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 display a knowledge article directly to end users within a playbook. This common activity helps guide users by presenting relevant knowledge content in context, improving user awareness and decision-making during a process.

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    It is available to users with the admin, playbook.admin, or pdauthor roles, who can add and configure this activity in a playbook.

    Key Features

    • Configurable Inputs: Define key properties such as the activity label and description, which appear in the playbook interface.
    • Run Conditions: Use condition builders to specify criteria that determine when the activity or its stage should run, leveraging data from prior activities.
    • Start Rules and Scheduling: Choose when the activity or stage starts, either immediately when triggered, after specific stages or activities complete, or with a delay.
    • Knowledge Article Reference: Select the specific knowledge article to show to end users, ensuring relevant information is presented.
    • User Interaction Control: Optionally pause the playbook until the end user manually completes or skips the activity, allowing for interactive user engagement.
    • Advanced Assignment Options: Assign responsibility to user groups or individual users for completing tasks associated with the activity.

    Key Outcomes

    • End users receive timely, relevant knowledge articles directly within the playbook, enhancing their ability to resolve issues or complete tasks.
    • Playbook designers can tailor the activity’s execution timing and conditions to fit complex workflows.
    • Integration with task assignments supports accountability by linking knowledge article presentation to responsible users or groups.
    • Outputs, such as task record references, allow seamless data flow to subsequent activities within the playbook, enabling efficient process automation.

    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 Dot-walking examples.
    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.