ServiceNow MCP Server

Overview

The ServiceNow MCP Server enables AI agents to interact with ServiceNow instances through natural language. It provides secure API access for searching records, managing incidents, updating scripts, and performing IT service management operations without requiring deep knowledge of ServiceNow query syntax.

Key Features

Available Tools

Quick Reference

Detailed Usage

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "natural_language_search",
  arguments: {
    query: "find all high priority incidents about email"
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "natural_language_update",
  arguments: {
    command: "Update incident INC0010001 saying I'm working on it"
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "create_incident",
  arguments: {
    short_description: "Email server not responding",
    description: "Users unable to access email since 9 AM",
    priority: 2,
    category: "network",
    caller_id: "user123"
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "update_incident",
  arguments: {
    sys_id: "abc123def456",
    state: "in_progress",
    assigned_to: "john.doe",
    priority: 1,
    work_notes: "Investigating root cause"
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "search_records",
  arguments: {
    table: "incident",
    query: "network outage",
    fields: ["number", "short_description", "priority", "state"],
    limit: 50
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "get_record",
  arguments: {
    table: "incident",
    sys_id: "abc123def456789"
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "perform_query",
  arguments: {
    table: "incident",
    query: "priority=1^state=2^assigned_toISNOTEMPTY",
    limit: 100
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "add_comment",
  arguments: {
    table: "incident",
    sys_id: "abc123def456",
    comment: "Issue has been resolved. Email service restored."
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "add_work_notes",
  arguments: {
    table: "incident",
    sys_id: "abc123def456",
    work_notes: "Restarted email server. Monitoring for 30 minutes."
  }
});

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "servicenow",
  tool_name: "update_script",
  arguments: {
    script_name: "IncidentUtils",
    script_type: "script_include",
    script_content: "var IncidentUtils = Class.create()..."
  }
});

Available Resources

The ServiceNow MCP server provides resource endpoints for direct context access:

• Incident Listings: Browse and filter incident records
• Specific Incident Details: Retrieve complete incident information
• User Directory: Access user profiles and assignments
• Knowledge Base Articles: Browse knowledge articles
• Table Schema: Inspect table structures and field definitions
• Service Catalog: Access catalog items and categories

Installation

pip install mcp-server-servicenow

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "servicenow": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "mcp_server_servicenow.cli",
        "--url",
        "https://your-instance.service-now.com/",
        "--username",
        "your-username",
        "--password",
        "your-password"
      ]
    }
  }
}

export SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL="https://your-instance.service-now.com/"
export SERVICENOW_USERNAME="your-username"
export SERVICENOW_PASSWORD="your-password"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "servicenow": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_servicenow.cli"],
      "env": {
        "SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL": "${SERVICENOW_INSTANCE_URL}",
        "SERVICENOW_USERNAME": "${SERVICENOW_USERNAME}",
        "SERVICENOW_PASSWORD": "${SERVICENOW_PASSWORD}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication Methods

Basic Authentication

The simplest method using username and password:

python -m mcp_server_servicenow.cli \
  --url "https://your-instance.service-now.com/" \
  --username "your-username" \
  --password "your-password"

Token Authentication

Use a ServiceNow access token for enhanced security:

python -m mcp_server_servicenow.cli \
  --url "https://your-instance.service-now.com/" \
  --token "your-access-token"

OAuth Flow

Configure OAuth credentials for enterprise deployments:

python -m mcp_server_servicenow.cli \
  --url "https://your-instance.service-now.com/" \
  --client-id "your-client-id" \
  --client-secret "your-client-secret" \
  --username "your-username" \
  --password "your-password"

Common Use Cases

Incident Triage

Search and prioritize incidents using natural language:

"Find all critical priority incidents opened today that are unassigned,
then assign them to the appropriate teams based on category"

Service Desk Automation

Automate common service desk operations:

"Create an incident for the password reset request from user john.doe,
set category to account access, priority to medium, and assign to the IAM team"

Knowledge Management

Access and update knowledge base articles:

"Search for knowledge articles about VPN setup and show me the top 5 results
with the most recent updates"

Script Development

Manage ServiceNow scripts from your IDE:

"Update the IncidentNotification business rule with the new email template logic
from my local script file"

ServiceNow Permissions Required

Ensure your ServiceNow user has the following roles for full functionality:

• itil: Basic ITSM operations
• admin: For script management and advanced operations
• rest_api_explorer: API access
• web_service_admin: Web service configuration

For read-only operations, the itil_read role is sufficient.

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If unable to connect to ServiceNow:

1. Verify your instance URL format: https://instance-name.service-now.com/
2. Check that API access is enabled in your ServiceNow instance
3. Confirm your user credentials are correct
4. Ensure your IP is not blocked by ServiceNow IP restrictions

Permission Errors

If receiving permission errors:

1. Verify your user has the required roles
2. Check that the table you're accessing has proper ACLs
3. Ensure API access is granted to your user account

Python Path Issues

If the server doesn't start:

1. Use the absolute path to your Python executable
2. Verify the mcp-server-servicenow package is installed in that Python environment
3. Check Python version is 3.8 or higher: python --version

Advanced Configuration

Custom Table Access

The server can access any ServiceNow table. Common tables include:

• incident - Incident records
• problem - Problem records
• change_request - Change requests
• sc_request - Service catalog requests
• kb_knowledge - Knowledge base articles
• cmdb_ci_* - Configuration items (servers, applications, etc.)
• sys_user - User records

Query Optimization

For large instances, optimize queries with:

• Specific field selection to reduce data transfer
• Limit parameters to control result set size
• Encoded queries for precise filtering
• Index-based sorting for better performance

Sources