How does the SDK and Fluent relate to the ServiceNow Extension for VS Code?

[matthewcrit]

Hi

I'm looking for clarity on whether the ServiceNow Extension for VS Code (https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ServiceNow.now-vscode) is still under active development (last update was 2023) and if so how it fits into the wider dev tooling strategy.

From what I've seen, the good thing about the extension is that it will automatically pull out all javascript into js files, allowing you a very pro-code friendly experience when browsing and navigating the code of a project. This is something that the SDK does not currently do - would love to see a feature during transform where the script is pulled into separate files isolated from the record definitions and then referenced back using modules or Now.include - could this be on the roadmap?

The bad thing about the extension is that there doesn't seem to be any way to use it with source control, making it an awkward addition to the SDK. And also the fact that is hasn't received any update or communication on it since 2023, as I mentioned above.

What's the story here? Can we get some clarity on where SN is investing and the direction of this suite of tools? What is the recommended best strategy? These tools do not seem compatible. If SN extension is retired or no longer best practice, please advice as such.

Thanks,

Matt

[Maik Skoddow]

Hi @matthewcrit 

I'm wondering about your question because as an ServiceNow employee you should have a direct channel to the right contacts at ServiceNow who can answer this, right? 😉

But anyway, here's my answer:

Based on the available information, the ServiceNow Extension for VS Code appears to be in an uncertain state regarding active development, though it remains functional and continues to serve specific development use cases within ServiceNow's broader tooling ecosystem.

Current Status and Development Activity

The extension was officially released by ServiceNow and is available on the Visual Studio Marketplace. While you're correct that the last major update was in 2023, the extension continues to function and provides valuable development capabilities for ServiceNow developers. The lack of recent updates doesn't necessarily indicate abandonment, as the core functionality appears stable and continues to meet its intended purpose.

Key Capabilities and Strengths

The extension excels in several areas that align with your observations about pro-code development. It automatically extracts JavaScript code into separate .js files, providing a more traditional IDE experience for ServiceNow development. This includes intelligent code completion, IntelliSense for GlideScript, and rich syntax highlighting that significantly improves the coding experience compared to the browser-based script editor.

The extension offers seamless synchronization between your local development environment and ServiceNow instances, supporting bi-directional sync that allows changes made in either location to be synchronized. Developers can work offline and sync changes when connectivity is restored, which addresses common development workflow challenges.

One of the most powerful features is the ability to run background scripts directly from VS Code through the contextual menu, eliminating the need to switch to the browser for testing code snippets. The extension also provides access to instance tools like API Explorer and Update Sets directly within the VS Code interface.

Integration with Broader Development Strategy

ServiceNow's development tooling strategy in 2025 encompasses multiple approaches to accommodate different developer preferences and use cases. The platform supports both low-code development through App Engine Studio and pro-code development through various tools including the VS Code extension, CLI tools, and DevOps integration pipelines.

The ServiceNow CLI and DevOps integration tools support advanced continuous integration and deployment workflows, working with major version control systems like GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, and Bitbucket. This represents the more enterprise-focused, source-control-integrated approach to ServiceNow development.

Source Control Limitations and Workarounds

Your observation about source control limitations is accurate and reflects a fundamental architectural challenge. ServiceNow's source control integration works by committing update sets as XML payloads rather than individual code files, which complicates standard collaboration tools like GitHub pull requests. This creates the incompatibility you've noted between the VS Code extension's file-based approach and traditional source control workflows.

However, the platform does support source control integration through other mechanisms. ServiceNow provides native source control integration that can work with various version control systems, though this operates at the update set level rather than individual file level. For teams requiring robust source control workflows, the ServiceNow CLI and DevOps tools offer better integration with enterprise development practices.

Recommended Development Strategy

Given the current tooling landscape, the optimal approach depends on your specific development requirements:

For Individual or Small Team Development: The VS Code extension remains valuable for its superior coding experience, offline capabilities, and rapid development cycles. It's particularly effective for custom application development where the file-based approach aligns well with the development workflow.

For Enterprise Development with Source Control Requirements: The ServiceNow CLI and DevOps integration tools provide better alignment with enterprise development practices, offering proper source control integration and CI/CD pipeline support.

Hybrid Approach: Many development teams use both tools strategically - leveraging the VS Code extension for rapid prototyping and individual development tasks, while using the CLI tools and native source control integration for production deployments and team collaboration.

Future Considerations

While ServiceNow hasn't provided explicit roadmap details for the VS Code extension, the platform's overall direction emphasizes AI-powered development assistance through features like Now Assist and enhanced DevOps integration. Your suggestion about transforming scripts into separate files with module references aligns with modern development practices and could potentially be addressed in future tooling updates.

The lack of recent communication about the VS Code extension doesn't necessarily indicate retirement, but rather suggests it may be in maintenance mode while ServiceNow focuses development resources on the broader DevOps and AI-assisted development initiatives. These initiatives serve enterprise customers' evolving needs.

For the most current information about ServiceNow's development tooling roadmap and the specific future of the VS Code extension, I'd recommend engaging directly with ServiceNow through their developer community channels or your account team. They would have the most up-to-date strategic information about tool development priorities.

Hope that helps.

Maik

[paki]

The VS Code extension has no benefit for fluent development. The rudimentary IntelliSense and pulling scripts from instances were definitely an improvement when Fluent was not available yet.

But with Fluent you have superior type definitions, can build with typescript and you also have all the scripts available. On top of that you have all kinds of artefacts and not just script artefacts.

Regarding your question about pulling all built scripts. It's not a use case for now-sdk/ fluent to pull all built scripts from an instance. I can see how this may benefit you if you want a faster search or browsing experience through script files for scopes that are not fluent. If ServiceNow deprecates the VS Code extension or it doesn't work anymore I'd simply grab the other extensions or look on github who do exactly the same. I found them to work even better.

[Harish Kumar Sr · Accepted solution]

Hey @matthewcrit 

The SDK and IDE are distinct toolsets that operate independently from the ServiceNow Extension for VS Code. While the ServiceNow extension can assist with traditional ServiceNow application development, it is not designed for Fluent Apps. For Fluent Apps development, we provide a dedicated Fluent language extension that offers specialized assistance for writing and working with Fluent code, including syntax highlighting, code completion, and validation features tailored specifically to the Fluent programming model.

While the SDK doesn't automatically extract scripts during XML-to-Fluent conversion yet, we're actively working on implementing this feature with organized directory structures in an upcoming releases (for more updates check fluent articles) . For now, if a script is extracted out using "Now.include" fluent ensures that the scripts are updated in the files directly.

Development Toolchain:

For Local Development:

• Fluent SDK - For application development.
• Fluent Language Extension - Provides editor intellisense and diagnostic support
• Git - For source control management
• JavaScript/TypeScript testing frameworks - For unit testing modules and scripts

On ServiceNow Instance:

• ServiceNow IDE - An integrated environment with SDK, language extension, and Git capabilities
  
  

Fluent represents the future of professional code development for ServiceNow applications, enabling modern development practices with proper source control and industry-standard tooling.