Email notifications do not send despite meeting trigger conditions - Support and Troubleshooting

Email notifications do not send despite meeting trigger conditions Issue Email notifications don't trigger even when conditions are met, such as with 'Incident assigned to my group' and 'Incident assigned to me' notifications. This article helps you identify and resolve notification issues in ServiceNow.

Release All supported releases

Cause The SetWorkflow() function is set to false in a business rule or server-side script, which prevents notifications from triggering.

Resolution Step 1: Verify the Notification Condition Create a test business rule using the same conditions as your non-working notification. This validates whether the condition itself is functioning correctly.

Step 2: Check if the Business Rule Executes Review your transaction logs to confirm the test business rule is running when records match the condition.

If the business rule does NOT execute:

Look for the message: "Skipping BR for that transaction" This indicates a problem with the notification condition itself Review and correct your condition logic If the business rule DOES execute: Continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Check SetWorkflow() Status Review your business rules and server-side scripts (typically business rules) to check if SetWorkflow() is set to false.

If SetWorkflow() is set to false:

The notification engine cannot process the notification The notification_engine.process event is never created Change SetWorkflow() to true to allow notifications to work Example:

// INCORRECT - Prevents notifications current.SetWorkflow(false); // CORRECT - Allows notifications current.SetWorkflow(true); Step 4: Verify Notification Configuration Navigate to the notification record Check the "Who will receive" tab to confirm recipients are correctly configured Verify email addresses are valid and active users Summary: What to Check Check Action Business rule condition Does the test business rule execute for matching records? SetWorkflow() status Is it set to true in your scripts? Recipient configuration Are recipients correctly defined in the notification record? notification_engine.process event Is this event being created when the notification condition matches?