General guidelines for Build Agent

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated July 24, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of General guidelines for Build Agent

    These guidelines help ServiceNow customers optimize the use of Build Agent within their development workflows. They cover best practices for planning, instructing, testing, and iterating application development, as well as tips for effective prompt creation and customization. Following these practices enhances collaboration with Build Agent, improves output accuracy, and supports consistent coding and operational standards.

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    Development guidelines

    • Design before coding: Plan and document application requirements across data and UI layers using tools like Workflow Studio or Figma.
    • Start with a clear plan: Define scope, required tables, and metadata collaboratively with Build Agent.
    • Instruct with context: Use Markdown files in your file system to provide detailed instructions that Build Agent can reference during development.
    • Use specific terminology: Communicate using precise ServiceNow platform terms such as table names, fields, roles, and artifact types to reduce ambiguity.
    • Test early and often: Add sample records, run Automated Test Framework (ATF) tests, and verify functionality continuously.
    • Use version control: Track changes and maintain a clean workspace with Git.
    • Provide visual context: Share screenshots to help Build Agent troubleshoot UI issues effectively.
    • Extend with third-party libraries: Integrate NPM libraries like React JS for advanced UI capabilities.
    • Maintain documentation: Use Build Agent to generate and manage knowledge base articles and keep project documentation organized.
    • Iterate and experiment: Prototype freely, then ask Build Agent to help recreate finalized designs with optimized prompts.

    Prompting guidelines

    • Ask Build Agent to prompt for you: Request ideal prompts or coaching on common pitfalls for specific metadata types.
    • Be comprehensive: Provide detailed prompts including all relevant elements (tables, fields, roles, automation) rather than fragmented instructions.
    • Use the planning tool: For complex applications, have Build Agent create and review a plan before building.
    • Let Build Agent interview you: Allow it to ask clarifying questions to improve output accuracy.
    • Use specific ServiceNow terminology: Refer explicitly to platform objects (e.g., sysuser) to minimize iterations and improve initial results.
    • Use conversational prompts early, precision later: Start with exploratory dialogue and shift to precise instructions as development progresses.
    • Draft offline: Prepare and refine prompts in a text editor before submitting to Build Agent for better results.
    • Develop incrementally: Build and test features in separate sessions for manageable development cycles.
    • Use markdown grounding files: Place markdown files in your project directory to define organizational standards such as naming conventions, coding practices, and development processes that Build Agent follows during sessions. (Available only in ServiceNow IDE)

    Custom skills and rules

    Configure instance-, application-, or user-level instructions that Build Agent applies automatically across sessions to enforce consistent behaviors like naming conventions and required fields. Unlike project markdown files, these custom skills and rules require no project files and provide on-demand guidance or automatic enforcement.

    Use of ESLint

    Leverage ESLint on the ServiceNow AI Platform to enforce preferred coding styles and have Build Agent manage ESLint configurations, for example, enforcing snakecase variable naming. This ensures code consistency and quality throughout development.

    Use these guidelines to get the most out of Build Agent in your development workflow.

    Development guidelines

    To maximize Build Agent effectiveness, use the following practices:
    • Design before coding: Think through and document the requirements for your application across the data and UI layers, for example using Workflow Studio or Figma.
    • Start with a clear plan: Collaborate with Build Agent to define scope, required tables, and metadata types.
    • Instruct with context: Write instructions for what you want to achieve with your application using Markdown in your file system. You can then ask Build Agent to use the file as context for its work.
    • Use specific terminology: Treat Build Agent as your development partner. Provide specific, clear instructions using ServiceNow platform terminology such as table names, field names, roles, and artifact types.
    • Test early and often: Add sample records, test on the instance, and run ATF tests throughout development.
    • Use version control: Use Git for tracking changes and maintaining a clean workspace structure.
    • Provide visual context: Give screenshots to Build Agent to troubleshoot UI issues and request changes.
    • Extend with third-party libraries: Integrate third-party Node Package Manager (NPM) libraries, such as React JS, for enhanced interfaces.
    • Maintain documentation: Keep clear rules and documentation in project folders; use Build Agent to create knowledge base articles.
    • Iterate and experiment: Prototype freely, then ask Build Agent for an ideal prompt to recreate the result once your vision is complete.

    Prompting guidelines

    Use the following guidelines to get better results from Build Agent.

    Ask Build Agent to prompt for you
    Ask Build Agent to suggest an ideal prompt for your goal or coach you on common pitfalls for a given metadata type. To learn more, see this Community article on The fastest way to learn Build Agent prompting? Ask Build Agent.
    Be comprehensive
    One detailed prompt can provide better results than several vague ones. Include tables, fields, roles, and automation in a single prompt.
    Use the planning tool
    For complex apps, ask Build Agent to create a plan first. Review and approve before it starts building.
    Let Build Agent interview you
    For broad ideas, let Build Agent ask clarifying questions before planning. This produces better results than guessing at details yourself.
    Use specific ServiceNow terminology
    Say reference to sys_user instead of add a field for who ordered. Naming the table, field, scope, role, or artifact reduces interview cycles and produces more accurate output on the first attempt. Conversational prompts work well for early exploration, while precision works better as the build progresses.
    Draft offline
    Write prompts in a text editor, refine them, then paste into the chat, which saves prompts and can help to produce better results.
    Develop incrementally
    Develop each page or feature in separate chats. Implement and test, then start a new conversation for the next feature.
    Use markdown
    Place a markdown file (for example, named GUIDE_*.md or BUILD_AGENT_RULES.md) in your project directory. Build Agent reads these grounding files and follows your conventions throughout the session.
    Note:
    Markdown for Build Agent is currently available only in the ServiceNow IDE. Teams that get the most value from Build Agent markdown files document their organizational standards in these files, including the following:
    • Naming conventions: table names, field names, business rule naming patterns, and scope prefixes
    • Technical standards: coding practices, preferred patterns, and anti-patterns to avoid
    • Development cadence: processes, update set management, and code review requirements
    • Last-resort actions that require explicit approval: creating new tables, changing ACLs or roles, modifying system properties, and altering base system business rules
    Use custom skills and rules
    Define instance-level, application-level, and user-level instructions that Build Agent follows in every session. Use rules to enforce consistent behavior automatically, such as naming conventions or required fields. Use skills to provide on-demand guidance for specific tasks. Unlike markdown grounding files, custom skills and rules require no project files and apply across all sessions at the configured scope. For more information, see Configure custom skills and rules.
    Use ESLint
    Use ESLint on the ServiceNow AI Platform to define your preferred coding style, and ask Build Agent to manage and enforce the ESLint configuration, for example using snake case for variables.