Combined Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Yokohama

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated July 20, 2026
  • 9 minutes to read
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    Summary of Combined Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Yokohama

    This consolidated release notes page provides ServiceNow customers with comprehensive information on new features, changes, removals, and important upgrade tasks for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio from the Xanadu release family through to Yokohama. It is designed to assist you in preparing for and executing your upgrade effectively while understanding the enhancements and modifications introduced between these releases.

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    Important Upgrade Information

    • After upgrading from Xanadu, users with the fdreadoperations role will have restricted access to execution details to protect sensitive data. To grant full read access, assign the new fdreadoperationsall role.
    • No updates specifically related to upgrade tasks were introduced in the Yokohama release.

    Key Features Introduced

    Xanadu and Xanadu Patches

    • Automatic generation of data pill values for flow triggers and action inputs during flow creation.
    • Ability to run Workflow Studio actions and subflows directly from Now Assist conversations and configure these within both Workflow Studio and Virtual Agent Designer.
    • Enhanced flow generation with annotations showing how text directions map to actions, subflows, and flow logic.
    • Use of hash tags (#) to reference specific tables during flow generation with autocomplete support.
    • Control user access to execution details via roles to protect sensitive information.
    • Capability to sign and validate flows, subflows, and actions to ensure integrity.

    Yokohama and Yokohama Patches

    • Create and edit flows within Now Assist for app generation, including enhancing existing applications by adding flows.
    • Invoke published Now Assist skills from actions, with input/output mappings configurable in Workflow Studio.
    • Check conversational compatibility for actions and subflows, including validation of input data types.
    • Create flows or subflows from attached images using Now Assist, enabling visual process capture and automatic flow preview generation.
    • Display natural language descriptions of data used by flow components to improve understanding without needing to open configuration details.
    • Use generative AI to generate skill and input descriptions for conversational actions and subflows, set or hide default input values to control end-user experience in conversations.
    • Support for additional conversational input data types such as Dynamic Choice and Array of Objects.
    • Receive automation type recommendations (playbook, flow, subflow, action, or data stream) based on answers about your automation needs.
    • Debug flows and subflows via a dedicated tab with breakpoint and step-through capabilities.
    • Save flow trigger definitions for reuse across multiple flows with configurable visibility and condition editing options.
    • Pause flows waiting for specific messages via the Flow API, with timeout options to resume flows automatically.
    • Improved accessibility with enhanced ARIA labels, keyboard navigation, and support for zooming canvas headers and footers up to 400% without loss of content or functionality.

    Changes and Removals

    • Flow generation now configures action and flow logic inputs automatically by using data pills based on text directions (introduced in Xanadu).
    • Removal of the system property com.snc.processflow.reporting.iteration.lastn for loop iteration reporting; replaced by flow execution settings records.
    • Removal of the user preference that included draft actions in action lists; custom actions must be published to appear during flow design.
    • No additional removals or deprecations were introduced in Yokohama.

    Activation and Additional Requirements

    • Workflow Studio remains a default active feature of the ServiceNow AI Platform in both Xanadu and Yokohama.
    • No additional browser, localization, or accessibility requirements beyond those noted were introduced.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enhanced security and control over execution detail visibility help maintain data confidentiality during flow execution monitoring.
    • Improved integration with Now Assist enables more seamless automation creation and conversational interface integration.
    • Generative AI-powered descriptions and summaries reduce manual documentation effort and improve flow understandability.
    • Visual flow creation from images and enhanced debugging tools accelerate development and troubleshooting.
    • Reusable flow triggers and pause/resume flow capabilities increase flexibility and modularity in automation design.
    • Accessibility improvements ensure better usability for diverse user needs, including those requiring assistive technologies.

    Consolidated page of all release notes for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio from Xanadu to Yokohama.

    How to use this page

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

    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 Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio to Yokohama

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

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    After upgrading, users who previously had the fd_read_operations role will now see only basic execution details such as the run state and duration. This restriction prevents users with this role from seeing sensitive information in execution details. To provide read access to all execution details such as input configuration and runtime values, grant the user the new role fd_read_operations_all.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    New features

    Between your current release family and Yokohama, new features were introduced for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    Xanadu Patch 3
    Generate data pill values during flow generation
    Generate appropriate data pill values for supported flow triggers and action inputs.
    Run an action from a conversation
    Run a Workflow Studio action from a Now Assist conversation. Create and configure the conversational action from Workflow Studio. View and edit conversational actions within Virtual Agent Designer.
    Run a subflow from a conversation
    Run a Workflow Studio subflow from a Now Assist conversation. Create and configure the conversational skill from Workflow Studio. View and edit conversational subflows within Virtual Agent Designer.
    Reference specific tables with hash tags during flow generation
    Enter a hash tag character in the flow directions to refer to a specific table by name. Use auto-complete to select a table name from the options that match your partial entry.
    Xanadu Patch 1
    Show annotations of the text directions used by flow generation
    Show annotations of the text directions used for each item added by flow generation. Receive feedback about how your directions map to specific actions, flow logic, and subflows.
    Xanadu family release
    Control what users with read access can see in execution details
    Grant a user role to control what users with read access can see in execution details. To limit read access to basic execution details only, grant a user the existing fd_read_operations role. To allow read access to all execution details, grant a user the new fd_read_operations_all role.
    Sign flows, subflows, and actions
    Sign and validate any flow, subflow, or action.

    Yokohama

    Yokohama Patch 3
    Add and edit flows in Now Assist for app generation
    Create a flow when creating an application in Now Assist for app generation. Enhance an existing application by adding a flow.
    Call a Now Assist skill from an action
    Run a published Now Assist skill from an action. Configure the Now Assist skill inputs and skill outputs from the step inputs and step outputs.
    Check for conversational compatible actions
    Run a compatibility check on new or all actions to determine if they are conversational compatible. Review the inputs of an action to determine if their data types are compatible.
    Check for conversational compatible subflows
    Run a compatibility check on new or all subflows to determine if they are conversation compatible. Review the inputs of a subflow to determine if their data types are compatible.
    Create a flow or subflow from an image
    Create a flow or a subflow from an image by using Now Assist. Capture the detailed process in an image and attach the image to Workflow Studio. Now Assist generates a preview of the flow that you can modify and regenerate.
    Display text descriptions of the data used by actions and flow logic
    See a natural language description of the data each component of a flow uses. Understand what data flow triggers, actions, and flow logic blocks use without having to open their configuration details.
    Generate skill and input descriptions for conversational actions
    Configure conversational settings for conversational actions by generating skill and input descriptions with generative AI.
    Generate skill and input descriptions for conversational subflows
    Configure conversational settings for conversational subflows by generating skill and input descriptions with generative AI.
    Set default values for action inputs
    Set a default value for a conversational action input. Hide action inputs that have a default value if you don't want users to change the input value in a conversation.
    Set default values for subflow inputs
    Set a default value for a conversational subflow input. Hide subflow inputs that have a default value if you don't want users to change the input value in a conversation.
    Summarize a flow or subflow
    Summarize what a flow or subflow does by using generative AI.
    Support additional input data types for conversational actions
    Support conversational actions that have Dynamic Choice and Array of Objects input types.
    Support additional input data types for conversational subflows
    Support conversational subflows that have Dynamic Choice and Array of Objects input types.
    Create the recommended automation type
    Answer a few questions about your automation and Workflow Studio displays recommendations on whether you should create a playbook, flow, subflow, action, or a data stream.
    Yokohama Patch 1
    Configure conversational settings
    View the subflows and actions that are conversational compatible. Configure conversational settings to make a subflow or action available to conversational interfaces.
    Yokohama Early Availability
    Debug flows and subflows
    Debug flows and subflows from a dedicated Workflow Studio tab. Set breakpoints and step through a paused flow to review configuration and runtime values.
    Save a flow trigger for reuse in other flows
    Save a set of trigger definitions as a reusable trigger. Enable flow authors to select the saved trigger from some or all application flows. Specify whether flow authors can see the trigger details or add conditions to the trigger.
    Use the Flow API to send a message to a paused flow
    Send a specific message and payload response to a flow that is paused and waiting for a message.
    Wait for a specific message from the Flow API
    Pause a flow until it receives a specific message from the flow API. Specify the string message that resumes running the flow, and optionally provide a time out value to resume the flow if no message is received after a specific amount of time.

    Changes

    Between your current release family and Yokohama, some changes were made to existing Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio features.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    Flow generation configures action and flow logic inputs
    Use the Now Assist for Creator flow generation skill to create and configure a flow from text directions. Flow generation uses data pills to set input values for actions and flow logic.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Removed

    Between your current release family and Yokohama, some Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio features or functionality were removed.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    • Removed the system property com.snc.process_flow.reporting.iteration.lastn that was used to specify the number of loop iterations that a flow would generate execution details for. To report on all iterations of a loop, create a flow execution settings record for the flow instead. For more information about flow execution settings, see Flow execution settings.
    • The user preference for flow authors to include draft actions in the list of available actions has been removed. To see a custom action during flow design, publish the action. For more information, see Create an action in Workflow Studio.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Deprecations

    Between your current release family and Yokohama, some Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio features or functionality were deprecated.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    No updates for this release.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Activation information

    Review information on how to activate Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    Workflow Studio is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default.

    Yokohama

    Workflow Studio is a ServiceNow AI Platform feature that is active by default.

    Get the latest Workflow Studio features by updating the app from the ServiceNow Store. 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 Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    No updates for this release.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Browser requirements

    If any specific browser requirements were introduced or changed for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    No updates for this release.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Accessibility information

    Review details on accessibility information for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio, such as specific requirements or compliance levels.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    No updates for this release.

    Yokohama

    ARIA label improvements
    Added and updated ARIA labels to support screen readers.
    Keyboard navigation improvements
    Improved keyboard navigation with working with actions, flows, and subflows in Workflow Studio.
    Reflow improvements of canvas headers and footers

    Added support for the reflow of canvas headers and footer content in Workflow Studio actions, flows, and subflows. These components can be zoomed up to 400% through your browser settings without loss of content or functionality.

    This enhancement helps users with low vision or who have trouble seeing web content in a browser due to monitor size, device type, poor lighting, or other situations.

    Localization information

    If there are specific localization considerations for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    No updates for this release.

    Yokohama

    No updates for this release.

    Highlight information

    If there are specific highlight considerations for Flows, subflows, and actions in Workflow Studio we have noted them here.

    Release Release notes

    Xanadu

    • Protect sensitive data in execution details by using the operations read role.
    • Provide improved support of the variables data type for subflow and action inputs.
    • Show annotations of what text directions were used to generate actions, flow logic, and subflows during flow generation.
    • Sign and validate any flow, subflow, or action.

    See Workflow Studio for more information.

    Yokohama

    • Create a flow or a subflow from an image by using Now Assist.
    • Debug flows and subflows from a dedicated debugging tab.
    • Pause a flow until it receives a specific message from the flow API.
    • Run a published Now Assist skill from an action.
    • Save flow triggers for reuse in other flows.

    See Exploring flows for more information.