Who should use this guide

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Who should use this guide

    This guide offers a comprehensive view of agentic development on the ServiceNow AI Platform, presenting various approaches from fully automated code generation to collaborative AI-assisted workflows. It is designed to help developers understand available AI development tools, align them with their development philosophy and use cases, and effectively integrate AI into their ServiceNow development processes.

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    Intended Audience

    • New or experienced ServiceNow developers interested in accelerating app development using AI, including those familiar with full-stack development or AI-assisted coding tools.
    • Developers seeking to incorporate AI into existing workflows to improve speed, efficiency, and code quality, and who want guidance on agentic development best practices.
    • Note: Access to the Build Agent requires the admin role.

    Key Content

    • Spectrum of agentic development: Ranges from autonomous AI-driven code generation with minimal manual review to AI as a collaborative assistant where developers retain code ownership and oversight.
    • Tools and capabilities: Overview of ServiceNow AI development tools to help choose the best fit based on your technical expertise, development philosophy, and project needs.
    • Guidelines: Best practices for reviewing, refining, and testing AI-generated code to ensure quality and maintainability.

    What Is Not Covered

    • Low-code/no-code tools such as Creator Studio or Catalog Builder.
    • Traditional ServiceNow development without AI assistance.
    • Detailed product-specific documentation (though links to resources like Build Agent and Now Assist for Creator are provided).

    How to Use This Guide

    As you engage with the guide, consider your comfort with coding environments, your desire to manage AI-generated code versus focusing on outcomes, and your specific development goals—whether building new apps, extending existing functionality, or automating workflows. This will help you select the most suitable AI development approach and tools within ServiceNow.

    This guide provides a holistic view of agentic development on the ServiceNow AI Platform. It helps you understand the range of agentic development approaches available, from fully automated code generation to agentic development workflows.

    Intended audience

    This guide is for a range of people building apps agentically on the ServiceNow AI Platform. The intended audience is:
    • ServiceNow developers who want to use AI to accelerate app development on ServiceNow. You may be:
      • New to ServiceNow but experienced with full-stack development
      • Familiar with AI-assisted coding tools and wanting to understand the capabilities of the ServiceNow AI Platform
      • Looking to evaluate how AI can fit into your development workflow
      • Interested in understanding when to use different AI development approaches
    • ServiceNow developers who want to incorporate AI into their existing workflows. You may be:
      • Experienced with the ServiceNow platform and wanting to explore AI tooling
      • Looking to improve development speed and efficiency
      • Seeking guidance on general guidelines for agentic development
      • Evaluating which AI tools best fit your use case
    Note:
    Build Agent requires the admin role.

    What this guide covers

    Agentic development encompasses a spectrum of approaches:
    • Autonomous code generation: At one end of the spectrum, agentic development involves providing a high-level description and letting AI generate, test, and deploy code without manual review. This approach prioritizes speed and simplicity.
    • Agentic development: At the other end of the spectrum, AI serves as a collaborative tool that generates code suggestions, automates repetitive tasks, and accelerates development, while developers review, refine, and maintain ownership of the final code. This approach emphasizes understanding and supportability.

    ServiceNow provides tools across the development spectrum. This guide helps you understand:

    • What AI development capabilities are available on ServiceNow
    • Which tools align with your development philosophy and use case
    • How to effectively use AI in your ServiceNow development workflow
    • General guidelines for reviewing, refining, and testing AI-generated code

    What this guide does not cover

    This guide focuses on agentic development tools and workflows. It does not cover the following topics:

    • Low-code/no-code development tools like Creator Studio or Catalog Builder
    • Traditional ServiceNow development without AI assistance
    • Detailed product-specific documentation (links are provided to dedicated product docs)

    For comprehensive product documentation, see the dedicated documentation for Build Agent, Now Assist for Creator, and other ServiceNow development tools.

    Understanding your needs

    As you explore this documentation, consider the following questions:
    • Your technical expertise: Are you comfortable working in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with a file system and reviewing generated code? Or do you prefer tools that handle more of the technical complexity?
    • Your development philosophy: Do you want to understand and maintain the code AI generates, or do you prefer to let AI handle implementation details while you focus on outcomes?
    • Your use case: Are you building custom applications from scratch, extending existing ServiceNow functionality, or automating specific workflows?

    Different AI development approaches and tools will be better suited to different needs. This guide helps you identify the right approach for your situation.