Playbook generation from text prompt or image

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Playbook generation from text prompt or image

    ServiceNow enables customers to generate playbooks using AI by inputting either text prompts or images. This capability, activated through the ServiceNow Otto for Creator application, helps streamline the creation of detailed, structured playbooks for various business processes like customer support, employee onboarding, and travel reimbursement. Playbook generation leverages generative AI and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to incorporate active instance elements such as actions, subflows, and activity definitions, enhancing relevance and accuracy.

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    Activation and Access

    To use playbook generation, customers must install the ServiceNow Otto for Creator (snnowcreator) application from the ServiceNow Store and enable the Playbook generation skill. The feature is accessible within Workflow Studio when creating or editing playbooks.

    Guidelines for Effective Playbook Generation

    • Writing Prompts: Provide descriptive, precise playbook names and detailed step descriptions, specifying sequence and parallelism of stages and activities.
    • Image Inputs: Use high-resolution, clear images (up to 10 MB in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or WEBP formats) without blurriness or unclear diagrams.
    • Experimentation: Save prompt versions to compare results and optimize playbook outputs. Only prompts used for saving outlines are retained in playbook properties.

    Review and Configuration

    After generating a playbook, customers should carefully review each stage and activity for accuracy and efficiency in reflecting their processes. Placeholder activities can be configured using playbook recommendations to select appropriate activity definitions before activation.

    RAG Support and Dynamic Content

    The playbook generation feature uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to dynamically include active actions, subflows, flows, and activity definitions from the customer’s ServiceNow instance. These lists refresh hourly, allowing playbooks to reference the latest available elements by name for precise automation.

    Example Use Cases

    • Employee Onboarding: Automates integration steps like document gathering, orientation, IT setup, and feedback collection.
    • Customer Support: Structures inquiry receipt, ticket categorization, troubleshooting, escalation, follow-up, and knowledge base updates.
    • Travel Reimbursement: Manages expense report submission, verification, approval, and payment processing.
    • Control Document Management: Guides document generation, review, collaboration, and approval processes.
    • Supplier Evaluation: Defines qualification request, review, activity execution, and final qualification determination.
    • Hardware Inventory: Tracks stock levels, categorizes assets, generates alerts, and integrates with sales and procurement.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This AI-powered playbook generation enables customers to rapidly create accurate, tailored workflows without extensive manual configuration, improving process consistency and accelerating digital transformation initiatives. By leveraging instance-specific actions and detailed prompts, customers can ensure generated playbooks align closely with their operational needs and business logic.

    Generate a playbook using AI from text prompt or image inputs. For example, you can enter a text description to generate a playbook for managing customer support cases.

    ServiceNow Otto for Creator activates the playbook generation skill. Playbook generation gives generative AI capabilities to playbook authors.

    Activation

    Playbook generation is a skill that is installed with the ServiceNow Otto for Creator (sn_now_creator) application. You can install this application from the ServiceNow Store website. You must enable the Playbook generation skill to generate playbooks using AI.

    Supported user interfaces

    Access the Playbook generation skill when you’re creating a playbook in Workflow Studio.

    Build a new playbook using AI.

    Writing prompts

    Follow these guidelines when writing prompts to generate playbooks.

    Provide a meaningful name for the playbook
    The more descriptive the playbook name is, the better the playbook that AI can create.
    Be precise and descriptive in the directions
    • Describe each stage and activity in as much detail as you can.

    • Specify the order that stages and activities run in.

    • Specify if any stages or activities run at the same time.

    Use clear images
    Use high resolution images with clear shapes, text, and arrows. Avoid using blurred screenshots and images of unclear whiteboard diagrams.

    You can use one image of up to 10 MB, in JPG, JPEG, PNG, or WEBP format.

    Experiment with prompts
    Save your prompts somewhere, including any modified versions. Saving your prompts enables easy comparison of results.
    Note:
    Prompts used only to generate a preview aren't saved, but prompts used for a saved playbook outline are in the playbook's Properties setting.

    Reviewing playbooks

    Follow these guidelines to review the generated playbooks.

    Check for accuracy
    Review each stage and activity in a generated playbook to determine accuracy, efficiency, and how well it outlines your business process.
    Configure placeholder activities
    Configure placeholder activities before you activate your playbook. Use playbook recommendations to help choose activity definitions.
    Figure 1. Configure the activity definition in the activity side panel

    Choose an activity definition for the placeholder activity.

    Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) support

    Playbook generation uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to include the names of active actions, subflows, flows, and activity definitions available on your instance. Workflow Studio updates the list of active actions, subflows, flows, and activity definitions every hour to make them available to playbook generation. You can refer to active actions, subflows, flows, and activity definitions by name in your playbook generation inputs.

    Example prompts

    The following examples can help you to generate playbook outlines:

    Example playbook prompt 1: Employee onboarding
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook for the onboarding process of new hires.
    Create an employee onboarding playbook that integrates new hires into the organization. 
    HR initiates it upon job offer acceptance, gathering documents, assigning mentors, providing orientation, 
    setting up IT access, ensuring compliance, and job-specific training. The playbook ends with feedback from the employee and HR, 
    resulting in an onboarding checklist.
    Example playbook prompt 2: Customer support
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook with the steps that an agent takes for customer support cases.
    Create a customer support playbook which is the primary point of contact for handling customer inquiries, 
    problems, and requests. It starts by receiving and categorizing customer inquiries based on urgency and complexity. 
    Support tickets are then assigned to agents who troubleshoot and resolve them, with the option to escalate to higher 
    support tiers if needed. After resolution, follow-up with the customer is crucial. A satisfaction survey gathers feedback for 
    improvement, and all interactions are documented, updating the knowledge base for future reference.
    Example playbook prompt 3: Travel reimbursement
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook to manage employee travel expenses.
    Create a travel expense reimbursement playbook for managing employee travel expenses efficiently. 
    Employees submit expense reports with valid receipts. Finance verifies expenses against policies, ensuring budget compliance. 
    Managers approve expenses, initiating payment processing.
    Example playbook prompt 4: Control document
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook to manage a control document.
    Create a playbook for generating, reviewing, and approving a control document. Suppliers and Quality managers collaborate 
    to upload documents and conduct appropriate refinement before a final document is approved.
    Example playbook prompt 5: Supplier evaluation
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook to evaluate whether potential suppliers meet qualification standards.
    Create a playbook for qualifying a new supplier. Suppliers request qualification. Quality managers review and approve 
    qualification requests, plan qualification deliverables, execute qualification activities, and summarize qualification findings in a report. 
    The playbook concludes by determining if the supplier has achieved the requested qualification.
    Example playbook prompt 6: Hardware inventory
    You can use this prompt to create a playbook to manage hardware inventory.
    Create a playbook that manages hardware inventory. This playbook should efficiently track stock levels, update in real-time, 
    and generate alerts for low inventory. It must support categorization, bar codes, and seamless integration with sales and procurement systems.