--- sourceDocument: yokohama Combined Product Files sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/delta-xanadu-yokohama Release : - yokohama ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - yokohama Combined Product Files ft:clusterId : - delta3yx bundleId : - delta3yx --- # Combined ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Yokohama # Combined ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) release notes for upgrades from Xanadu to Yokohama {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Yokohama Updated October 8, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 8 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 Combined ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) Release Notes from Xanadu to Yokohama This document consolidates all release notes for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) upgrades from Xanadu to Yokohama, helping customers prepare for their upgrade by summarizing new features, changes, and necessary upgrade tasks. The Yokohama release introduces multiple enhancements focused on AI-driven workflows, improved Now Assist capabilities, and process automation for HR case management and employee engagement. Show full answer Show less ## New Features * **Agentic Workflows:** New AI-driven workflows include: * **Resolve HR Cases:** Automatically generate step-wise fulfillment plans for HR cases, which HR agents can refine before publishing. * **Growth Conversations:** Streamlines employee growth discussions with AI assistance to prepare and track career conversations. * **Onboarding Ramp-up Plan:** Automates personalized onboarding plans with manager review. * **Resolve Noncritical HR Cases:** AI agents handle routine employee inquiries to reduce HR operational costs and improve mean time to repair (MTTR). * **Resolve Tuition Requests:** AI agents manage tuition reimbursement cases that require policy validation and approvals. * **Expanded AI Model Providers for Now Assist:** Google Gemini and AWS Claude are now available alongside existing providers (Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI) for enhanced AI skill and agent capabilities. * **Custom Knowledge Article Generation:** Ability to copy and customize KB generation skills to fit organizational requirements, with automatic activation and deactivation behavior. * **Email Reply Recommendations:** View related KB articles and source records that inform AI-generated email replies for HR cases. * **Knowledge Graph Integration:** Create and manage personalized knowledge models using Knowledge Graph schemas, which Virtual Agent leverages to resolve employee requests. * **Journey Accelerator Integration:** Simplify the creation of Journey Accelerator plans using Now Assist by entering prompts directly to Virtual Agent without manual list or form creation. * **Virtual Agent Topics:** New topics support placing employee requests (e.g., time off, personal detail updates) directly in the Human Capital Management (HCM) system. ## Changes * **Now Assist Usage Measurement:** Transition from a 365-day look-back to a 365-day burn-down model, resetting usage at contract anniversaries for more accurate tracking. * **Default Activation of Now Assist Skills:** For new customers, certain Now Assist skills are enabled automatically upon installation. Existing customers upgrading to Yokohama Patch 11 will see previously unconfigured skills activated automatically. * **Access Control for AI Agents and Agentic Workflows:** Enhanced ACL configuration allows control over who can discover and trigger AI agents and workflows, specifying user type and accessibility level (authenticated or public). * **Flow Renaming:** The "Resolve noncritical HR cases" flow is now called "Resolve HR cases" flow for clarity. ## Removed and Deprecated Features No features or functionalities were removed or deprecated between Xanadu and Yokohama releases. ## Activation and Additional Requirements * **Activation:** ServiceNow Otto for HRSD is available via the ServiceNow Store. Customers can request installation through the store and review cumulative release notes there. * **Additional Requirements, Browser, Accessibility, and Localization:** No new or changed requirements were introduced in these areas for the Yokohama release. ## Highlight Information by Yokohama Patch * **Yokohama Patch 11:** Updates to Now Assist usage measurement and default skill activation; additional role configuration needed for agentic workflows and AI agents. * **Yokohama Patch 6:** Added Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude as AI providers; enhanced KB generation skills and email reply recommendations; introduced AI-generated HR case fulfillment plans and growth conversations workflow. * **Yokohama Patch 3:** Introduced Resolve noncritical HR cases workflow; integrated Josh Bersin Company content for HR query responses; launched Growth \& Performance AI agents for career conversations. * **Yokohama Patch 1:** Improved agent productivity via Triage cases AI agent to manage long-running cases. * **Yokohama Early Availability:** Added new Virtual Agent topics for employee requests, Knowledge Graph support, and Journey Accelerator integration. These enhancements in Yokohama empower HR teams to automate routine tasks, leverage AI for case resolution and employee development, and improve overall HR service delivery efficiency. Consolidated page of all release notes for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) from Xanadu to Yokohama. ## How to use this page To help you prepare for your upgrade, we have combined the cross-family ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) 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 ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) to Yokohama Before you upgrade to Yokohama, review these pre- and post-upgrade tasks and complete the tasks as needed. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__2} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## New features Between your current release family and Yokohama, new features were introduced for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD). {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__8} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | [Resolve HR cases agentic workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-issue-resolver-na&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Generate a step-wise fulfillment plan for an HR case by selecting the Generate Plan button on the HR Case. HR agents can add prompts to further refine the AI generated fulfillment plan before the plan is published to the work notes of the case. [Growth Conversations agentic workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=agentic-wf-conversations-na-td&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the new growth conversations workflow to streamline your employee growth discussions in Career Conversations. [New third-party AI model provider options available for all Now Assist applications](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=exploring-large-language-models&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Google Gemini and AWS Claude are available for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI. [Generate a knowledge article](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=gen-kb-now-assisthr&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Create a copy of the KB generation skill to create custom templates that are based on your organization's requirements. When a skill copy is activated, the main skill is automatically deactivated. [Generate an email reply recommendation by using ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=email-recommendation-nahr&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : View the list of KB articles, related records, and current records that are used to generate email reply recommendations. [Generate onboarding ramp-up plan agentic workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=onboarding-ramp-up-plan-agentic-wf&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Simplify employee onboarding with AI agents that gather inputs, structure tasks, enable manager review, and deliver personalized onboarding plans. [Resolve HR cases agentic workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=employee-issue-resolver-na&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the Resolve noncritical HR cases agentic workflow for faster mean time to repair (MTTR) cases, automate the resolution of routine employee inquiries, and reduce the costs for HR operations organizers.{#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__14} | Agentic workflow | Description | |-|-| | Resolve noncritical HR cases | AI agents detect criticality and retrieve relevant knowledge-based responses to automate the resolution of employee queries. | [Table 1. Available agentic workflows] [Access knowledge from internal and external content sources](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-now-assist-hr&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Find reliable answers to HR management queries from multiple data sources, including the research and articles from The Josh Bersin Company, with attribution to each source. [Override sensitivity detection false positives](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=explore-now-assist-hr&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Proceed with the interaction when the virtual agent incorrectly identifies a phrase as containing sensitive information. [Create a growth conversation with the help of an agent in Now Assist](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=agentic-wf-conversations-na-td&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : As a manager, use the growth conversations preparation AI agent to schedule and prepare for employee growth discussions. The agent provides a clear summary of employee activity and career journey, with data-driven talking points to make conversations more focused and impactful. Note: This feature is available when you have both ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD), which will install Now Assist for Talent and HR Talent AI Agent Collection [Help resolve tuition requests agentic workflow](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-hrsd-ai-agents-policy-resolving-tr-usecase&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the Resolve policy use case for faster mean time to repair (MTTR) cases that require validation that is based on the policies that are built for tuition reimbursement.{#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__18} | AI agent use case | Description | |-|-| | Resolve policy for tuition reimbursement | AI agents resolve tuition reimbursement requests by connecting to various parties (for example, the manager for approval) and resolving the case, while keeping the human agent in the loop. | [Table 2. Available AI agents use case] [ServiceNow Otto for HRSD Virtual Agent topics](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-ohcm&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Use the [ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-hrsd&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) Virtual Agent topics to place employee requests in the HCM system. Examples of requests are when an employee requests time off or updates their personal details. [Use Knowledge Graph](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=na-kb-graph&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Create and manage personalized knowledge models as Knowledge Graph schemas that are represented as nodes, edges, and their properties. Virtual Agent uses the assigned Knowledge Graph schema to resolve employee requests and queries. [Create a journey using Now Assist](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=create-journey-na&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Create Journey Accelerator plans by entering prompts to Virtual Agent without having to manually create lists and forms. | [ ] ## Changes Between your current release family and Yokohama, some changes were made to existing ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) features. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__22} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | [Changes to Now Assist usage measurement](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=monitoring-now-assist-usage&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Starting with Yokohama Patch 5, Now Assist usage measurement is transitioning from a 365-day look-back model to a 365-day burn-down model, with usage resetting at the contract anniversary date. For more information, refer to [KB KB2704710: Now Assist Usage - Overview \& New Measurement Logic](https://support.servicenow.com/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB2704710). [Some Now Assist skills are turned on by default](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-skills-on-by-default&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : The new default behavior works as follows: * New customers: When you install a Now Assist product, designated skills are turned on automatically. * Existing customers who are upgrading (starting with Yokohama Patch 11): Any previously unconfigured skill is turned on automatically (the skill was never configured and turned on, then turned off again). Previously configured skills that were turned on, then off, remain inactive. [Configure ACLs for AI agents and agentic workflows](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=aia-security-implementation&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) : Configure the access control lists for who can discover and trigger AI agents and agentic workflows in their guided setups in AI Agent Studio. You can determine whether an AI agent or agentic workflow behaves as a dynamic user or as an AI user. You can also specify if an AI agent or agentic workflow can be available to all authenticated users or publicly available. Flow name : The Resolve noncritical HR cases flow has been renamed to Resolve HR cases flow. | [ ] ## Removed Between your current release family and Yokohama, some ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) features or functionality were removed. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__28} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Deprecations Between your current release family and Yokohama, some ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) features or functionality were deprecated. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__34} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Activation information Review information on how to activate ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD). {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__40} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | Activation information : Install ServiceNow Otto for HRSD by requesting it from ServiceNow Store. Visit the [ServiceNow Store](https://store.servicenow.com/sn_appstore_store.do#!/store/home) 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](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=sn-store-release-notes&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US). Important: ServiceNow Otto for HRSD is available in the ServiceNow Store. For details, see the "Activation information" section of these release notes. | [ ] ## Additional requirements If any additional requirements were introduced or changed for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__46} | 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 ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__52} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Accessibility information Review details on accessibility information for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD), such as specific requirements or compliance levels. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__58} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Localization information If there are specific localization considerations for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__64} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | No updates for this release. | [ ] ## Highlight information If there are specific highlight considerations for ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD) we have noted them here. {#dfrn3-servicenowottoforhrservicedeliveryhrsd-summary__entry__70} | Release | Release notes | |-|-| | Xanadu | No updates for this release. | | Yokohama | [Yokohama Patch 11](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=yokohama-patch-11&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) * Review changes to Now Assist usage measurement. * Some Now Assist skills, agents, and agentic workflows are on by default. * Additional role configuration is required for agentic workflows and AI agents included with Now Assist applications. Yokohama Patch 6 * Use Google Gemini and Anthropic Claude on AWS as AI model providers for Now Assist skills and AI agents in addition to Now LLM Service and Azure OpenAI. * Create a copy of the KB generation skill to create custom templates. * View the list of sources that are used to generate an email reply recommendation. * Select citations to view the source articles and industry research from Galileo AI Assistant for HR. * Leverage an AI agent to generate a step-wise fulfillment plan for an HR case from both Core UI and Agent Workspace for HR Case Management. * Make career conversations easy to create and track using the growth conversations agentic workflow. Yokohama Patch 3 * Automate the resolution of routine employee inquiries by using the Resolve noncritical HR cases agentic workflow. * Receive research-backed responses to HR management queries that are sourced from both internal knowledge bases and The Josh Bersin content library. * Use the new Growth \& Performance AI agents to streamline your employee growth discussions in Career Conversations. Yokohama Patch 1: Improve agent productivity by managing long-running cases with the Triage cases AI agent. Yokohama Early Availability * Use the new Virtual Agent topics to place employee requests in the Human Capital Management (HCM) system. * Use Knowledge Graph to create personalized knowledge models in the form of Knowledge Graph schemas. * Create Journey Accelerator plans by using ServiceNow Otto for HRSD in Journey designer. See [ServiceNow Otto for HR Service Delivery (HRSD)](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=now-assist-hrsd&family=yokohama&ft:locale=en-US) for more information. | [ ]