--- sourceDocument: Yokohama ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/servicenow-platform Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Yokohama ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities ft:clusterId : - platcap bundleId : - platcap workflow : - Platform --- # Managing access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles # Managing access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles {#ariaid-title1} * Release version: Yokohama * * Updated March 12, 2026 * * ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 7 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 Managing access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles This guide explains how ServiceNow customers can control user access to knowledge bases and knowledge articles by managing contribute and read permissions. Knowledge administrators, knowledge base managers, and owners can assign user criteria and roles to regulate who can view (read access) and who can create or modify (contribute access) knowledge content at both the knowledge base and article levels. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Access Types:** * **Read access:** Grants permission to view knowledge articles. * **Contribute access:** Grants permission to create, modify, or retire articles. * **User Criteria Control:** Use user criteria (recommended since Knowledge Management v3) to define access at both knowledge base and article levels. Roles can also be applied but are deprecated for article-level access control. * **Default Access Behavior:** If no user criteria are set, all users can read, and users with appropriate roles can contribute. * **Override Roles with User Criteria:** A system property (glide.knowman.search.applyrolebasedsecurity) can be added to disable role-based access enforcement, allowing exclusive control through user criteria. * **User Criteria Types:** * **Can Contribute / Cannot Contribute:** Defines contribute permissions at the knowledge base level. * **Can Read / Cannot Read:** Defines read permissions at both knowledge base and article levels. * **Special Privileges:** Certain users like knowledge administrators, knowledge base owners, and managers have automatic contribute and read access and can manage user criteria. * **Explicit Roles Plugin:** When activated, adds predefined user criteria linked to roles (such as sncinternal) to control access automatically, especially for Customer Service and scoped knowledge bases. * **System Properties Affecting Access:** * **glide.knowman.blockaccesswithnousercriteria:** Determines if users without matching user criteria can contribute or read. * **glide.knowman.applyarticlereadcriteria:** Controls whether article-level read criteria override knowledge base contribute access for both read and contribute permissions. * **User Criteria Diagnostics:** After configuration, use this feature to verify effective access for users on knowledge bases and articles. ## Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers * Control access granularly by assigning user criteria rather than roles for better flexibility and security. * Understand how special privileges bypass user criteria to ensure proper oversight and delegation. * Configure system properties to tailor access rules based on your organizational security policies. * Leverage explicit roles and fix scripts when upgrading or integrating plugins to maintain secure access controls. * Use diagnostics tools to confirm that knowledge base and article access aligns with your configured user criteria before deployment. Determine whether certain users or categories of users can access knowledge bases and knowledge articles by controlling contribute and read access. As a knowledge administrator, manager of a knowledge base, or owner of a knowledge base, you can assign user criteria to control contribute and read access at the knowledge base level, where: * Read access determines the ability to view knowledge articles in a knowledge base. * Contribute access determines the ability to create, modify, and retire knowledge articles in a knowledge base. {#user-access-knowledge__ul_xrd_nbq_qjb} As a knowledge administrator, manager of a knowledge base, or owner of a knowledge base, you can assign user criteria, or roles, or both, to control read access at the knowledge article level. Try to use only user criteria, which were introduced in Knowledge Management v3, to control access to knowledge articles. Roles were used for this purpose in Knowledge Management v2. If no user criteria is selected for a knowledge base, all users can read and all users with roles can contribute to that knowledge base. Note: By default, when contribute access isn't provided for a knowledge base, a user must meet both roles and user criteria conditions for read access. However, you can override roles set for a knowledge article and provide access through user criteria only by setting the glide.knowman.search.apply_role_based_security system property to false. Because this property isn't available by default, you must add it. For more information, see [Add a system property](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=t_AddAPropertyUsingSysPropsList&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-platform-administration&ft:locale=en-US). ## User criteria for knowledge access {#user-access-knowledge__section_i52_wtf_sjb} As a knowledge administrator, manager of a knowledge base, or owner of a knowledge base, you control access to knowledge bases or knowledge articles for a user through user criteria, which are described in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_m2t_r55_2jb__entry__2} | User criteria | Result | |-|-| | Cannot Contribute | Cannot contribute (that is can't create, modify, or retire) knowledge articles within a knowledge base. The Cannot Contribute user criteria is available only for knowledge bases. | | Can Contribute | Can contribute (that is can view, create, modify, or retire) knowledge articles within a knowledge base. The Can Contribute user criteria is available only for knowledge bases. | | Cannot Read | At the knowledge base level, cannot view knowledge articles within a knowledge base. At the knowledge article level, cannot view a knowledge article. | | Can Read | At the knowledge base level, can view knowledge articles within a knowledge base. At the knowledge article level, can view a knowledge article. | [Table 1. User criteria definitions] {#user-access-knowledge__table_m2t_r55_2jb} The access to knowledge base and its articles are defined based on the user criteria status for a user as described in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_ajq_1rj_tjb__entry__2} | Status | Access | |-|-| | The user matches both Can Contribute and Cannot Contribute at the knowledge base level | The user is denied contribute access to the knowledge base and its articles. | | The user matches both Can Read and Cannot Read at the knowledge base level | The user is denied read access to the knowledge base and its articles. | | The user matches Can Read at the knowledge base level and Cannot Read at the knowledge article level | The user is denied read access to the knowledge article. | | The user matches Cannot Read and Can Read at the knowledge article level | The user is denied read access to the knowledge article. | [Table 2. Combining knowledge base and knowledge article user criteria] {#user-access-knowledge__table_ajq_1rj_tjb} ## Users with special knowledge privileges {#user-access-knowledge__section_uvc_rqf_sjb} Users with special knowledge privileges aren't evaluated based on user criteria and have knowledge bases and knowledge articles access as described in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_a51_jlv_4jb__entry__2} | User | Access | |-|-| | Knowledge administrator | * Contribute to and read all knowledge bases and their articles. * Modify the definition of all knowledge bases and assign user criteria to them. {#user-access-knowledge__ul_g2g_rqf_sjb} Note: This access doesn't apply to scoped knowledge bases. For more information, see [Scoped knowledge bases](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8A17lCIQB2LjTuVeRuSy4A "To protect knowledge bases containing sensitive articles, use a scoped knowledge base. Even system administrators and knowledge administrators can't administer scoped knowledge bases unless explicitly authorized through user criteria."). | | Owner of a knowledge base | * Contribute to and read that knowledge base. * Modify the definition of that knowledge base and assign user criteria to it. {#user-access-knowledge__ul_ryw_t1p_qjb} | | Manager of a knowledge base | * Contribute to and read that knowledge base. * Modify the definition of that knowledge base and assign user criteria to it. {#user-access-knowledge__ul_m2c_hyv_4jb} Note: If the article versioning feature is enabled, the manager of a knowledge base can't modify knowledge articles of other authors that are in the Draft state. For more information, see [Article versioning](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Jwmi7Mu_ZH_bBTDzOaGMAQ "Use the Knowledge Management article versioning feature to create and maintain multiple versions of a knowledge article."). | | Members of an ownership group associated with a knowledge article | Read, modify, approve, and retire that knowledge article (see [Ownership groups](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ryhzXn5kFOfAAL7n0tqjLQ "Configure ownership groups and associate them with knowledge articles to maintain article quality, manage approvals, and for timely resolution of feedback.")). | [Table 3. Access of users with special privileges to knowledge bases and knowledge articles] {#user-access-knowledge__table_a51_jlv_4jb} ## Explicit roles and user criteria {#user-access-knowledge__section_bpn_3qj_kjb} Explicit roles (snc_external and snc_internal) are added to your instance when your administrator installs a plugin, such as the Customer Service plugin (com.sn_customerservice), that also activates the Explicit Roles plugin (com.glide.explicit_roles). If you create a knowledge base with the Explicit Roles plugin (com.glide.explicit_roles) activated, the application automatically adds the following predefined user criteria at the knowledge base level: * Users with 'snc_internal' role -- Added to the Can Read user criteria enabling only users with the snc_internal role have read access to the knowledge base. * Users with snc_internal' and another role -- Added to the Can Contribute user criteria enabling only users with the snc_internal role and at least one additional role have contribute access to the knowledge base. {#user-access-knowledge__ul_ry5_ysb_rjb} When you upgrade to product versions (from Rome onwards) that offer the Explicit Roles plugin (com.glide.explicit_roles), the predefined user criteria Users with 'snc_internal' role and Users with 'snc_internal' and another role aren't automatically added to any existing knowledge bases created prior to the activation of the Explicit Roles plugin. To add these predefined user criteria to an existing knowledge base, run the Fix unsecured knowledge bases fix script. For more information about explicit roles and fix scripts, see [Explicit Roles](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explicit-roles&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US) and [Fix scripts](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_FixScripts&version=yokohama&pubname=yokohama-application-development&ft:locale=en-US). ## Determining contribute access to a knowledge base and its articles using user criteria {#user-access-knowledge__section_acf_wjx_jjb} When either Cannot Contribute isn't set or a user doesn't match Cannot Contribute and additionally Can Contribute is not set, the glide.knowman.block_access_with_no_user_criteria property value is further evaluated to determine contribute access, as explained in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_z2b_hrp_qjb__entry__2} | Property value | Result | |-|-| | true | No user has contribute access to the knowledge base except [users with special knowledge privileges](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/W8pGLzVjnd3CAV7APUZB9A#user-access-knowledge__section_uvc_rqf_sjb). | | false | All users, including unauthenticated users, with at least one role can contribute to the knowledge base. If the Explicit Roles plugin (com.glide.explicit_roles) is activated, users who have at least one role other than snc_internal can contribute to the knowledge base. To check knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users, use the User Criteria Diagnostics feature. For more information, see [Configure access to knowledge bases for unauthenticated users](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3~7TwEyDR8Vn2uEDtXDszA "Identify knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users based on the user criteria and the system property settings."). | [Table 4. Contribute access to a knowledge base when user criteria for a knowledge base aren't set] {#user-access-knowledge__table_z2b_hrp_qjb} When a user has contribute access to a knowledge base, the glide.knowman.apply_article_read_criteria property is evaluated to determine contribute access to an article in the knowledge base, as explained in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_szq_1pm_3mb__entry__2} | Property value | Result | |-|-| | true | Article-level read access overrides the default contribute permission granted by contribute access at the knowledge base level. | | false | Contribute access at the knowledge base level takes precedence over article-level user criteria and the user has contribute access to every article in the knowledge base. | [Table 5. Contribute access to an article when a user has contribute access to a knowledge base] {#user-access-knowledge__table_szq_1pm_3mb} ## Determining read access to articles in a knowledge base using user criteria {#user-access-knowledge__section_xdd_31t_gmb} When either Cannot Read isn't set or a user doesn't match Cannot Read and additionally Can Read is not set, the glide.knowman.block_access_with_no_user_criteria property value is further evaluated to determine read access, as explained in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_gmk_z5s_tjb__entry__2} | Property value | Result | |-|-| | true | No user has read access except [users with special knowledge privileges](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/W8pGLzVjnd3CAV7APUZB9A#user-access-knowledge__section_uvc_rqf_sjb) and users who have contribute access to the knowledge base. | | false | All users, including unauthenticated users, have read access to the knowledge base and the article-level user criteria are further evaluated. To check knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users, use the User Criteria Diagnostics feature. For more information, see [Configure access to knowledge bases for unauthenticated users](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3~7TwEyDR8Vn2uEDtXDszA "Identify knowledge bases accessible to unauthenticated users based on the user criteria and the system property settings."). | [Table 6. Read access when user criteria for a knowledge base aren't set] {#user-access-knowledge__table_gmk_z5s_tjb} When a user has contribute access to a knowledge base, the glide.knowman.apply_article_read_criteria property is evaluated to determine read access to an article in the knowledge base, as explained in the following table. {#user-access-knowledge__table_tqt_3mm_3mb__entry__2} | Property value | Result | |-|-| | true | Article-level read access overrides the default read permission granted by contribute access at the knowledge base level. | | false | Contribute access at the knowledge base level takes precedence over article-level user criteria and the user has read access to every article in the knowledge base. | [Table 7. Read access to an article when a user has contribute access to a knowledge base] {#user-access-knowledge__table_tqt_3mm_3mb} Important: After you add user criteria, you can use the user criteria diagnostics feature to verify the access that users have to a knowledge base or a knowledge article. For more information, see [User criteria diagnostics for Knowledge Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/6m94P2Wa74xg_DrlceNHYg "Manage user access to a knowledge base or an article using user criteria diagnostics. Understand what access users have to a knowledge base or an article and determine which user criteria define those permissions."). **Related concepts** * [Configuration tasks for knowledge managers](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/PRV_QS1GQnlgc~xK6iioxg "Having multiple knowledge bases allows an organization to spread management responsibilities across multiple users, known as knowledge managers.") **Related tasks** * [Create user criteria for controlling access to knowledge bases and articles](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KJk9D9ufE9pkNnJi0YOTqQ "Control access to knowledge bases and articles by creating user criteria.") **Related reference** * [Knowledge Management properties](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/JAaHanCY3U9gzs5nx3WHJw#r_KnowledgeProperties "As an administrator, you can configure the look and functionality of many knowledge base features with Knowledge Management properties.") **Related topics** * [Knowledge Management FAQ](https://community.servicenow.com/community?id=community_article&sys_id=637ffc92db519490d82ffb24399619f3)