ServiceNow MCP

What it is

ServiceNow's official MCP option is MCP Server Console, an application on the ServiceNow AI Platform that lets an AI administrator create Model Context Protocol servers on a ServiceNow instance and choose the tools each server exposes. External AI applications then connect with OAuth 2.0 and call those tools. ServiceNow's docs name Microsoft Copilot and Claude as examples of AI applications that can use it, and a separate ServiceNow Model Context Protocol Client lets an AI agent on one instance use tools from an MCP server on another instance.

It is not a single fixed server. You can use the preconfigured Quickstart Server or build several servers, for example one for HR and one for IT, each with its own tools and fields. ServiceNow documents MCP Server Console for the Zurich, Australia and Brazil releases and distributes it through the ServiceNow Store as the Model Context Protocol Server app, sold by ServiceNow. As of October 2026 the Store listing names Brazil Patch 1, Australia Patch 7 and Zurich Patch 13 as compatible with the latest version (released October 8, 2026), and lists older Australia, Zurich and Yokohama Patch 11 builds for earlier versions.

Tools it exposes

The Quickstart Server comes with four tools, and which ones work depends on installed applications such as ServiceNow Otto for ITSM or for CSM:

• Look up Incident Records and Incident summarization
• Look up Case Records and Case summarization

Beyond the Quickstart Server, administrators create their own tools, and ServiceNow says existing ACLs, role-based permissions and field-level security still apply to every tool call. ServiceNow's release notes list tool sources as Now Assist skills, Subflows, Actions, REST APIs and Knowledge Graphs. For Now Assist skill tools you choose which fields become tool inputs. Admins can also set tool annotations, which appear in the tools/list response so clients such as Claude can apply permission policies, and can build MCP apps that give tools an interactive interface in supporting clients.

How clients connect

ServiceNow documents these connection details for any MCP client:

The client sends the token as Authorization: Bearer <token>, and once the server validates it, the client receives the tool list. If your client supports Client ID Metadata Document (CIMD) registration, ServiceNow lets you use a CIMD URL in place of a client ID, with no client secret.

Setup

1. Activate a Now Assist application. ServiceNow's release notes say MCP Server Console becomes available once a Now Assist application is activated, and point to its Generative AI Controller and ServiceNow Otto plugin install guides.
2. Create a server or use the Quickstart Server in All > MCP Server Console, and add tools.
3. Create an OAuth inbound integration for each client (roles oauth_admin, mi_admin or admin). Choose OAuth - Authorization code grant, enter the client's redirect URL, leave "Allow access only to APIs in selected scope" cleared (ServiceNow warns that otherwise clients cannot fetch tools) and set Token Format to JWT. From the Australia release, Client Authorizations let you register OAuth clients inside MCP Server Console.
4. Configure the client with the server URL, client ID, client secret and the OAuth URLs above. ServiceNow lists sn_mcp_server.viewer as the role required for this step.

ServiceNow's client page gives a generic settings table and a worked example with its own MCP Client in AI Agent Studio, but no step-by-step guide for third-party apps, so for Claude, Cursor or other tools you enter the values above in that client's remote server settings. Since the server runs on your instance and clients reach it over HTTPS, it fits with other remote MCP server options.

Limits

• Only stateless, remote servers are supported, and MCP resources and prompts are not.
• Stdio transport is not supported.
• The MCP rate limit is not configurable. Changing it needs a service restart through your ServiceNow representative.
• From Brazil patch 1, Australia patch 7 and Zurich patch 13, requests over 26 KB and responses over 64 KB return "too big" errors.
• Tools built for the Moveworks Quickstart Server can only be added to that server.

Monitoring and troubleshooting

AI Gateway in AI Control Tower shows server and tool access metrics. The Australia release adds an MCP Server monitoring dashboard and an Agentic Usage Overview dashboard for record access and flow runs from inbound agentic connections. ServiceNow's troubleshooting notes: an empty response usually means an ACL problem on the tool, a 401 means you need a new token, and a 403 means the user or client lacks the role or ACL access.

Who it is for

ServiceNow administrators and platform teams who want employees' AI assistants to look up and summarize incidents and cases, or to run approved flows and REST APIs, without handing out broad API access. Before you open your instance to an agent, read what to check before installing an MCP server.

Pricing

As of October 2026, the ServiceNow Store lists the Model Context Protocol Server app as Paid and says AI Native SKUs of any tier or ProPlus are required to use MCP Server Console. No price is published. The release notes add that it becomes available once a Now Assist application is activated, and describe three AI licensing tiers: Foundation, Advanced and Prime.

Alternatives

• Atlassian MCP if your service desk runs on Jira Service Management and Confluence.
• Zendesk MCP server for customer support tickets in Zendesk.
• Salesforce MCP server if your case management lives in Salesforce.

What we could not verify

• ServiceNow does not publish a price for MCP Server Console or for the SKUs the Store listing requires.
• The official MCP Registry search on 2026-10-27 returned only community ServiceNow servers, none published by ServiceNow.

Sources

• MCP Server Console release notes (Brazil): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/release-notes/mcp-server-console-rn.html
• Combined release notes, Zurich to Australia: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/m4LmCVvkm6_8u3nlIuep5Q/R2FqVElXSlkQVeSMTWxt5g
• Exploring MCP Server Console (Australia): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/XRgEFx7nPN6ciT_BBIvnbg/2BiwRS6tDvwkgb8vVlIXcw
• Configure an MCP client to connect to an MCP server (Brazil): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/intelligent-experiences/configure-client-connect-server.html
• Create an OAuth inbound integration for an MCP client (Zurich): https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/SRy58xeijUUqttfwLgfrHQ/D9ty3x1dEqYHa_4h5LDOSA
• ServiceNow Store, Model Context Protocol Server: https://store.servicenow.com/store/app/6e521bf447713e9482f632c4f16d434e