Custom NLU Intent Not Appearing in Associated Intent List for Virtual Agent Topic - Support and Troubleshooting

Custom NLU Intent Not Appearing in Associated Intent List for Virtual Agent Topic Issue .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } When working in the Virtual Agent Designer, users may encounter an issue where a newly created custom Natural Language Understanding (NLU) intent does not appear in the "Associated Intent" list when configuring or editing a custom Virtual Agent (VA) topic.

This can cause confusion during topic setup or testing, as users expect to be able to link any existing intent to their topic within the selected NLU model.

Symptoms .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } Users may report the following behavior:

A custom intent was created and trained successfully in an NLU model. When editing a Virtual Agent topic, the intent is not listed under the "Associated Intent" section. The NLU model has been selected, but the expected intent is missing from the dropdown. No error message or system log is generated to explain the issue. The behavior is reproducible across environments (e.g., dev/test/prod).

Steps to Reproduce

Navigate to Virtual Agent Designer. Open an existing Virtual Agent topic (e.g., "Live Support Chat Assistance"). Go to the Properties tab. Scroll to the NLU Model and Intent section. Select the applicable NLU model (e.g., “General Support Model”). Attempt to find the custom intent (e.g., “LiveAgentHelp”) in the Associated Intent list — it is not present.

Release .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } Utah (Platform Release) and Later

NLU functionality, Virtual Agent integrations, and intent‑to‑topic binding matured significantly starting with Utah , including the architecture limiting each intent to a single NLU model. Washington DC and Later

Documentation released with Washington DC clarifies that each intent belongs to exactly one model, and that intents cannot be shared across models. Administration tools like the Cross‑model Conflict Review and Intent Enable/Disable features reinforce this model-specific design These design constraints continue in Vancouver, Xanadu, and Yokohama, all of which support the NLU Workbench and advanced model management Cause .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } This issue generally stems from one of two platform-level design rules or misconfigurations:

1. Intent Already Associated with Another Model

In ServiceNow's NLU architecture, each intent is tightly bound to a single NLU model. A single intent cannot be reused across multiple NLU models.

This constraint ensures:

Model training remains optimized. There are no overlapping or conflicting intent definitions across models. Utterance context is model-specific.

If an intent is already part of a different NLU model (e.g., “General Support Model”), it will not appear as an available intent in another model (e.g., “Virtual Agent Model”).

2. NLU Model Not Published

Only published NLU models are eligible to be associated with Virtual Agent topics.

Unpublished or draft models will not be available in the NLU model selector or intent association fields within the Virtual Agent Designer.

Additionally, if a model hasn't been trained, the Publish button might not be visible, preventing it from ever appearing in topic configuration options.

Resolution .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #000000; } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: black; } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: #00718F; } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: #024F69; } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: #032D42; } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: #00718f; } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: block; max-width: ; width: auto; height: auto; } } Follow the steps below based on the identified root cause:

1. Duplicate the Intent into the Correct NLU Model

To use a custom intent in another model, you must manually or programmatically duplicate the intent:

Manual Duplication:

Open the existing intent from the source NLU model. Create a new intent in the target model. Manually copy over: Utterances Response configurations Intent description Sample phrases Automated Import (Optional):

Export the original intent’s data (XML or CSV). Use Import Sets or integration tools to import the intent into the target model. Re-train and publish the model. Remember: you cannot directly reference an intent from one model inside another.

2. Ensure the NLU Model is Published

To make the model and its intents available in the VA Designer:

Open the NLU model from NLU Model Builder. Click Train to process recent changes or new intents. Once training is complete, click Publish. Go back to the Virtual Agent topic and retry associating the intent. If the model is not trained, the Publish option may not appear. All changes (e.g., adding intents or utterances) require retraining before publishing.

Best Practices and Recommendations

Use a one-to-one mapping between VA topics and NLU models when possible for clarity and maintainability. Document which intents belong to which NLU models to avoid future confusion. For large teams, maintain a shared registry or governance process for creating and distributing intents across models.