Context inputs in Recommended Actions

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Context inputs in Recommended Actions

    Context inputs in Recommended Actions allow ServiceNow customers to dynamically associate additional data entities beyond the primary context table with a context. This capability ensures that recommendations adapt in real time as the context evolves, improving the relevance and operational efficiency of recommendations. Context inputs are JSON-based and can include user selections, records from other tables, and more, supporting multiple active contexts simultaneously.

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    Key Features

    • Creation and Management: Customers create context inputs from the Context inputs related list on the Context form. Multiple active context inputs can be configured per context, except when a parent context is already defined.
    • Supported Data Types: String, List, Integer, Long, Choice, True/False, Reference, Reference dot walked, Sys ID.
    • Integration Points: Context inputs can be mapped to:
      • Default search terms in Contextual AI Search Config on the Context form
      • Rules conditions in the Rules form
      • Fields in the Action inputs section on the Recommendations form
      • Fields in the Generator inputs section on Resource Generators form
    • UI Integration: The JSON format of active context inputs must be added to the Recommended Actions UI Builder (UIB) component on relevant record pages to pass the context input values dynamically. This JSON can be copied via the Copy input JSON button on the Context input related list.

    Practical Considerations and Limitations

    • If a context input is set as mandatory, failing to configure it in the Recommended Actions UIB component will prevent recommendations from generating.
    • Contexts cannot have both a parent context and context inputs defined simultaneously. To add context inputs to a context with a parent, the parent context must be removed.
    • Defining context inputs on a parent context breaks the parent-child relationship, causing inherited rules and recommendations to be removed from child contexts.
    • When context inputs are deleted or deactivated after UI configuration, the system passes empty values in subsequent iterations.

    Key Outcomes

    By leveraging context inputs, ServiceNow customers can enhance the precision and responsiveness of Recommended Actions by incorporating additional dynamic data sources. This leads to more accurate, context-aware recommendations that evolve with user interactions and business conditions, ultimately improving decision support and operational workflows.

    A context input enables you to associate entities beyond just the context table with a context ensuring that recommendations are updated dynamically as the context evolves.

    You can create a context input from the Context inputs related list in the Context form. These dynamic JSON-based context inputs enable you to include real-time updates such as user selections, additional table records, and so on, to refine recommendations and support multiple active contexts. This enhances recommendation relevance and operational efficiency. For example, you can create a context input for the Incident table and use in the Case context record.
    Note:
    You can create multiple active context inputs for a context.
    The following data types are supported for a context input:
    • String
    • List
    • Integer
    • Long
    • Choice
    • True- false
    • Reference
    • Reference dot walked
    • Sys id

    Configuring a context using a context input

    Configuring a context using context inputs includes the following steps:
    • Creating a context input. For more information on how to create a context input, see Create a context input in Recommended Actions.
      Note:
      • If a context has a parent context defined, you can’t create context inputs for it.
      • You can have multiple active context inputs simultaneously.
    • Mapping the context input to the following according to your requirement:
      • default search term by adding it in the Contextual AI Search Config section on Context form.
      • rules by using it in the condition builder on Rules form.
      • recommendations by adding it in fields of the Action inputs section on Recommendations form.
      • resource generators by adding it in the fields of Generator inputs section on Resource Generators form.
    • Adding the JSON-format of the context inputs to the Recommended Actions component for the required record pages in the UI Builder. For more information, see Configuring Recommended Actions UIB component for context inputs.

    The context inputs appear along with the context table in the appropriate fields of Rule, Recommendation and Resource generator forms so that you can include the data other than that of the context table to update the recommendations.

    Configuring Recommended Actions UIB component for context inputs

    As an RA author or admin, you must add the JSON-format of the context inputs in the Context input field of Recommended Actions UIB component of a record page to pass the values. You can get the JSON-format of the context input by selecting the Copy input JSON button on the Context input related list in the Context form. The JSON-format includes all the active context inputs. When a context input is deleted or deactivated after configuring the Recommended Actions UIB component, an empty value is passed for these context inputs in UIB from the upcoming iterations.

    Note:
    If you set a context input as mandatory in the Context input form and fail to set contextual inputs on Recommended Actions component of the record page in the UIB, the recommendations are not be generated.

    Context Input configuration limitations

    The limitations for context inputs configuration are as follows:
    • You can either define a parent context or configure context inputs for a context.
    • When context inputs are defined for a parent content, then it's rules and recommendations cannot be inherited by its child contexts. In other words, the parent context does not appear in the Parent context field of the Child context.
    • To define context inputs for a context which has a parent context defined already, delete the parent context in the Parent context field so that the Context inputs related list appears. And in the Context inputs related list, select the New button to create context inputs.
    • When a context input is defined for a parent context which has a child context associated, then the parent-child context link is broken. In the child context, the inherited rules and recommendations will be removed from the Inherited Rules and Recommendations related list respectively.