Fixing a Frozen Now Assist Panel in ServiceNow: The Simple Context Profile Trick

[Travis Toulson]

ServiceNow developers working with Now Assist and AI Agents know how powerful these tools can be — but sometimes, things just don’t work the way you expect. A common (and super frustrating) issue we’ve seen? The Now Assist or AI analysis panel just... not loading. Even after plugin updates, version upgrades, and deep troubleshooting, the panel stays frozen.

If that sounds familiar, don’t panic — according to community MVP Paul Pratap Chandru, there’s a surprisingly simple fix: activate your context profile.

Why It Happens

Sometimes the issue isn’t with your plugin or configuration — it’s that the system doesn’t have an active context profile to work from. Without it, the AI agent startup hangs and the panel stays blank.

 

The Fix (Takes 10 Seconds)

1. Open the Application Navigator.

2. Search for context_profile (under the “Process” section).

3. Open the relevant profile (likely inactive).

4. Check the Active box.

5. Click Update.

Now, go back to your Now Assist panel and boom — the agent starts up, the screen loads, and everything is back on track.

Other Things to Check

If you're just getting started with analysis and AI features, make sure:

• The relevant analysis plugins are installed.

• The analysis panel is enabled.

• You’ve configured the skills you want to use.

• Users have the proper roles (analysis_panel_user, analysis_creator — not just admin).

 

Final Thoughts

Sometimes the best fixes are the simplest. Huge thanks to Paul for this incredibly useful tip during Community Week! If you’ve got your own tips and tricks, we’d love to feature them — let’s keep helping each other out.