Show Knowledge Article activity

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Show Knowledge Article Activity

    The Show Knowledge Article activity allows ServiceNow users to display a knowledge article to end users within a playbook. This activity is accessible to users with specific roles such as admin, playbook.admin, or pdauthor, enabling them to configure and add it to a playbook seamlessly.

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    Key Features

    • Inputs: Users can configure various inputs for the activity, including:
      • Label: Title displayed as the activity and playbook card.
      • Description: Information about the activity's usage or outcome.
      • Run Condition: Conditions defined using the Condition Builder that must be met for the activity to run.
      • Start Rule: Choose when the activity or stage should begin, either immediately or after specified activities/stages.
      • Start with Delay: Option to delay the start of the activity or stage.
      • Title: Title shown to end users.
      • Knowledge Article Reference: The specific knowledge article to be displayed.
      • Wait for User Input: Option to pause until the user completes or skips the activity.
    • Advanced Inputs: Additional configurations, such as assigning a group or user responsible for the task, can be set through advanced inputs.
    • Outputs: The activity provides data outputs that can be utilized by other activities in the playbook, including a reference to the associated task record.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing the Show Knowledge Article activity, ServiceNow customers can enhance user engagement by delivering relevant knowledge articles at critical points in their processes. This not only streamlines user interactions but also ensures that necessary information is readily available, ultimately leading to improved operational efficiency and user satisfaction.

    Display a knowledge article to end users.

    Roles and availability

    This activity is available as a common activity. Users with the admin, playbook.admin, or pd_author can add this activity to a playbook.

    Inputs

    Open the activity properties panel and configure your activity to add values for the following inputs. If the input value varies, use the pill-picker to show where to get the value. To learn more about the pill-picker, see Dot-walking examples.
    Input Type Description
    Label String Title to display as activity and playbook card.
    Description String Information to display about activity usage or outcome.
    Run condition Condition Builder Conditions that must be met to run an activity or stage. You can use data from prior activities to build conditions.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Start Rule Choice Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your stage should start running:
    • When process starts: Your stage starts running as soon as the playbook starts.
    • After specific stages: Your stage starts running after specified stage(s) have finished running.
    Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your activity should start running:
    • When stage starts: Your activity starts running as soon as its stage starts running. Your stage starts running when your playbook is triggered.
    • After specific activities: Your activity starts running after specified activities have finished running.
    Start with delay True/False Option to wait for a duration of time before running an activity or stage. When enabled, this input displays the Start with delay input properties.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Title String Title displayed to end users.
    Knowledge Article Reference.Knowledge [kb_knowledge] Knowledge article displayed to end users.
    Wait for user input Choice Option to pause the playbook until the end user manually completes or skips the activity. Only users with the playbook.admin role can edit this field. By default, the activity waits for user action or data before it completes.

    Advanced inputs

    After configuring the required inputs for your activity, you can also choose to configure additional inputs. In the side panel, select Show additional options to display these advanced inputs. For more information, see Activity experience.
    Input Type Description
    Assignment Group Reference.Group [sys_user_group] Group responsible for completing the task associated with the activity.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Assigned To Reference.User [sys_user] User responsible for completing the task associated with the activity.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.

    Outputs

    These outputs can provide data to other activities in your playbook. You can access this data as activity inputs when you configure your activity:
    Output Type Description
    Record Reference.Task[task] Reference to the record associated with the activity.