn: 'title',
            type: 'string',
          },
          {
            name: 'content',
            description: 'Article content',
            mandatory: false,
            mappedToColumn: 'content',
            type: 'string',
          },
          {
            name: 'source_url',
            description: 'Source URL',
            mandatory: false,
            mappedToColumn: 'source_url',
            type: 'url',
          },
        ],
        returnFields: [
          { name: 'sys_id' },
          { name: 'title' },
          { name: 'number' },
        ],
      },
    },
    // Custom script tool
    {
    name: 'Validate Tweet Data',
    description: 'Validates tweet content and enriches it with metadata',
    type: 'script',
    executionMode: 'autopilot',
    displayOutput: true,
    outputTransformationStrategy: 'summary',
    preMessage: 'Validating tweet data...',
    postMessage: 'Validation completed',
    // Script content — use module import (preferred) or Now.include() for legacy scripts
    script: validateTweetData,
    // Input fields for script tools (simple array)
    inputs: [
      {
        name: 'content',
        description: 'The tweet content to validate',
        mandatory: true,
        value: '',
        invalidMessage: null,
      },
    ],
  }
  ],

  // Triggers
  triggerConfig: [
    // Record-based trigger
    {
      name: 'News Collection Trigger',
      channel: 'Now Assist Panel',
      objectiveTemplate: 'Collect latest news for topic: ${topic_name}',
      description: 'Triggers when high-priority topics are created or updated',
      active: true,
      targetTable: 'x_my_app_news_topics',
      triggerFlowDefinitionType: 'record_create_or_update',
      triggerCondition: 'active=true^priority=high',
      showNotifications: true,
      enableDiscovery: false,
      domain: 'global',
    },
    // Scheduled trigger
    {
      name: 'Daily News Summary Trigger',
      channel: 'Now Assist Panel',
      objectiveTemplate: 'Generate daily news summary report',
      description: 'Runs daily at 8:00 AM to collect and summarize news',
      active: true,
      triggerFlowDefinitionType: 'daily',
      schedule: {
        time: '1970-01-01 08:00:00',       // Run at 8:00 AM
        triggerStrategy: 'every',
      },
      showNotifications: false,
      domain: 'global',
    },
  ],
});

Best Practices

1. Security Configuration

Always set securityAcl — it is mandatory and auto-generates the sys_security_acl record
securityAcl.type controls who can invoke the agent: 'Any authenticated user', 'Specific role', or 'Public'
securityAcl.$id is required — it identifies the generated ACL record
runAsUser is separate: it controls which user identity the agent runs under (not who can invoke it)
Use dataAccess.roleList when runAsUser is not set, to restrict which roles the agent can inherit from the invoking user
Set runAsUser to a specific user sys_id to always run as that user regardless of who invokes the agent

2. Tool Configuration

Always set type for all tools to specify the tool type
Use type-specific ID fields (e.g., capabilityId for capabilities, subflowId for subflows)
For script tools: Use a simple array of ToolInputField for inputs
For CRUD tools: Use a ToolInputType object for inputs with operation details
Use recordType: 'custom' for custom tools
Separate overrides: Use sysOverrides for the tool record, m2mSysOverrides for the M2M record
Input schema is auto-generated: Don't manually specify inputSchema — it's generated from inputs

3. Version Management

Start with state: 'draft' for testing
Use state: 'published' for production
Increment number for new versions
Use meaningful name (e.g., "V1", "V2")

4. Trigger Configuration

channel and objectiveTemplate are required fields on every trigger
Use specific triggerCondition to avoid unnecessary invocations
Set triggerStrategy: 'every' for all matching records
Set triggerStrategy: 'once' for one-time execution
For scheduled triggers use schedule (nested object) to configure time/interval/strategy
Use sysOverrides to override the trigger configuration record; use m2mSysOverrides to override the trigger-agent-usecase M2M mapping

5. Script Fields

Use module imports for server-side script files (or Now.include for legacy scripts)
Keep scripts concise and focused
Handle errors gracefully in scripts
Return proper status from tool scripts

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Agent with Dynamic User Identity

AiAgent({
  $id: Now.ID['dynamic_agent'],
  name: 'Dynamic Agent',
  description: 'Agent with dynamic user identity',
  agentRole: 'Dynamic assistant',
  securityAcl: { $id: Now.ID['dynamic_agent_acl'], type: 'Any authenticated user' },
  versionDetails: [
    {
      name: 'V1',
      number: 1,
      state: 'published',
      instructions: 'Assist users with their tasks...',
    }
  ],
  // No runAsUser set = dynamic user identity
  dataAccess: {
    roleList: ['itil_role_sys_id'],  // MANDATORY when runAsUser not set
  },
})

Pattern 2: Agent with Fixed User Identity

AiAgent({
  $id: Now.ID['fixed_agent'],
  name: 'Fixed Agent',
  description: 'Agent with fixed user identity',
  agentRole: 'System assistant',
  securityAcl: { $id: Now.ID['fixed_agent_acl'], type: 'Any authenticated user' },
  runAsUser: '82ef6be43bc7a2103542c11f23e45a61',  // Specific user sys_id
  versionDetails: [
    {
      name: 'V1',
      number: 1,
      state: 'published',
      instructions: 'Perform system tasks...',
    }
  ],
  // dataAccess is omitted — not needed when runAsUser is set
})

Troubleshooting

Tools Not Appearing in Agent

Problem: Tools are generated as separate files but not linked to the agent.

Solution:

Ensure type is set for all tools
For script tools, use array of ToolInputField for inputs
For CRUD tools, use ToolInputType object for inputs
Check that type-specific ID fields are set correctly (e.g., capabilityId, subflowId)

Data Access Validation Error

Problem: Error: "dataAccess.roleList is mandatory when runAsUser is not set"

Solution:

Either set runAsUser to a user sys_id
Or provide dataAccess.roleList with at least one role

Trigger Not Firing

Problem: Trigger configured but agent not invoked automatically.

Solution:

Verify triggerConfig.active is true
Ensure channel and objectiveTemplate are set (both required)
Check triggerCondition matches your records
Ensure targetTable is correct
For scheduled triggers, verify the schedule object is correctly configured

Script Fields Not Working

Problem: Scripts showing as [object Object] or not executing.

Solution:

Use string format for scripts: `(function() { ... })()`
Or use function format: (inputs) => { ... }
Ensure CDATA tags are NOT manually added (handled automatically)

Table Schema

sn_aia_agent

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
advanced_mode	True/False	FALSE	false	Whether advanced mode is enabled
agent_type	Choice	FALSE	internal	Type of agent (internal/external/voice/aia_internal)
channel	Choice	FALSE	nap_and_va	Channel where agent operates
compiled_handbook	String	FALSE		Compiled handbook content
condition	Conditions	FALSE		Condition table reference
context_processing_script	Script	FALSE	javascript:sn_aia.AiAgentContexts.AGENT_CONTEXT_PROCESSING_SCRIPT_TEMPLATE;	Script for processing context
description	Translated Text	TRUE		Description of the agent
external_agent_configuration	Reference	FALSE		Reference to external agent config
name	Translated Text	TRUE		Display name of the agent
parent	Reference	FALSE		Reference to parent agent
post_processing_message	Translated Text	FALSE		Message shown after processing
processing_message	Translated Text	FALSE		Message shown during processing
record_type	Choice	FALSE	custom	Record type (template/custom etc.)
role	Translated Text	FALSE		Role/purpose of the agent
source_id	Reference	FALSE		Reference to source agent
sys_domain	Domain ID	FALSE		Domain identifier

sn_aia_agent_config

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
active	True/False	FALSE	true	Whether the configuration is active
agent	Reference	FALSE		Reference to the AI Agent
agent_learning	True/False	FALSE	false	Whether agent learning is enabled
doc_url	URL	FALSE		Documentation URL
icon_url	URL	FALSE		Icon URL
public	True/False	FALSE	false	Whether the configuration is public
run_as_user	Reference	FALSE		User to run the agent as
sys_domain	Domain ID	FALSE		Domain identifier
sys_overrides	Reference	FALSE		Reference to override configuration

sn_aia_version

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
condition	Condition String	FALSE		Condition for version activation
instructions	Translated Text	FALSE		Version-specific instructions
state	Choice	FALSE	draft	State of the version (draft/published etc.)
sys_domain	Domain ID	FALSE	global	Domain identifier
sys_overrides	Reference	FALSE		Reference to override version
target_id	Document ID	FALSE		Reference to target record
target_table	Table Name	FALSE		Name of the target table
version_name	Translated Text	FALSE		Display name of the version
version_number	Integer	FALSE		Version number

sn_aia_tool

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
active	True/False	FALSE	true	Whether the tool is active
description	String	TRUE		Description of the tool
input_schema	JSON	FALSE		JSON schema defining tool inputs (auto-generated)
name	String	TRUE		Name of the tool
record_type	Choice	FALSE	custom	Record type (custom/template etc.)
script	Script	FALSE		Tool implementation script
sys_domain	Domain ID	FALSE		Domain identifier
sys_overrides	Reference	FALSE		Reference to override tool
target_document	Document ID	FALSE		Target document reference
target_document_table	Table Name	FALSE		Target document table name
type	Choice	FALSE		Type of tool (crud/script etc.)

sn_aia_agent_tool_m2m

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
active	True/False	FALSE	true	Whether the tool mapping is active
agent	Reference	TRUE		Reference to the AI Agent
description	String	FALSE		Description of the tool usage
display_output	True/False	FALSE	true	Whether to display tool output
document_status	Choice	FALSE		Status of document processing
execution_mode	Choice	FALSE	copilot	Mode of execution (copilot/autopilot)
inputs	JSON	FALSE		Input parameters for the tool
max_auto_executions	Integer	FALSE	10	Maximum automatic executions
name	String	TRUE		Name of the tool mapping
output_transformation_strategy	Choice	FALSE	none	Strategy for transforming output
post_message	Translated Text	FALSE		Message shown after execution
post_processing_script	Script	FALSE	javascript:AiAgentConstants.SCRIPT_TEMPLATE	Post-processing script
pre_message	Translated Text	FALSE		Message shown before execution
pre_run	True/False	FALSE	false	Whether to run before other tools
sys_domain	Domain ID	FALSE		Domain identifier
sys_overrides	Reference	FALSE		Reference to override mapping
timeout	Integer	FALSE		Timeout duration in seconds
tool	Reference	TRUE		Reference to the tool
tool_attributes	JSON	FALSE	{}	Additional tool attributes
transformation_instruction	String	FALSE		Instructions for transformation
widgets	List	FALSE		Associated widgets

sys_agent_access_role_configuration

Column Name	Type	Mandatory	Default Value	Description
action	Choice	TRUE	limit_to_roles	Action to perform for access control
agent	Document ID	TRUE		Reference to the AI Agent
agent_table	Table Name	TRUE		Table name of the agent (sn_aia_agent)
allow_all_session_roles	True/False	FALSE	false	Whether to allow all session roles
description	String	FALSE		Description of the access configuration
name	String	FALSE		Name of the configuration (auto-set to agent sys_id)
role_list	List	FALSE		List of roles for access control

For guidance on building and configuring AI agents end-to-end, see the building-ai-agents-guide topic.

Overview​

Supported Record Types​

API Parameters​

Main Configuration​

Version Details (versionDetails)​

Data Access Controls (dataAccess)​

Security ACL Configuration (securityAcl)​

Access Types​

Tools (tools)​

Tool Types​

Trigger Configuration (triggerConfig)​

Trigger Types​

Complete Example​

Best Practices​

1. Security Configuration​

2. Tool Configuration​

3. Version Management​

4. Trigger Configuration​

5. Script Fields​

Common Patterns​

Pattern 1: Agent with Dynamic User Identity​

Pattern 2: Agent with Fixed User Identity​

Troubleshooting​

Tools Not Appearing in Agent​

Data Access Validation Error​

Trigger Not Firing​

Script Fields Not Working​

Table Schema​

sn_aia_agent​

sn_aia_agent_config​

sn_aia_version​

sn_aia_tool​

sn_aia_agent_tool_m2m​

sys_agent_access_role_configuration​

Overview

Supported Record Types

API Parameters

Main Configuration

Version Details (`versionDetails`)

Data Access Controls (`dataAccess`)

Security ACL Configuration (`securityAcl`)

Access Types

Tools (`tools`)

Tool Types

Trigger Configuration (`triggerConfig`)

Trigger Types

Complete Example

Best Practices

1. Security Configuration

2. Tool Configuration

3. Version Management

4. Trigger Configuration

5. Script Fields

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Agent with Dynamic User Identity

Pattern 2: Agent with Fixed User Identity

Troubleshooting

Tools Not Appearing in Agent

Data Access Validation Error

Trigger Not Firing

Script Fields Not Working

Table Schema

sn_aia_agent

sn_aia_agent_config

sn_aia_version

sn_aia_tool

sn_aia_agent_tool_m2m

sys_agent_access_role_configuration