Call Now Assist Skill step

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Call Now Assist Skill step

    The Call Now Assist Skill step enables ServiceNow customers to run published Now Assist skills within Workflow Studio actions. This step allows you to configure input and output mappings between your custom workflow actions and Now Assist skills, facilitating seamless integration of AI-driven capabilities into your workflows.

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    This functionality requires the Now Assist Skill Kit and appropriate user roles, such as actiondesigner and delegated development roles.

    Inputs and Configuration

    • Skill Config: A reference to a Now Assist Skill Config record that defines the skill to be executed and generates the corresponding payload.
    • Payload: A JSON-formatted string sent to the skill and OneExtend Framework, carrying the necessary data for processing.
    • If this step fails: Option to either continue to the next step or evaluate an error condition, supporting robust error handling in your workflows.

    You can provide dynamic input values via drag-and-drop from the Data panel or pill picker, enhancing flexibility in passing data to skills.

    Outputs and Usage

    The step produces several outputs accessible in the Data panel for use in subsequent workflow logic:

    • Error: Contains error messages if the skill fails; empty if successful.
    • Provider: Identifies the LLM provider fulfilling the skill request.
    • Response: Text output generated by the skill, such as a summary or conversation reply.
    • Result: JSON string with detailed results from the skill.
    • Status: Indicates the success or failure status of the call to the provider.
    • Step Status, Code, and Message: Provide runtime execution details and error codes/messages, enabling precise monitoring of step execution.

    Example: Calling the Flow Summarization Skill

    This example demonstrates how to call the Flow Summarization skill, which summarizes what a flow or subflow does:

    • Inputs: The Sys ID of the flow to summarize and the type of the component (flow, subflow, or action).
    • Payload: Maps action input values to skill inputs in JSON format.
    • Outputs: The skill returns a detailed textual summary of the specified flow, a JSON result including response and flow elements, and status indicating success.

    This output can be used as input for further actions or decision logic within your workflows.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Integrate AI-powered Now Assist skills directly into your workflows without custom coding.
    • Leverage structured inputs and outputs for flexible and dynamic workflow automation.
    • Gain detailed execution status and error handling to ensure reliable process automation.
    • Use examples like Flow Summarization to accelerate workflow understanding and documentation.

    Run a published Now Assist skill from an action. Configure the Now Assist skill inputs and skill outputs from the step inputs and step outputs.

    Roles and availability

    Available as an Workflow Studio action step. Users with the action_designer role can create a custom action with one or more action steps.

    Now Assist Skill Kit requirements
    This step requires the Now Assist Skill Kit. For more information, see .
    Role requirements
    This step requires roles granted by delegated development or assigned to the user. For more information, see User access to Workflow Studio flows.

    Inputs

    Provide a value for each input that your action needs. To add dynamic values, you can also drag and drop pills from the Data panel or select them from the pill picker.

    Skill Config
    Data type: Reference

    Reference to a Now Assist Skill Config [sn_nowassist_skill_config] record. The payload is generated based on the Skill Config you select.

    Payload
    Data type: String

    JSON-formatted string containing the payload to send to the Now Assist skill and the OneExtend Framework for processing.

    If this step fails
    Data type: Choice

    Option to continue running the next step or go to error evaluation. To use the step status code or message for a custom action error condition, see Action error evaluation.

    Outputs

    These outputs appear in the Data panel. You can use them as inputs elsewhere in your action.

    Error
    Data type: String

    Error message produced by the skill. This output is empty when the skill successfully runs the Now Assist skill request.

    Provider
    Name of the LLM provider that fulfilled the Now Assist skill request.
    Response
    Text response generated by the LLM such as a summary or a reply to a conversation.
    Result
    JSON-formatted string containing the results generated by the LLM to the input payload.
    Status
    Status of the call to the provider.
    Step Status
    Data type: Object

    Object data pill containing runtime details about the step. Each step in an action returns a Step Status.

    Step Status Code
    Data type: Integer
    Integer data pill indicating whether the step produced an error. A step returns a value of 1 when it produces an error for any reason. For example, a step can produce an error if it is missing mandatory input data or returns output in the wrong data type. A step returns a value of 0 when it runs successfully. You cannot customize these codes.
    • Success [0]: The step succeeded.
    • Error [1]: The step produced an error.
    Step Status Message
    Data type: String

    String data pill containing the error message produced by the step or system operation. You cannot customize the step status message.

    Call the Flow Summarization skill

    Action that uses the Call Now Assist Skill step for the Flow Summarization skill.

    This example action calls the Flow Summarize skill, which provides a text summary of what a flow or subflow does. The Flow Summarization skill has two skill inputs.
    • asset_sys_id. This input contains the Sys ID of the component to be summarized.
    • asset_type. This input contains the type of component to summarize.
    To support the two skill inputs, this example action has two matching action inputs.
    • Flow to summarize. This input contains the Sys ID of the component to be summarized.
    • Type. This input contains the type of component to summarize such as flow, subflow, or action.
    Note:
    An action can't have an input with the name sys_id, because that name is a reserved word.

    We can test this action by providing these example input values.

    Skill Config
    This example uses the Flow Summarization Now Assist Skill Config record.
    Payload
    This example uses a JSON object to map action input values to skill values. In this example, we provide the Sys ID of the Change - Normal - Authorize flow and the type of flow.

    Example execution details of the call flow summarization skill

    Here are the example output values produced by the Flow summarization skill.

    Error output
    This example doesn't produce an error output.
    Provider output
    This example uses the Now LLM provider.
    Response output

    This example uses the Flow Summarization skill to generate a summary for the Change - Normal - Authorize flow. Typically, you would use this Response output as an input for another action or flow logic.

    This flow, named "Change - Normal - Authorize", is designed to process a Change Request that uses the Normal Change Model and is in the state of Authorize, while ensuring it is not on hold.

    The flow begins by checking if the assignment group manager has already approved the change request. If not, it applies a Change Approval Policy, specifically for risk approvals.

    The flow then evaluates whether the approval process was skipped, rejected, or approved. If skipped, it does nothing. If rejected, it sends an email notification to relevant parties. If approved, it updates the change request record to mark it as approved.

    In parallel, the flow waits for the change request to be on hold or inactive, and then disregards any change request approvals. It also evaluates the change model again.

    The flow ends after completing these tasks.

    Result output
    This example returns a JSON object containing the both the response and the flow elements used to generate the response.
    Status output
    This example returns a success output value.