ServiceNow is kicking off something new with Developer Passport, a week-long series of live streams focused on developer features in each release. Replacing the old TechNow format, this approach gives more time to go deep on specific capabilities—and the first stop is the Australia release.
This episode focuses on Playbooks, and two big upgrades stand out: AI agent integration and nested playbooks.
Bringing AI Agents into Your Workflows
One of the most impactful updates is the ability to embed AI agents directly into playbook steps.
ServiceNow already provides hundreds of out-of-the-box playbooks, but now you can enhance them with AI-driven steps that:
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Perform research across records
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Suggest next actions
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Generate outputs like email drafts
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Interact with users dynamically during execution
These agents can run as either:
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Helper agents (human-in-the-loop, requiring approvals)
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Worker agents (fully autonomous)
What’s especially useful is how these interactions show up directly inside the playbook UI—no need to open separate panels. The AI can ask questions, present recommendations, and adapt in real time.
This dramatically reduces time spent on repetitive tasks like case research, allowing developers and agents to focus on higher-value work.
Nested Playbooks: Reuse Without the Headache
The second major feature is nested playbooks, which introduces modular design to workflows.
Instead of duplicating the same steps across multiple playbooks, you can:
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Create a reusable “child” playbook (e.g., approval escalation)
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Mark it as standalone and nestable
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Drop it into any parent playbook as a single step
At runtime, everything appears seamless—the user just sees a continuous workflow.
This solves a long-standing problem:
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No more updating the same logic in 10+ places
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Easier maintenance and consistency across teams
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Cleaner, more composable workflow design
Standalone Playbooks and Flexibility
To support nesting (and more use cases), ServiceNow is introducing standalone playbooks.
These don’t require a parent record to start. Instead, they can:
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Act like guided forms or questionnaires
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Be triggered programmatically
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Serve as reusable building blocks
This opens the door to more flexible workflow patterns, including decision trees and lightweight processes.
What’s Coming Next
A few forward-looking features were teased:
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Guided Decision Trees on platform (rebuilt using playbooks)
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Now Assist skills as atomic workflow steps
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Conversational playbooks (early concept, but promising)
The direction is clear: blending structured workflows with AI-driven adaptability.
Why This Matters
Taken together, these updates shift playbooks from static workflows to dynamic, intelligent processes.
You get:
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Faster execution with AI assistance
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Less duplication through modular design
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Greater flexibility in how workflows are triggered and structured
If you’re building on ServiceNow, this is a meaningful step toward more scalable and maintainable automation.
Get Started
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Try AI agents today via the Zurich Store release
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Explore Playbooks in your current environment
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Upgrade your PDI to test Australia features early
And keep an eye on the rest of Developer Passport week for more deep dives.
