--- sourceDocument: Australia Enable AI sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/intelligent-experiences Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Enable AI ft:clusterId : - platai bundleId : - platai workflow : - Platform --- # Integrating external AI agents # Integrating external AI agents {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated November 18, 2025 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 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 Integrating external AI agents ServiceNow enables integration and configuration of external AI agents with its agentic AI system using the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol. This integration allows external AI agents to participate in agentic workflows created in the AI Agent Studio, expanding automation and AI capabilities within the ServiceNow platform. Show full answer Show less ## Key Features * **External AI Agent Discovery:** Via AI Agent Studio's Settings, customers can enable discoverability to allow ServiceNow to access external AI agents and conversely enable third-party systems to access ServiceNow AI agents. * **Agent Connection Setup:** Creating an external AI agent requires a Connection \& Credential alias record linking to the AI provider. Additional role and instruction details can be added to provide context, helping the AI Agent Orchestrator intelligently select agents during workflows. * **Contextual Data Access:** Customers can enable toggles for short-term memory (current interaction), long-term memory (past interactions), and knowledge graph usage. These improve AI agent responses by allowing agents to remember preferences and use structured/unstructured data from the ServiceNow AI Platform. * **Agent2Agent (A2A) Protocol:** An open standard (version 0.3 supported) that enables AI agents across platforms (ServiceNow, Azure, Google, etc.) to communicate via standardized JSON "Agent Cards" and execution endpoints, allowing coordinated execution tracking. * **Authentication Configuration:** A2A connections require authorization with two Connection \& Credential Alias and Connection records---one for the Agent Card endpoint and one for the execution endpoint---to securely enable communication. * **Custom HTTP Headers:** When configuring external agents, customers can specify custom headers in JSON format to be included in API calls during offline execution. This supports passing additional metadata required by external APIs and applies to Premium Chat experiences. * **Configuration Properties:** Properties such as `snaia.externalagents.enabled` and `snaia.externalagents.parallelconversations.enabled` allow enabling external agent features and managing multiple simultaneous conversations per user. ## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers * Seamlessly extend ServiceNow AI workflows by incorporating external AI agents, increasing automation flexibility. * Control discoverability and access permissions to securely integrate external and internal AI agents. * Enhance AI agent intelligence with contextual data memory and knowledge graph integration for richer responses. * Use a standardized protocol (A2A) to ensure interoperability across multiple AI platforms. * Configure authentication and custom headers to meet security and integration requirements of external AI providers. * Manage agent conversations and execution tracking centrally within ServiceNow's AI Platform. Integrate and configure external agents with the ServiceNow agentic AI system using Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol integration to use in agentic workflows created in the AI Agent Studio. ## External agent discovery on the ServiceNow AI Platform You can enable external AI agents on the AI Agent Studio via the Settings page. Navigate to AI Agent StudioSettingsExternal AI agentsDiscoverability. * Allow ServiceNow to access External AI agents: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents integration with the ServiceNow agentic AI system using the A2A protocol. * Allow third party to access ServiceNow AI agents: Turn on the toggle to enables integrating ServiceNow AI agents into external agentic AI systems. {#external-agent-protocols__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 about which agent to use. ## Contextual data access for external agents on the ServiceNow AI Platform {#external-agent-protocols__section_rzd_qgj_4hc} Enable contextual data access for external agents to improve AI agent response during execution. * Short-term memory: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents remember your preferences or facts from the current interaction only. * Long-term memory: Turn on the toggle to enable external AI agents remember your preferences or facts from previous interaction. * 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. {#external-agent-protocols__ul_ngx_43j_4hc} ## Agent2Agent protocol overview Agent2Agent (A2A) is an open standard that enables AI agents across different platforms to communicate with each other. The standard relies on every AI agent having an Agent Card associated with it that provides basic information for providers like the ServiceNow AI Platform, Azure, and Google to use them. Version 0.3 of A2A is supported. An AI agent's Agent Card uses standardized JSON to help different providers understand its capabilities. The Agent Card is accessed by a specific type of endpoint from a provider's server. Execution plans are communicated through an execution endpoint so that both the provider's server and the ServiceNow AI Platform can track what the external AI agent is doing. See [Create an external AI agent with the Agent2Agent protocol](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/3tEh_hR4puJcXfs6tRWLiQ "Create external AI agents in AI Agent Studio to connect the ServiceNow AI Platform with third-party agentic AI providers.") for instructions for using this protocol to create an AI agent. ## Configuring A2A authentication A2A connections require authorization from the source platform to execute on the ServiceNow AI Platform. Authentication is established by creating two Connection \& Credential Alias and Connection records, one with an Agent Card endpoint and another with an execution endpoint. ## Custom Headers for External Agent Configuration {#external-agent-protocols__custom-headers-external-agent-config} When configuring external agents, you can pass custom HTTP headers to be included in the API calls to external endpoints. In the External Agent Configuration \[sn_aia_external_agent_configuration\] table, use the custom headers column to specify headers in JSON format. These headers are applied to all HTTP requests made by that agent during offline execution, regardless of the connection type (OAuth, API Key, or other). The configured headers are sent alongside the agent's authentication credentials and are useful for passing additional metadata or requirements that your external API expects. Note: Custom headers apply only to the Premium Chat experience. ## Configuration Properties The following properties configure different aspects of how your agents can interact with the ServiceNow AI Platform. {#external-agent-protocols__entry__2} | Name | Description | |-|-| | sn_aia.external_agents.enabled | Set to true to enable external agent features | | sn_aia.external_agents.parallel_conversations.enabled | Enables or disables multiple simultaneous conversations per user | [Table 1. External AI agent properties] *[\>]: and then