Common issues and solutions in Build Agent

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated May 7, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Common issues and solutions in Build Agent

    This guide helps ServiceNow customers identify and resolve frequent issues encountered with Build Agent in the Zurich release. It complements general debugging best practices to streamline problem resolution and offers targeted solutions for common problems affecting Build Agent functionality.

    Show full answer Show less

    General Debugging Approach

    • Start by pasting the exact error message into the Build Agent chat, which can often diagnose and fix issues directly.
    • If multiple fixes fail in one conversation, structure your debugging by:
      • Describing the error and scenario clearly.
      • Reproducing the error consistently.
      • Reviewing debugger output and logs.
      • Checking access, configuration, and known issues.
      • Testing from simple to complex hypotheses: access roles, configuration, naming conflicts, or logic edge cases.
    • If unresolved, begin a fresh chat with a detailed prompt and save debug info for Now Support if needed.

    Common Issues and Practical Solutions

    • Now Assist panel not visible: Verify required plugins and user roles (admin role plus Build Agent plugins), confirm supported release, refresh or relogin. Capture error details if unresolved.
    • Build Agent unresponsive: Clear browser cache, try a different browser, check ServiceNow status. Provide request details and browser version if problem persists.
    • Scope or name conflict: Check if the app scope or name is already used. Allow Build Agent to auto-correct or pick a unique name. Capture conflicting details if needed.
    • Stuck in error loop: Use Git checkpoints or update set rollback to revert changes. Start a new conversation with specific errors. Provide recent commits and error text if unresolved.
    • App not deploying: Confirm successful build before deployment. Run ServiceNow SDK build in IDE, check for errors, then deploy. Paste error messages into chat for Build Agent assistance. Provide build logs and SDK version if issues persist.
    • Empty UI page: Check browser console for errors, share console output with Build Agent for fixes. Capture full console log if unresolved.
    • Context limit exceeded: When session history exceeds limits, start a new chat describing your app again. Provide last prompt and summary of prior work if problem continues.
    • Out of prompts: Check remaining prompt count per 30-day cycle. Wait for reset or upgrade plan. Capture entitlement state if needed.
    • Rate limit error: Occurs from too many requests to the model provider. Wait briefly before retrying. Provide error message and time if unresolved.
    • Unsupported configuration: Some metadata or features may not be supported by Build Agent. Complete those steps manually on the platform, then continue with Build Agent. Document workarounds if necessary.
    • Missing dependencies (IDE): Check package.json for referenced modules. Allow Build Agent to auto-correct or manually add missing packages and run npm install. Provide module names and errors if issues remain.
    • Long-running prompt times out: Adjust session timeout settings (e.g., glide.ui.sessiontimeout to 1440) in sysproperties for labs or workshops. Coordinate changes with platform admin. Provide session length and prompt details if unresolved.

    Identify and resolve common issues in Build Agent. Use this reference alongside the general debugging approach to identify and fix problems.

    Issues and solutions

    Table 1. Troubleshooting Build Agent issues
    Issue Resolution
    Now Assist panel not visible
    • Quick check: Required plugins are installed and your user has the right roles. The ServiceNow IDE needs the admin role plus the documented Build Agent plugins (sn_glider and sn_build_agent for Trial; sn_now_creator for Paid). In ServiceNow Studio, confirm you're on a supported release.
    • Try: Refresh the page or sign out and back in.
    • If still failing, capture: The exact error or behavior, your release, and the role list on your user.
    Build Agent unresponsive
    • Quick check: Browser cache and the active session.
    • Try: Clear the cache, try a different browser, and check the ServiceNow status page for service announcements.
    • If still failing, capture: The request that hung, your browser version, and the ServiceNow status state.
    Scope or name conflict
    • Quick check: Whether the scope or app name is already in use on the instance.
    • Try: Let Build Agent self-correct with a unique scope, or pick a new name and try again.
    • If still failing, capture: The conflicting scope or app name and the action that triggered it.
    Stuck in error loop
    • Quick check: How many fixes Build Agent has attempted on the same symptom.
    • Try: Use Git checkpoints or update set rollback to revert, then start a fresh conversation that names the specific error.
    • If still failing, capture: The exact error text, recent commits, and a brief description of what you were trying to accomplish.
    App not deploying
    • Quick check: Build output for errors before deploying. Build Agent only deploys the latest successful build. If your updates are not available after deployment, the build may have failed even though the deployment succeeded.
    • Try: In the ServiceNow IDE, run ServiceNow SDK build first, check errors, then deploy and install in sequence. In ServiceNow Studio, confirm your update set is current and complete. Paste any error messages into the chat panel and ask Build Agent to resolve the build issues and redeploy. For more information, see Deploying what you built with Build Agent.
    • If still failing, capture: The build log, your SDK version, and your update set state.
    Empty UI page
    • Quick check: The browser console for errors.
    • Try: Open the browser console, copy the error messages, paste them into the chat panel, and ask Build Agent to fix the UI page.
    • If still failing, capture: The full browser console output and the prompt that produced the empty page.
    Context limit exceeded
    • Quick check: Whether you have received a Context Window Exceeded error. Build Agent maintains a history of your session and can resume from the point of failure, but has a context limit.
    • Try: Open a new chat window and describe the application again. Build Agent does not retain context from the previous session, but it reviews the work already done and continues from where it stopped.
    • If still failing, capture: The last prompt before the error and a summary of what had been built.
    Out of prompts
    • Quick check: Your remaining prompt count for the current 30-day cycle.
    • Try: Wait for the cycle to reset, or upgrade to Now Assist for Creator. Plan approvals do not count against your prompt allotment; only submitted prompts do.
    • If still failing, capture: Your entitlement state and the cycle reset date.
    Rate limit error
    • Quick check: Whether the model provider is receiving too many requests.
    • Try: Wait a minute or two before trying again.
    • If still failing, capture: The exact error message and the time it occurred.
    Unsupported configuration
    • Quick check: Whether the requested metadata or feature is in the supported list.
    • Try: Complete that step directly on the platform, then continue with Build Agent for everything else.
    • If still failing, capture: The configuration you needed and the workaround you used.
    Missing dependencies (IDE)
    • Quick check: package.json for the entries Build Agent referenced.
    • Try: Let Build Agent self-correct first. If that does not resolve it, add the package manually and run npm install.
    • If still failing, capture: The missing module name and the install error output.
    Long-running prompt times out
    • Quick check: Your session timeout setting.
    • Try: For labs and workshops, set glide.ui.session_timeout to 1440 in sys_properties. Coordinate with the platform admin on a shared instance before changing it.
    • If still failing, capture: The session length and the prompt that timed out.