--- sourceDocument: Australia Enable AI sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/intelligent-experiences Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Enable AI ft:clusterId : - platai bundleId : - platai workflow : - Platform --- # Integrate external AI agents # Integrate external AI agents {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated October 16, 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 Integrate external AI agents This capability in AI Agent Studio enables ServiceNow customers to connect ServiceNow's AI Platform with third-party agentic AI providers, known as external AI agents, using the Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol. External agents operate independently on other platforms or ServiceNow instances and communicate with ServiceNow AI agents through defined API contracts for task orchestration and two-way communication. Show full answer Show less ## Configuring External AI Agents Customers can enable and manage external AI agent integration via the AI Agent Studio Settings under External Agents \> Discoverability. Key options include: * **Allow ServiceNow to access external AI agents:** Controls whether external agents can integrate with ServiceNow's agentic AI system via the A2A protocol (enabled by default). * **Allow third-party access to ServiceNow AI agents:** Controls whether ServiceNow AI agents can be integrated into external AI systems (enabled by default). * **Communication mode:** Defines synchronous (real-time blocking) or asynchronous (non-blocking, default) communication between external AI agents and ServiceNow AI agents. Integration requires creating a Connection \& Credential alias record that links to the external AI provider. Additional contextual information about the external agent's role can be added to help the AI Agent Orchestrator select the appropriate agent during operations. ## Contextual Data Access To enhance external AI agent responses, customers can enable contextual data access settings in AI Agent Studio: * **Short-term memory:** Enables external agents to remember interaction-specific preferences or facts temporarily (enabled by default). * **Long-term memory:** Enables agents to retain information from past interactions (enabled by default). * **Knowledge graph usage:** Allows external agents to leverage structured and unstructured data across the ServiceNow AI Platform for enriched interaction context (disabled by default). ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers This integration empowers customers to leverage best-of-breed AI agents from external providers while maintaining orchestration and control via the ServiceNow AI Platform. It supports flexible, bi-directional, and context-aware AI workflows that can span multiple systems and providers, enhancing automation, collaboration, and AI-driven decision-making within their enterprise environments. Integrate external AI agents in AI Agent Studio to connect the ServiceNow AI Platform with third-party agentic AI providers as primary agents. ## External agents overview {#integrate-external-aia__what_are_external_agents} External agents are the AI agents deployed on other platforms or ServiceNow instances that support A2A protocol. A2A is the only protocol we support for this functionality. External agents operate independently and aren't managed directly by the ServiceNow AI Platform. Instead, they are invoked by ServiceNow agents through defined API contracts or messaging protocols, allowing two-way communication and task orchestration across system boundaries. ## Discover External AI agents {#integrate-external-aia__discover-external-agents} You can enable external AI agents on the AI Agent Studio via the Settings page. Navigate to AI Agent StudioSettingsExternal AgentsDiscoverability. * Allow ServiceNow to access external AI agents: The external AI agents can integrate with the ServiceNow agentic AI system using the A2A protocol, with the Allow radio button selected by default. To prevent external AI agents from being integrated with the ServiceNow agentic AI system using the A2A protocol, select don't allow. * Allow third-party access to ServiceNow AI agents: The ServiceNow AI agents are configured by default for integration into external AI systems, with the Allow option selected by default. To prevent ServiceNow AI agents from being integrated into the external agentic AI system, select don't allow. Important: You can integrate ServiceNow AI agents into other agentic AI systems, such as Google Cloud or Azure OpenAI. For information about setting up ServiceNow AI agents as secondary agents (acting as A2A server) for integrating into other agentic AI systems, see [ServiceNow AI agents as secondary agents](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/x2YCD55CUwTK77eEPYbtvw "Secondary agents are specialized AI agents that handle specific workflow tasks delegated by a primary agent or user. You can connect your ServiceNow agent to other agentic AI model providers using the Agent2Agent protocol."). * Communication mode: Controls how external AI agents interact with the ServiceNow agentic AI system. You have two types of communication modes: * Synchronous: The external AI agent waits for a response before proceeding. The communication is real-time and blocking --- the agent pauses until ServiceNow returns a result. * Asynchronous: The external AI agent does not wait for an immediate response. Communication is non-blocking --- the agent can continue processing and handle ServiceNow responses when they are available, typically through callbacks or event-driven mechanisms. Asynchronous mode is the default communication mode. {#integrate-external-aia__ul_a2w_q2r_jkc} {#integrate-external-aia__ul_t5z_k43_4hc} When creating a new external AI agent in AI Agent Studio, you can connect your agent to the ServiceNow agentic AI system using the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol integration. To do this, you must have a Connection \& Credential alias record that connects to your agentic AI provider. After connecting to the external AI agent, you can add details about its role and instructions to provide context for the AI Agent Orchestrator. Additional context helps differentiate your AI agent from other AI agents so that the AI Agent Orchestrator can decide which agent to use. ## Contextual data access for External AI agents {#integrate-external-aia__section_gz2_tdr_jkc} You can enable contextual data access for external AI agents to improve AI agent response during execution on the AI Agent Studio via the Settings page. Navigate to AI Agent StudioSettingsExternal AgentsDiscoverability. * Short-term memory: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents to remember your preferences or facts from the current interaction only. The toggle is turned on by default. * Long-term memory: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents to remember your preferences or facts from previous interactions. The toggle is turned on by default. * Knowledge graph for external AI agent interactions: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents to use structured and unstructured data from different records across the ServiceNow AI Platform. The toggle is turned off by default. {#integrate-external-aia__ul_ngx_43j_4hc} *[\>]: and then