Workflow Management in ServiceNow MCP

This document covers two workflow engines exposed by the MCP server:

1. Legacy Workflow (wf_workflow) — driven by the manage_workflow action router below.
2. Flow Designer (sys_hub_flow) — unified manage_flow_designer tool with action dispatch. Standard package exposes read actions (list / get_detail / get_executions / compare); higher packages unlock writes (update / checkout / set_* / save / discard). Action/SubFlow/Playbook tables are documented in the Flow Designer table map.

If you are not sure which engine a process uses, start with manage_flow_designer(action="list") (modern instances) and fall back to manage_workflow(action="list") for legacy wf_workflow records.

Overview

ServiceNow workflows are a powerful automation feature that allows you to define and automate business processes. The workflow management tools in the ServiceNow MCP server enable you to view, create, and modify workflows in your ServiceNow instance.

Available Tools

Viewing Workflows

1. manage_workflow(action=“list”) - List workflows from ServiceNow

   • Parameters:
     • limit (optional): Maximum number of records to return (default: 10)
     • offset (optional): Offset to start from (default: 0)
     • active (optional): Filter by active status (true/false)
     • name (optional): Filter by name (contains)
     • query (optional): Additional query string

2. manage_workflow(action=“get”) - Get detailed information about a specific workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id

3. manage_workflow(action=“list_versions”) - List all versions of a specific workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id
     • limit (optional): Maximum number of records to return (default: 10)
     • offset (optional): Offset to start from (default: 0)

4. manage_workflow(action=“get_activities”) - Get all activities in a workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id
     • version (optional): Specific version to get activities for (if not provided, the latest published version will be used)

Modifying Workflows

5. manage_workflow (action=“create”) - Create a new workflow in ServiceNow

   • Parameters:
     • name (required): Name of the workflow
     • description (optional): Description of the workflow
     • table (optional): Table the workflow applies to
     • active (optional): Whether the workflow is active (default: true)
     • attributes (optional): Additional attributes for the workflow

6. manage_workflow (action=“update”) - Update an existing workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id
     • name (optional): Name of the workflow
     • description (optional): Description of the workflow
     • table (optional): Table the workflow applies to
     • active (optional): Whether the workflow is active
     • attributes (optional): Additional attributes for the workflow

7. manage_workflow (action=“activate”) - Activate a workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id

8. manage_workflow (action=“deactivate”) - Deactivate a workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id

Managing Workflow Activities

9. manage_workflow (action=“add_activity”) - Add a new activity to a workflow

   • Parameters:
     • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id
     • name (required): Name of the activity
     • description (optional): Description of the activity
     • activity_type (required): Type of activity (e.g., ‘approval’, ‘task’, ‘notification’)
     • attributes (optional): Additional attributes for the activity
     • position (optional): Position in the workflow (if not provided, the activity will be added at the end)

10. manage_workflow (action=“update_activity”) - Update an existing activity in a workflow

    • Parameters:
      • activity_id (required): Activity ID or sys_id
      • name (optional): Name of the activity
      • description (optional): Description of the activity
      • attributes (optional): Additional attributes for the activity

11. manage_workflow (action=“delete_activity”) - Delete an activity from a workflow

    • Parameters:
      • activity_id (required): Activity ID or sys_id

12. manage_workflow (action=“reorder_activities”) - Change the order of activities in a workflow

    • Parameters:
      • workflow_id (required): Workflow ID or sys_id
      • activity_ids (required): List of activity IDs in the desired order

Usage Examples

Viewing Workflows

List all active workflows

result = list_workflows({
    "active": True,
    "limit": 20
})

Get details about a specific workflow

result = get_workflow_details({
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001"
})

List all versions of a workflow

result = list_workflow_versions({
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001"
})

Get all activities in a workflow

result = get_workflow_activities({
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001"
})

Modifying Workflows

Create a new workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "create",
    "name": "Software License Request",
    "description": "Workflow for handling software license requests",
    "table": "sc_request"
})

Update an existing workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "update",
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001",
    "description": "Updated workflow description",
    "active": True
})

Activate a workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "activate",
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001"
})

Deactivate a workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "deactivate",
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001"
})

Managing Workflow Activities

Add a new activity to a workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "add_activity",
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001",
    "name": "Manager Approval",
    "description": "Approval step for the manager",
    "activity_type": "approval"
})

Update an existing activity

result = manage_workflow({"action": "update_activity",
    "activity_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0002",
    "name": "Updated Activity Name",
    "description": "Updated activity description"
})

Delete an activity

result = manage_workflow({"action": "delete_activity",
    "activity_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0002"
})

Reorder activities in a workflow

result = manage_workflow({"action": "reorder_activities",
    "workflow_id": "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0001",
    "activity_ids": [
        "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0002",
        "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0003",
        "aaaa1111bbbb2222cccc3333dddd0004"
    ]
})

Flow Designer Tools

Flow Designer (sys_hub_flow) is the modern successor to legacy workflows. The MCP server exposes a screen-fidelity read plus a verified edit surface (conditions, action inputs, properties, copy, activate) via the processflow API, gated by tool package. The one thing it will not fake is publish: snapshot recompile is editor-gated, so the tool returns a manual-publish instruction instead of a false success. Raw Table-API writes to sys_hub_* are blocked (guard G6) because they corrupt flow snapshots.

manage_flow_designer (unified)

Single composite tool with action dispatch. Replaces the previous 6 standalone flow tools (list_flow_designers, get_flow_designer_detail, get_flow_designer_executions, compare_flows, update_flow_designer, manage_flow_edit). Action enum is narrowed to read-only in standard and unlocked in portal_developer / platform_developer / full.

Read actions (available in standard):

• action="read" (v1.18.6) — the screen-fidelity read: one ordered, If/Else-nested step tree (actions + logic + subflows merged by execution order), conditions decoded to human-readable text, data pills resolved to their producing-step labels, and custom Action types with their Script bodies. Cycle/missing-uid guarded. ~18K tokens for a 142-node flow (vs ~130K before) — start here to understand a flow.
• action="read_action" — read a single custom Action definition’s Script body.
• action="list" — search flows/subflows. Key params: limit, offset, include_inactive, flow_status, scope, name_filter.
• action="get_detail" — flow metadata + optional heavy sections. Key params: flow_id (required), include_structure, include_triggers, include_executions_summary, trace_pill, include_subflow_tree, summary_format.
• action="get_executions" — runtime history (filters) or single execution detail. Key params: context_id (single mode), flow_id, flow_name, exec_state, source_record, errors_only, limit/offset.
• action="compare" — diff two flows by flow_id_a/flow_id_b or name_a/name_b. Reports structural diff, subflow bindings, trigger differences. Preferred over calling get_detail twice.

Write actions (only in portal_developer / platform_developer / full). All edits are verified live (re-read after save) and support dry_run:

• action="update" — metadata only (new_name / description / active).
• action="checkout" — start a local edit session (browser auth required, uses processflow API). action="status" inspects it; action="discard" drops it.
• action="set_action_input" — patch action input value. Requires node_id, input_name, value.
• action="set_branch_condition" / action="set_trigger_condition" — patch a logic-branch or trigger condition. Pass structured rows [{field, operator, value}] or a raw encoded query; the response echoes condition_readable so you can confirm the encoder produced what you meant (operators include the CHANGES family, AND/OR/NQ).
• action="set_property" / action="save_properties" — flow properties: Run As, Protection, Priority, active.
• action="copy" — native flow/subflow clone (the same call Workflow Studio’s “Copy flow” makes).
• action="activate" / action="deactivate" — toggle the flow’s active state.
• action="save" — persist edits via the processflow API (a scope-correct PUT that also writes a fresh flow version — the fix for the silent trigger-revert).
• action="publish" — editor-gated. Snapshot recompile is only reachable from the interactive Workflow Studio editor; every API path fast-fails. The tool does not pretend success — it returns manual_publish_required plus the exact UI URL to finish the publish by hand.

Flow Designer Table Map

Workflow Studio Tab	Table
Flows / SubFlows	sys_hub_flow
Actions	sys_hub_action_type_definition
Playbooks	sys_pd_process_definition
Decision Tables	sys_decision

Read-only Bias

Flow modifications carry the highest risk in this codebase — corrupting a published flow can break automation across the instance. Default to read actions, gate writes behind explicit user confirmation, and prefer manage_flow_designer(action="compare") + manage_flow_designer(action="get_executions") to verify behavior before any change.

Common Activity Types

ServiceNow provides several activity types that can be used when adding activities to a workflow:

1. approval - An approval activity that requires user action
2. task - A task that needs to be completed
3. notification - Sends a notification to users
4. timer - Waits for a specified amount of time
5. condition - Evaluates a condition and branches the workflow
6. script - Executes a script
7. wait_for_condition - Waits until a condition is met
8. end - Ends the workflow

Best Practices

1. Version Control: Always create a new version of a workflow before making significant changes.
2. Testing: Test workflows in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
3. Documentation: Document the purpose and behavior of each workflow and activity.
4. Error Handling: Include error handling in your workflows to handle unexpected situations.
5. Notifications: Use notification activities to keep stakeholders informed about the workflow progress.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Error: “No published versions found for this workflow”

   • This error occurs when trying to get activities for a workflow that has no published versions.
   • Solution: Publish a version of the workflow before trying to get its activities.

2. Error: “Activity type is required”

   • This error occurs when trying to add an activity without specifying its type.
   • Solution: Provide a valid activity type when adding an activity.

3. Error: “Cannot modify a published workflow version”

   • This error occurs when trying to modify a published workflow version.
   • Solution: Create a new draft version of the workflow before making changes.

4. Error: “Workflow ID is required”

   • This error occurs when not providing a workflow ID for operations that require it.
   • Solution: Make sure to include the workflow ID in your request.

Additional Resources

• ServiceNow Workflow Documentation
• ServiceNow Workflow API Reference