--- sourceDocument: Australia Conversational Interfaces sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/conversational-interfaces Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Conversational Interfaces ft:clusterId : - convint bundleId : - convint workflow : - Platform --- # Debug a Virtual Agent topic # Debug a Virtual Agent topic {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Australia * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of Debug a Virtual Agent topic This guide assists ServiceNow customers in investigating and resolving unexpected behaviors in custom Virtual Agent topics, blocks, and controls. It emphasizes the importance of duplicating a live topic for debugging to retain a reference and backup of the original topic. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Topic Duplication:** Always duplicate a live topic before making changes to preserve the original for quick restoration if needed. * **Testing Conversations:** Use the Test button in the Virtual Agent Designer to preview conversations. Test your topics in various deployment environments to ensure consistent behavior. * **Debugging Tools:** The test chat window provides four tabs---Analyze test phrases, Variables, Context, and Logs---for comprehensive debugging and refinement. * **Issue Warnings:** Controls with missing information are marked with a red badge indicating issues. Clicking the badge reveals specific problems to address. * **Validation Issues:** Errors that prevent topic previews are shown in the Validation Issues tab, which lists all current problems and provides hyperlinks to the relevant nodes for correction. ## Common Issues and Resolutions * **Module Designer Visibility:** Ensure the user has the virtualagentadmin role and that the Virtual Agent plugin is activated. * **Editing Topics:** The user must be in the same application scope as the topic to edit it. * **Previewing Topics:** Fill in all required fields in node properties and allow pop-ups in the browser settings. * **Chat Widget Issues:** Verify that all necessary topics are present and active to resolve the "Connecting..." status. ## Key Outcomes By following these guidelines, ServiceNow customers can effectively debug their Virtual Agent topics, ensuring smoother interactions and fewer disruptions in service delivery. Understanding NLU topic discovery issues further enhances the capability to resolve intent recognition errors, improving overall user experience. Investigate and resolve unexpected behavior in your custom Virtual Agent topics, topic blocks, and controls. For information about topic discovery issues, see [LLM topic discovery in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/4ZTKKoNkvTJqb_m0ZXG~5w "Large language models (LLMs) enable Virtual Agent to process user statements in plain language. Conversations that use LLMs can outperform those conversations that use Natural Language Understanding (NLU), with easier setup.") and [Resolve Natural Language Understanding (NLU) topic discovery issues](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5HNT1FhZBVQTK_d6JZrsog "If an intent is not being chosen when expected, you can troubleshoot NLU prediction errors."). ## Duplicate a live topic before debugging and changing it {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_bbn_d12_d2b} Duplicate a topic rather than update a live topic. The unmodified original topic can serve as both a reference and a backup, and retaining the original enables you to restore the topic quickly. Remember to deactivate the original topic before publishing the duplicate. ## Debug a topic while testing your conversations {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_ehd_j5d_12b} As you create or update a topic in Virtual Agent Designer, use the Test button in the topic header bar to preview the conversation. The chat test window shows the conversation as it appears within Service Portal. Elements in your conversation might appear differently in third-party messaging applications. Test your conversations in any third-party applications where you intend to deploy Virtual Agent. The test chat window displays four tabs that provide detailed information for debugging and refining your topic: Analyze test phrases, Variables, Context, and Logs. For details on these tabs, see [Testing NLU/Keyword topics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/rjsdmOKqEUk2wIcYC7hAdw "Use the chat test window to preview, test, and debug Natural Language Understanding (NLU)/Keyword topics."). The following example shows the processing messages and errors logged during testing. ## Watch for warnings on controls within your topic {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_plt_gbx_c2b} Figure 1. Warnings on a topic node in the Flow tab Controls that are missing necessary information show a red incomplete badge in the upper left corner of the control. The badge shows a number indicating the number of issues in that control. Select this badge to see a list of the issues in the control. Another warning badge appears in the upper left corner of the canvas to indicate the number of issues within the entire topic. ## Check for errors when a topic preview does not run {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_pzf_vkd_12b} Figure 2. Topic preview errors on the canvas Additional information appears in a Validation Issues tab on the sidebar of the Virtual Agent Designer canvas when an error prevents the topic from running. The total number of Issues are listed, along with details and a hyperlink for each node. Select a hyperlink to go to the node, and use the information provided to correct any errors in your conversation. You can close the tab without correcting the issues, but until the issues are corrected, the Validation Issues tab appears when you select Publish. The Validation Issues tab closes if you select Publish after correcting all issues. ## Common Virtual Agent issues {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_trx_w3z_12b} {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__table_j3r_2jz_12b__entry__2} | Issue | Possible resolution | |-|-| | Cannot see module designer under conversational interfaces | * User might not have the virtual_agent_admin role. * Virtual Agent plugin might not be activated. {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__ul_tfv_mwf_d2b} | | Cannot edit a topic | Logged-in user must be in the same application scope as the topic. | | Cannot preview topic | * Make sure that all required fields are filled in on the node properties. * Ensure that your browser is configured to permit pop-ups from your instance. {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__ul_d1l_wvf_d2b} | | chat widget stuck at Connecting... | One or more of your topics might be missing. Check the to ensure that topics are present on the instance and in the Active state. | [ ] {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__table_j3r_2jz_12b} ## Review topics that run in a conversation flow {#virtual-agent-troubleshooting-guide__section_dc2_vgl_xhb} Each Virtual Agent (VA) conversation in an instance automatically generates an interaction record in the Interactions \[interactions\] table, which logs the conversation between a requester and virtual and live agent. You can review the transcript of the conversation between the requester and virtual agent, including live agent transfers (if using Agent Chat). For details, see [Virtual Agent interaction records](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RrdtgRC0SMtdekEE~oITkA "Each time a Virtual Agent conversation occurs, an interaction record captures the entire conversation in the Interactions [interaction] table. The record includes all topic elements used in the conversation, as well as live agent transfers."). * **[Resolve Natural Language Understanding (NLU) topic discovery issues](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/5HNT1FhZBVQTK_d6JZrsog)** If an intent is not being chosen when expected, you can troubleshoot NLU prediction errors. * **[Natural Language Understanding topic discovery logic in Virtual Agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/x1HgX3nbICJeHF3lCxagyg)** Understand how Virtual Agent returns intents and how it selects which intents to show to the user.