--- sourceDocument: Australia Platform security sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-security Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Platform security ft:clusterId : - psec bundleId : - psec workflow : - Platform --- # Role masking for AI agents # Role masking for AI agents {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated November 5, 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 Role masking for AI agents Role masking for AI agents in ServiceNow Australia release enhances security by restricting the roles AI agents use when executing tools, querying data, and updating records. Normally, an AI agent inherits all roles of the user who triggered it, potentially granting excessive access. Role masking limits the agent's runtime roles to only those necessary for its specific tools and tasks, ensuring least-privilege access and improving auditability. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **Role Intersection Enforcement:** AI agents and agentic workflows run only with roles that are both assigned to the invoking user and approved in the role masking list. * **AI User vs Dynamic User Execution Modes:** Administrators can configure AI agents to run as either an AI user or a dynamic user. * If running as an AI user, the agent has all roles assigned to that AI user, enabling elevated access. * If running as a dynamic user, role masking can be applied, restricting roles to the approved intersection set. * **Dynamic Role Addition:** Multiple roles can be configured individually in the Agent Access Role Configuration form, stored as separate records in the Agent Access Role Mapping table. This setup allows different Business Units to independently manage role entries for the same AI agent without overlap. ## Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers * To configure role masking, you need Now Assist for Platform version 10.0.2-SS and **snaia.admin** privileges. * Role masking cannot be applied to agentic workflows or AI agents running as AI users. * The approach supports flexible, secure delegation of AI agent capabilities across diverse business units while minimizing risks from excessive privileges. ## Benefits By implementing role masking, ServiceNow customers can ensure AI agents operate with the minimum necessary privileges, reducing security risks from unintended or malicious actions. It also simplifies auditing agent behavior and supports scalable role management tailored to organizational needs. Role masking for AI agents and agentic workflows helps administrators enhance security by limiting the roles those agents use during tool execution, and by verifying that AI agents run with least-access privileges. An AI agent runs tools, queries data, and updates records on behalf of the user who triggered it. Without role masking, the agent inherits all of the triggering user's session roles, which can give the agent more access than its specialty requires. Role masking lets you restrict the AI agent's runtime role set to only the roles needed for the agent's tools and tasks. By limiting the role set, you reduce the effect of any prompt-driven error or misuse, and you make the agent's behavior easier to audit. ## Role masking rules {#role-masking__section_pfn_g2l_pjc} 1. Role masking limits the roles with which an agentic workflow, AI agent or Skill can execute to the intersection between the roles assigned to the invoking user and the roles included in the role masking approved roles list. 2. AI user versus role mask:The AI admin can choose for the component to run as either an AI user or a dynamic user. If set to run as a dynamic user, the AI admin can configure role masking for the component. Role masking can't be configured for agentic workflows or AI agents set to run as AI users. * If an AI user is selected, all roles assigned to the AI user are available to the agentic workflow or AI agent. This can be used to provide elevated access to the agentic workflow AI agent. * If role masking is applied to an agentic workflow, AI agent, or tool running as a dynamic user, the component runs with roles limited to the intersection of the current invoking user's roles and the roles included in the role masking approved roles list. {#role-masking__aia-role-masking_ul_qgr_bql_ghc} {#role-masking__aia-role-masking_ol_z3m_qpl_ghc} To learn more about AI agent role masking, see . ## Prerequisites {#role-masking__section_rtj_c2l_pjc} To configure role masking on your ServiceNow instance, you must have: * Now Assist for Platform version 10.0.2-SS. * The sn_aia.admin privileges. {#role-masking__aia-role-masking_ul_gm3_zml_ghc} ## Dynamic role addition {#role-masking__aia-dynamic-role-masking} You can add multiple roles to an AI agent's role masking configuration as individual records, rather than as a single delimited list. Each role you add through the embedded list on the Agent Access Role Configuration form creates a record in the Agent Access Role Mapping table. Note: Existing records with the `role_list` column continue to operate as expected. All new role configurations are implemented through the `sys_agent_access_role_mapping` table. This design supports the common case where different Business Units can use the same AI agent. The agent is shipped with a minimum set of roles, and each Business Unit can add the specific roles based on their use case. Because each role is a separate record in the table, Business Units can add and remove their own role entries independently, without affecting the role entries owned by other teams. To learn more about the configuration, see [Configure role masking for an AI agent](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/n~9MHbykHHMXM~601jS6PQ "Restrict the roles that an AI agent uses at runtime by creating an Agent Access Role Configuration record that limits the agent to a defined set of roles.").