How to run and test AI agents in workspaces and Virtual AgentSummary<!-- /*NS Branding Styles*/ --> .ns-kb-css-body-editor-container { p { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } span { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, #000000); } h2 { font-size: 24pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h3 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } h4 { font-size: 14pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--text-primary, black); } a { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718F); } a:hover { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #024F69); } a:target { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #032D42); } a:visited { font-size: 12pt; color: var(--now-color--link-primary, #00718f); } ul { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } li { font-size: 12pt; font-family: Lato; } img { display: ; max-width: ; width: ; height: ; } } Learn how to run, test, and use AI agents in ServiceNow workspaces and Virtual Agent. This guide covers the prerequisites, how to discover and run agents from the Now Assist panel, how to create and test an agent in AI Agent Studio, and how to troubleshoot common issues. What is an AI Agent on ServiceNow? An AI agent is a set of large language model (LLM) instructions paired with platform tools—such as Search and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), Flow Actions and Subflows, Now Assist Skills, and scripts—to perform specific tasks autonomously or semi-autonomously. A use case defines the purpose and typically orchestrates one or more AI agents to achieve an outcome. Prerequisites Before you begin, confirm the following: Required plugins are installed and up to date: Generative AI Controller (sn_generative_ai) and Now Assist AI Agents (sn_aia).Now Assist panel and assistant are configured: Confirm a default assistant is turned on and the Now Assist panel is active in your target workspaces.Access to AI Agent Studio: Confirm you have the appropriate roles. If you see a message, "Security constraints prevent access…", confirm access controls and plugin entitlements.Regional and LLM settings (optional): Your organization can prefer ServiceNow LLMs and region constraints (for example, APJ). Validate your LLM provider and region setup in the Admin pages when creating skills and agents. Discover and run AI agents in a workspace Open the Now Assist Panel Go to your workspace (for example, Service Operations Workspace).Open the Now Assist panel.Ask for help in natural language (for example, Summarize this incident and recommend next steps). Approved AI agents and skills then respond, summarize, or take actions according to your organization's configuration. Use prebuilt AI agents from store apps Many base system agents (for example, incident categorization, problem investigation, and case summarization) are provided with Now Assist for ITSM and related store applications. If an agent does not respond, confirm the related apps are installed and that the client scripts and UI actions required by Now Assist are compatible with your workspace lifecycle. Some protected components may require a ServiceNow maintainer to update them. Create and test an AI agent in AI Agent Studio Note: Even if you are a business user, you can test and use agents created by your admins without writing code. Step 1: Open AI Agent Studio Go to All > AI Agent Studio > Create and manage > AI agents. To create a native agent, select Add > Chat.To connect to a third-party agent provider through Agent-to-Agent options, select Add > External. Step 2: Define the agent's specialty and instructions Enter the name, description, and role (what the agent should do). To draft these automatically, use Generate description, role, and steps with Now Assist, and then refine them to fit your process. Step 3: Select the tools the agent can use Add Search and RAG, Flow Actions and Subflows (string inputs), Now Assist Skills, or script tools. Keep instructions clear—specificity improves accuracy. Step 4: Define availability (channels) On Define Availability, turn on the Now Assist panel (workspace) or Virtual Agent channels as needed. For Virtual Agent, confirm Assistants > Skills has AI agent use cases enabled and the agent's Virtual Agent display is on, and then save and test. Step 5: Save and test in a safe space Use the save and test flow in AI Agent Studio. If Continue to Test Chat Response is unavailable or you see Now Assist Panel is not configured, confirm that the default assistant and deployment records are active and the panel is enabled. Use AI agents in Virtual Agent You can run AI agents from a portal such as Employee Center (/esc). Confirm the Now Assist in Virtual Agent assistant is turned on (Conversational Interfaces > Assistants).Activate the AI agent use cases skill on the assistant.In AI Agent Studio, turn on Virtual Agent for the agent and select valid assistants.Open Employee Center (/esc), start Virtual Agent, and use natural language to trigger the agent. Note: In some releases, discovery of agentic workflows through free-form prompts may differ. Confirm the agent's description and role are detailed enough to match user queries. Write effective prompts Break tasks into steps, and provide context and expected outputs.Prefer several specific agents over a single, general-purpose agent when workflows vary.Follow the prompting guidance for structure, formatting, and agentic workflow prompts. Common issues and quick fixes Panel or Studio access errors (Security constraints or cannot access): Verify roles and entitlements, then repair or update the Now Assist plugins.Agent stuck at Creating a plan or not responding: Check orchestrator health and plugin versions. If necessary, turn the auto-agents off and back on per support guidance.LLM provider or region preferences: Confirm admin settings enforce ServiceNow LLMs and the proper region. Otherwise, users may still see other providers at skill creation.Idle timeouts or tool execution limits: Adjust Conversation Idle Timeout on the Now Assist panel (sys_cs_channel) or the global property com.glide.cs.conversation_idle_timeout.For repeated tool calls, check sn_aia.continuous_tool_execution_limit. Where AI agents appear in the flow of work Workspaces (Now Assist panel): Get guided summaries, next-best actions, resolution steps, or knowledge article suggestions next to your ticket.Virtual Agent: Ask questions in natural language and let AI agents run predefined steps, look up answers, or start flows. Tips for success Use clear names and roles. For example, name an agent Categorize ITSM incidents rather than General helper.Keep the toolset minimal. Include only the tools the agent truly needs.Iterate. Use the save and test flow frequently, and adjust instructions based on results.Align with the workspace lifecycle. Coordinate with admins when protected UI actions or client scripts require changes. 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