Scan Engine release notes

  • Release version: Store
  • Updated June 11, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Scan Engine release notes

    The ServiceNow Scan Engine application automates enforcement of recommended practices, manages technical debt, and optimizes workflows within ServiceNow environments. It integrates directly into the development lifecycle, enabling administrators and developers to identify, remediate, and track issues through real-time, on-demand, and scheduled scans. This continuous scanning approach helps maintain platform health and compliance by preventing non-compliant changes before production deployment and providing intelligent fix suggestions.

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    Key Features

    • Real-Time Prevention Messaging Redesign (v3.0.4): Enhanced developer experience with a clearer, severity-organized side panel displaying Act, Recommend, and Suggest level issues, alongside exception requests and resolution confirmations.
    • Parallel Bulk Remediation Processing: The Remediation Agent processes multiple batches simultaneously with an event-driven queue, improving efficiency and automatically clearing stuck batches after six hours.
    • Analytics Dashboard Improvements: Interactive donut charts allow drilling into specific findings, heatmap accessibility enhancements, and near real-time data refresh with status updates for better visibility.
    • Scan Engine Backend Updates: Each flagged finding now requires an individual exception reason, with in-context tooltips explaining severity levels, improving governance and clarity.
    • Scan Initiation Enhancements (v2.0.3): Scans can be run directly from the Scan Results list view, supporting delta and full scans with improved UI action behavior and messaging.
    • Live Scan on Form Load: Passive enforcement mode enables real-time findings generation on record load without interrupting developers during data entry.
    • Exception Management: Exception reasons can be created directly from findings, and exceptions created during remediation reliably link to their originating findings for accurate reporting.

    Fixes and Improvements

    • Resolved synchronization issues with email notifications and Jira story/task integration to ensure accurate data transfer and descriptions.
    • Corrected exception counts and views for accurate governance totals and reporting.
    • Enhanced scan status visibility with additional logging and feedback during scan processes.
    • Migrated legacy workflows to Flow-based implementations for improved platform alignment.
    • Fixed scan definition logic to prevent loss of findings and ensure metadata accuracy.

    Important Considerations

    • Out-of-box scanning is no longer configurable by customers to prevent scanning of partner/store application records that cannot be acted upon.
    • Each flagged finding requires an exception reason to avoid ignored issues and ensure proper governance.
    • Exception submission is blocked if conflicting Act-level and Recommend-level findings exist, maintaining policy integrity.

    What to Expect

    ServiceNow customers using the Scan Engine can expect a more streamlined and informative interface for managing code compliance and remediation. The engine’s enhanced processing capabilities and real-time analytics facilitate efficient issue resolution and governance. By integrating scans into the development lifecycle and offering improved exception handling, customers can better maintain platform quality and reduce technical debt proactively.

    Version history for the ServiceNow® Scan Engine application on the ServiceNow Store.

    Important:
    For details on system requirements and family compatibility, view the application listing on the ServiceNow Store website.

    Version history

    Version 3.0.4 - June 2026
    • What's New Starting June 11th:
      • Real-Time Prevention Messaging Redesign — When the scan engine catches a problem in your code, developers now see a cleaner, easier-to-read breakdown of what needs attention. Issues are organized by severity — Act, Recommend, and Suggest — in a persistent side panel with improved contrast and reduced scrolling. Exception requests appear right next to the relevant finding, and developers get a clear confirmation once something is resolved.
      • Parallel Bulk Remediation Processing — The Remediation Agent now handles multiple batches at the same time using an event-driven queue, so a large or slow batch no longer holds up everything else. A built-in safeguard automatically clears out any batch that gets stuck for more than six hours, keeping things moving without manual intervention.
      • Analytics Dashboard — You can now click any segment of the donut chart to drill into the findings behind it. The heatmap has been updated to meet accessibility standards, making results easier to read for everyone. Dashboard data now refreshes in near real-time, with status updates so you always know where things stand.
      • Scan Engine Backend — Each flagged finding in an update set now requires its own exception reason, so nothing is ignored. A new tooltip on the Level of Finding field explains what Act, Recommend, Suggest, and Review each mean — right in context, without needing to look it up.
    Version 2.1.0 - April 2026
    Fixed: Fixed an issue where definition synchronization failed when email notifications required additional permissions.
    Version 2.0.3 - March 2026
    • New:
      • Run scans directly from the Scan Results list view using UI actions. You can now trigger delta scans using Initiate Scan and start a full scan using Force Full Scan (including cancelling an in-progress delta scan to immediately begin a full scan).
      • Scan Engine will now perform a Live Scan on any Record (sys_metadata) during load of Form View. This means that Findings are immediately created in real-time. This “Passive Enforcement” mode allows the Real-Time Validation to be set to False so that Developers are not interrupted on Insert / Update of records, but when the Form View loads, a Scan is performed and Findings are generated.
      • Creates exception reasons directly from findings (without needing to navigate to the underlying scanned record).
    • Changed:
      • Improved scan initiation behavior and visibility for scan UI actions. Updated behavior around when scan buttons appear and how scan initiation messaging behaves on the Scan      Results page.
      • Out-of-box (OOTB) scanning is no longer customer-configurable. This change prevents Scan Engine from scanning partner/store application records and surfacing findings that customers can’t act on.
      • Additional logging information has been added to the Scan Status page. This provides additional feedback to indicate where the current scan is within the process of loading application files.
    • Fixed:
      • Resolved issues where story/task details and links from a source instance were not fully syncing to the target (production) instance.
      • Fixed cases where newly created Jira stories/tasks could have a blank short description.
      • Corrected Exclude Approved Exception counts so governance totals reflect expected values.
      • Fixed discrepancies in exception views where definitions and line numbers were incorrect.
      • Ensured exceptions created during remediation are reliably linked to their originating findings for accurate governance and reporting.
    • Removed:
      • Removed the property that allowed enabling out-of-box scanning.
      • The related setting is set to false (off) for any customer instances where it had previously been enabled.
    Version 1.1.1 - February 2026
    • Fixed:
      • Scan Engine & Definition Fixes
        • Fixed Scan Engine definition logic and prefixing issues that caused incorrect findings.
        • Prevented loss of findings from previous full and delta scans.
        • Improved scan messaging and metadata accuracy.
      • Findings & Validation
        • Blocked exception submission when conflicting Act-level and Recommend-level findings exist.
        • Fixed incorrect “All findings resolved” messaging on scan errors.
      • UI & Platform Improvements
        • Resolved Scan Status, dashboard data mismatch, and formatting issues.
        • Migrated legacy Scan Engine workflows to Flow-based implementations.
    Version 1.0.4 - December 2025
    The Scan Engine is a ServiceNow application designed to automate recommended practice enforcement, manage technical debt, and optimize workflows across ServiceNow environments. It enables administrators and developers to proactively identify, remediate, and track issues through real‑time, on‑demand, and scheduled scans, ensuring continuous improvement in platform health and compliance. Integrated directly into the development lifecycle, it provides real‑time checks within App Engine Studio and script editors to prevent non‑compliant changes before they reach production, while offering intelligent fix suggestions to accelerate resolution.