Show Knowledge Article activity

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Show Knowledge Article activity

    The Show Knowledge Article activity in ServiceNow allows you to present a knowledge article to end users within a playbook. This activity is accessible to users with admin, playbook.admin, or pdauthor roles and can be integrated into playbooks to guide users effectively by displaying relevant knowledge content.

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    Configuration and Inputs

    To configure the activity, open the properties panel and set key inputs:

    • Label: The title shown on the activity and playbook card.
    • Description: Information about the activity’s purpose or outcome.
    • Run condition: Conditions that determine when the activity or stage runs, based on prior activity data.
    • Start Rule: Defines when the activity or stage starts, either at playbook start, stage start, or after specific activities or stages complete.
    • Start with delay: Optionally delay the start of the activity or stage.
    • Title: The title displayed to the end user.
    • Knowledge Article: Reference to the specific knowledge article ([kbknowledge]) to display.
    • Wait for user input: Option to pause the playbook until the end user completes or skips the activity; editable only by playbook.admin role.

    Advanced inputs include:

    • Assignment Group: Sets the group responsible for the task related to this activity.
    • Assigned To: Specifies the user responsible for completing the task.

    Outputs

    The activity produces outputs that can be used in subsequent playbook activities, such as:

    • Record: A reference to the task record associated with the activity, enabling further workflow integration.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    This activity enables you to embed knowledge articles directly in playbooks, improving information accessibility and user guidance during processes. By configuring start rules, conditions, and user input waits, you can tailor the flow to your organizational needs, ensuring users receive timely and relevant knowledge content. The assignment options facilitate clear responsibility for follow-up tasks, enhancing coordination and completion tracking.

    Display a knowledge article to end users.

    Roles and availability

    This activity is available as a common activity. Users with the admin, playbook.admin, or pd_author can add this activity to a playbook.

    Inputs

    Open the activity properties panel and configure your activity to add values for the following inputs. If the input value varies, use the pill-picker to show where to get the value. To learn more about the pill-picker, see .
    Input Type Description
    Label String Title to display as activity and playbook card.
    Description String Information to display about activity usage or outcome.
    Run condition Condition Builder Conditions that must be met to run an activity or stage. You can use data from prior activities to build conditions.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Start Rule Choice Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your stage should start running:
    • When process starts: Your stage starts running as soon as the playbook starts.
    • After specific stages: Your stage starts running after specified stage(s) have finished running.
    Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your activity should start running:
    • When stage starts: Your activity starts running as soon as its stage starts running. Your stage starts running when your playbook is triggered.
    • After specific activities: Your activity starts running after specified activities have finished running.
    Start with delay True/False Option to wait for a duration of time before running an activity or stage. When enabled, this input displays the Start with delay input properties.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Title String Title displayed to end users.
    Knowledge Article Reference.Knowledge [kb_knowledge] Knowledge article displayed to end users.
    Wait for user input Choice Option to pause the playbook until the end user manually completes or skips the activity. Only users with the playbook.admin role can edit this field. By default, the activity waits for user action or data before it completes.

    Advanced inputs

    After configuring the required inputs for your activity, you can also choose to configure additional inputs. In the side panel, select Show additional options to display these advanced inputs. For more information, see Activity experience.
    Input Type Description
    Assignment Group Reference.Group [sys_user_group] Group responsible for completing the task associated with the activity.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.
    Assigned To Reference.User [sys_user] User responsible for completing the task associated with the activity.
    Note:
    Select Show additional options to see this field.

    Outputs

    These outputs can provide data to other activities in your playbook. You can access this data as activity inputs when you configure your activity:
    Output Type Description
    Record Reference.Task[task] Reference to the record associated with the activity.