General guidelines for using app generation

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of General guidelines for using app generation

    App generation in ServiceNow helps you create applications by interacting with Now Assist, a conversational AI tool. Starting with the Australia release, app generation is being prepared for future deprecation and will be hidden on new instances, though existing support continues. The Build Agent offers the latest experience for app generation capabilities.

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    How to Use App Generation Effectively

    To get the best results, provide clear and detailed descriptions of your application requirements during your conversation with Now Assist. The process begins by stating the main purpose of your app, allowing Now Assist to generate an initial structure.

    Throughout the conversation, describe how you want the app to function and respond to Now Assist’s questions to refine the application. Be as specific as possible if you know your needs. For example, specify tables, fields, user roles, permissions, and forms you want in your app.

    If you are unsure about some details, share what you know and collaborate with Now Assist, which can suggest relevant features and ask clarifying questions to better understand your requirements.

    Practical Interaction Example

    • Start with a general app purpose (e.g., managing employee travel).
    • Provide specific details about tables, forms, user permissions, and workflows.
    • Work with Now Assist as it proposes app components, such as data fields, roles, and user interfaces.
    • Confirm or adjust suggestions to tailor the app to your business needs.

    Key Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables rapid app creation through guided AI conversations.
    • Supports collaborative refinement to ensure the app matches your business processes.
    • Facilitates defining roles and permissions to control user access effectively.
    • Offers options for building forms and dashboards to improve usability and reporting.

    To get the best results from app generation, provide clear and detailed descriptions of your application requirements during your conversation with Now Assist.

    Starting with the Australia release, app generation is being prepared for future deprecation. It will be hidden and no longer activated on new instances but will continue to be supported. Build Agent provides the latest experience for this functionality. For more information, see Build Agent.

    How do I have a productive conversation with app generation?

    App generation works best when you include specific details about your requirements. As Now Assist makes suggestions and generates a preview, respond with additional details to refine the application.

    Initiation
    Now Assist asks for the main purpose of your application so that it can generate an initial structure. You can start with a general statement. For example, I'd like to manage how my employees travel within my business.
    Conversation

    Describe how you want your app to work and respond to Now Assist inquiries so that it can refine the application to match your requirements.

    If you know exactly what you want, be direct and specific. For example:

    • I want a table for travel requests with fields like employee name, destination, and trip duration.
    • I want employees to be able to create and submit requests. Managers can then view these, and approve or deny them. Employees can view requests they've submitted, but not requests submitted by others.
    • I would like a form for employees to submit requests, and another form for managers to review and respond to those requests.
    • Please add a workspace with a dashboard containing relevant reports about the travel requests.

    You can also share only what you know and collaborate with Now Assist to fill in the gaps. For example:

    • I need to collect and monitor relevant data for each employee trip. Can you suggest anything?

      Now Assist suggests:

      Sure, we can begin with the basics. How about capturing the employee's name, destination, duration of travel, purpose of travel, and budget. Does that sound like a good starting point?

    • Yes, thanks. I need to manage permissions for my app's users. What can you do for me?

      Now Assist explains:

      We can create roles to manage permissions. Can you tell me more about the types of users for your application and what they should be able to do?

    • Sure. Currently, employees email their managers for travel approval, and the manager decides whether the employee gets to go, per budget at the department level.

      Now Assist clarifies:

      So, should employees be able to create and view their own requests, and should managers be able to view and approve all requests?

    • That sounds good, thanks.

      Now Assist understands your workflow and suggests ways to implement the desired functionality:

      Would you also like to create forms for employees to submit and update travel requests?

      Do you want to build a form for managers to approve or reject the travel request?

      We could also create a record producer. This will allow employees to submit travel requests directly from the Service Catalog. Would you like to include this feature in your application?

    Throughout the conversation, Now Assist adjusts its understanding of your application requirements based on your input.

    For more information about having productive conversations with Now Assist, see General guidelines for writing instructions for generative AI large language models (LLMs).