Combined Playbooks in Workflow Studio release notes for upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated August 11, 2026
  • 7 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Combined Playbooks in Workflow Studio Release Notes for Upgrades from Yokohama to Zurich

    This consolidated guide provides ServiceNow customers with essential information about upgrading Playbooks in Workflow Studio from the Yokohama release to the Zurich release. It includes pre- and post-upgrade tasks, new features, changes, deprecations, and important considerations for a smooth transition and optimal use of Playbooks in Workflow Studio.

    Show full answer Show less

    Important Upgrade Instructions

    • After upgrading to Yokohama or Zurich, update the Workflow Studio application by downloading the latest version from the ServiceNow Store to access new features and fixes.
    • Workflow Studio is part of the ServiceNow AI Platform and requires the Now Assist for Creator application to utilize playbook generation features.

    New Features Introduced (Yokohama to Zurich)

    • Yokohama Highlights:
      • Custom translations for playbook labels, descriptions, and UI layouts.
      • Ability to restart playbook activities that end in error.
      • Support for Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to generate playbooks from references to custom actions, flows, subflows, spokes, or activity definitions.
      • Playbook generation using OpenAI GPT-4o large language model (LLM).
      • Enhanced Create Task activity with additional configurable fields.
      • Ability to create checklists directly in Workflow Studio without templates.
    • Zurich Highlights:
      • Set child variants to evaluate after a specific activity instead of immediately after the trigger.
      • Agentic Playbooks that enable AI agents to assist users during runtime activities.
      • Fine-grained permissions for playbook authors and runtime users controlling creation, editing, viewing, restarting, and work completion.
      • Add decision branches between stages to control flow based on runtime conditions.
      • Configure multiple triggers or schedule playbook execution.
      • Choose from multiple LLMs (NowLLM, OpenAI ChatGPT4-o, Gemini, Claude) for playbook generation and recommendations.
      • Route users dynamically to stages based on trigger records or user input.

    Changes to Existing Features

    • Yokohama enabled editing triggers in duplicated playbooks and variants.
    • Zurich introduced the ability to activate playbooks without triggers, allowing programmatic triggering only.
    • Playbooks can be called via scriptable API with input objects instead of trigger record references.
    • Decision activity usability improvements, including enhanced navigation in Board and Diagram views and support for parallel activities within decision branches.
    • Rich text/HTML editors now support combined text and multiple pills in email bodies.

    Deprecations

    • Old Create Task and Checklist activities continue to function but lack new configurable fields and direct checklist editing in Workflow Studio, respectively.
    • The now.assist.creator role is noted for activation management purposes.

    Additional Requirements and Considerations

    • Download the latest Workflow Studio app from the ServiceNow Store to utilize all new features introduced in Zurich.
    • No specific browser updates were noted for this upgrade.
    • Accessibility improvements include keyboard navigation for stages and activities in Diagram view and always visible action bars.
    • OpenAI LLM-based playbook generation is not available in the APAC region in either Yokohama or Zurich releases.

    Key Outcomes for ServiceNow Customers

    • Improved flexibility and control over playbook execution with multiple triggers, scheduling, and conditional branching.
    • Enhanced collaboration and security with granular permissions for authors and runtime users.
    • Greater automation capabilities through AI agents assisting during playbook runtime.
    • More powerful playbook creation and generation using advanced LLMs and RAG techniques, improving automation design efficiency.
    • Better usability and accessibility to streamline playbook management and runtime experience.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for Playbooks in Workflow Studio from Yokohama to Zurich.

    How to use this page

    To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family Playbooks in Workflow Studio release notes onto one page. Read this summary of the new features, changes, and updated information for your product from Yokohama to Zurich.

    Tip:
    If there were no updates for a release notes section in a certain family release, we included a short note for your reference. For example, if a product did not have any updates in Tokyo, the row says "No updates for this release."

    Important information for upgrading Playbooks in Workflow Studio to Zurich

    Before you upgrade to Zurich, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    After you upgrade to Yokohama, update the Workflow Studio application in the ServiceNow Store.

    Zurich

    After you upgrade to Zurich, update the Workflow Studio application in the ServiceNow Store.

    New features

    Between your current release family and Zurich, new features were introduced for Playbooks in Workflow Studio.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Translate playbooks content
    Add custom translations for labels, descriptions, and UI Layout properties in your playbooks.
    Restart playbook activities that end in error
    Configure activities so that end users can restart any activity that ends in an error.
    Support for Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with playbook generation
    Generate playbooks from inputs that refer to custom actions, flows, subflows, content from installed spokes, or activity definitions. Include the names of commonly used and recently published actions, subflows, flows, and activity definitions available on your instance in your playbook generation requests.
    Generate playbooks with the OpenAI GPT-4o LLM
    Use the OpenAI GPT-4o LLM to generate a playbook from text.
    Add more fields in Create Task activities
    Add more fields in a more configurable Create Task activity.
    Create a checklist directly in Workflow Studio
    Create a checklist directly in the side panel without needing a checklist template.

    Zurich
    Set child variants to evaluate later in a playbook
    Instead of evaluating immediately after the trigger, set a playbook's child variants to be evaluated after a specific activity in the playbook.
    Agentic Playbooks
    Enable AI agents to assist users with activities during runtime.
    Add permissions for playbook authors
    Control which playbook authors can create, edit, and view playbooks in Workflow Studio
    Add permissions for runtime users
    Control whether runtime users can view a playbook, add optional activities, restart a playbook, and complete work within specific stages.
    Create decision branches for stages
    Add a decision node between stages to determine which stage to run next, based on runtime conditions.
    Set multiple triggers
    Configure a playbook to run based on any one of multiple triggers.
    Schedule when a playbook should trigger
    Configure a playbook to run based on a schedule.
    Choose your LLM for playbook generation and recommendations
    Choose between NowLLM, OpenAI ChatGPT4-o, Gemini, Claude for playbook generation and recommendations.
    Route users to stages based on decisions
    Send runtime users to a stage based off of the trigger record or input that users provide.
    Yokohama 27.2 and 27.3 releases
    See 27.2 and 27.3 features in the Yokohama Playbooks release notes:

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some changes were made to existing Playbooks in Workflow Studio features.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    Change triggers in any playbook
    Edit triggers when you duplicate a playbook, in a variant, etc.

    Zurich
    Activate playbooks without a trigger
    Configure and activate playbooks without specifying triggers, so that playbooks are only triggered programmatically.
    Implement playbooks that are callable by a scriptable API
    Configure a playbook that executes with an input object instead of requiring the configuration of a trigger record reference and trigger conditions.
    Decision activity enhancements
    User experience improvements to decision activities:
    • In the Board view, select the branch or Start rule icon on a decision activity card to see a list of dependent activities and branches, and to navigate to them.
    • When a decision or one of its branch nodes is selected in Diagram view, the decision and all of its branches are selected, and the side panel opens.
    • Add parallel activities within decision branches.
    Enter a combination of pills and text in an email body
    Enter a combination of text and multiple pills in any rich text / HTML editor container, such as an email body.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some Playbooks in Workflow Studio features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Zurich, some Playbooks in Workflow Studio features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    • If you have the old Create Task activity in your existing playbooks, it will continue to function. You just can't add the extra fields that are available only in the new Create Task activity.
    • If you have the old Checklist activity in your existing playbooks, it will continue to function. You just won't be able to update the checklist directly in Workflow Studio the way that you can with the new Checklist activity.

    Zurich
    • now.assist.creator role

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate Playbooks in Workflow Studio.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    The application comes with the application can be downloaded for patch fixes.Workflow Studio ServiceNow Store app. Workflow Studio is part of the ServiceNow AI Platform® and is available by default. Get the latest Workflow Studio features by downloading the latest Workflow Studio app in the ServiceNow Store, as well as related applications like the Process Automation Content and Process Automation Experience Demo applications. The

    To use the playbook generation feature in Workflow Studio, download the Now Assist for Creator application.

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Zurich

    The application comes with the application can be downloaded for patch fixes.Workflow Studio ServiceNow Store app. Workflow Studio is part of the ServiceNow AI Platform® and is available by default. Get the latest Workflow Studio features by downloading the latest Workflow Studio app in the ServiceNow Store, as well as related applications like the Process Automation Content and Process Automation Experience Demo applications. The

    To use the playbook generation feature in Workflow Studio, download the Now Assist for Creator application.

    Visit the ServiceNow Store website to view all the available apps and for information about submitting requests to the store. For cumulative release notes information for all released apps, see the ServiceNow Store version history release notes.

    Additional requirements

    If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for Playbooks in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    Download the latest Workflow Studio app in the ServiceNow Store to access the newest features.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Playbooks in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    		 No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for Playbooks in Workflow Studio, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    		 No updates for this release.

    Zurich

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for Playbooks in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama

    Using OpenAI LLMs for playbook generation is not available in the APAC region.

    Zurich

    Using OpenAI LLMs for playbook generation is not available in the APAC region.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for Playbooks in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Yokohama
    • Add custom translations for playbooks.
    • Restart playbook activities that have ended in error.
    • Create a checklist directly in the side panel without needing a checklist template.
    • Generate a playbook via API in other ServiceNow applications such as IT Operations Management (ITOM).
    • Generate playbooks from inputs that refer to active actions, flows, subflows, content from installed spokes, or activity definitions.

    See Exploring playbooks for more information.

    Zurich
    • Add permissions for playbook authors and runtime users.
    • Activate a playbook without a trigger. Set multiple potential triggers for a playbook, or trigger a playbook on a schedule.
    • Enable AI agents to complete activities without human intervention during runtime.
    • Set child variants to evaluate later in a playbook.
    • Create decision branches for stages.

    See Playbooks for more information.