---
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


---

# Activate a skill

# Activate a skill {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated April 21, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read  
After you publish a skill, a Otto admin must activate it in AI Admin Hub. Activating the skill makes it available for users to trigger within the platform.

## Before you begin

Role required: admin

## About this task

Published custom skills appear in AI Admin Hub under the ServiceNow Otto Skills tab. Skills are organized in the left sidebar by the Workflow value selected during deployment settings
configuration. Within each workflow category, skills are grouped by Product. Custom skills that use Other as their workflow value appear under Other at the
bottom of the sidebar.

A published skill appears on the Available tab with a Not started state badge until it is activated. After activation it moves to the Active tab.  
Important:  
Make sure you are in the correct application scope before you activate the skill. To learn more about application scopes, see [Application scope](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=c_ApplicationScope&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US).

Some skills might need to be reviewed and approved by a data steward before you can activate them.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to AllNow Assist Admin.
2. Select the ServiceNow Otto Skills tab.
3. In the sidebar, select the workflow category that matches the Workflow value you configured in the skill's deployment settings.  
   If you selected Other as the workflow value, select Other at the bottom of the sidebar.
4. Select the Available tab and find your custom skill.  
   Custom skills are identified by the Custom badge on their skill card.
5. Select Activate skill.  
   Activating a custom skill opens a three-step wizard.
6. On the first step, configure any skill-specific input parameters and select Save and continue.  
   The fields shown depend on the inputs configured for the skill. This step allows the admin to set default values for the skill's inputs before it goes live.
7. On the Define access step, review or update the access control list (ACL) and role restrictions, then select Save and continue.  
   The ACL determines which users can invoke the skill. The ACL configured here reflects the user access settings defined when the skill was created or last edited in AI Skill Kit. To learn more about skill ACLs and role restrictions, see .
8. On the Review and activate step, review the configuration and select Activate.

## What to do next

After activation, the skill moves to the Active tab in AI Admin Hub. Users can now trigger the skill from the deployment locations you configured in the skill's deployment settings.

You can enable AI Guardian for your skills. To learn more about AI Guardian, see [AI Guardian](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-guardian&version=australia&pubname=australia-platform-security&ft:locale=en-US).
**Related tasks**   

* [Create a skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/LKwxb28v59W_28ULmgLTkg "Create a custom skill for Otto. Creating a custom skill enables you to have greater flexibility with Otto's generative AI capabilities.")
* [Create a prompt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9Sb9G2tHYaTxJEgUaEZX0g "After you create a custom skill, create a prompt. Creating a prompt enables you to choose what skill inputs to use, as well as the type of tool.")
* [Use prompt assistance](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/BKzZKeozPhhC_WEW8cl03A "Use prompt assistance to get a jump start with your prompt development by selecting an example from the prompt library or using ServiceNow Otto to generate one.")
* [Test a prompt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/iFT3SY_7Wm85oXlh0N7ndg "After you create a prompt for your custom skill, test the prompt template before you finalize it. Testing the prompt verifies that you’re seeing the expected prompt results before it’s activated.")
* [Evaluate a prompt](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/seUSWWx6xYOAQ3Duff4jig "Use the AI Skill Kit evaluation tools to evaluate the effectiveness of your skill prompts.")
* [Finalize and publish a skill](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/BJGUHiV2QSMt_6N4aFfrcQ "When you’re satisfied with your prompt, you can publish your custom skill. Publishing the skill enables a Otto admin to activate it.")
* [Call a custom skill from a script](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RSN7scujo7MlEPTcQuVkdA "You can use a script to call a custom skill.")

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