ServiceNow SDK Setup

The ServiceNow SDK (now-sdk) CLI scaffolds, builds, and deploys Fluent DSL applications. Use this skill for any SDK installation, project creation, authentication, or environment validation task.

Reference Files

Read only the file relevant to your task. Do not pre-load references at session start.

File	When to read
references/setup-workflows.md	When scaffolding a new project, configuring auth, converting an existing app, or diagnosing environment issues
references/auth-profiles.md	When configuring Basic or OAuth auth, managing named aliases, or passing --auth to commands
references/init-templates.md	When choosing a project template or passing non-interactive init flags
references/convert-existing-app.md	When converting an existing application from XML metadata or Update Set
references/third-party-libraries.md	When adding npm packages to an SDK project
references/js-modules-types.md	When using JS modules in src/server/, TypeScript in server-side modules, or @servicenow/glide type definitions
references/cli-reference.md	When looking up auth, init, build, install, download, or dependencies command flags

Scripts

Script	When to use
scripts/check-environment.sh	When validating the developer environment before starting SDK work. Use --offline in CI pipelines.

Hard Rules

1. Read before advising. Always read references/setup-workflows.md before giving setup instructions. Do not rely on memory for command syntax — SDK commands change between versions.
2. Use now-sdk auth --add, not auth save or login. auth save does not exist. login is deprecated. The correct command is now-sdk auth --add <url> --alias <name>.
3. Always use a named alias. Use now-sdk auth --add <url> --alias dev — aliases allow multiple instances.
4. Never pick a template without understanding the use case. Follow the discovery flow in the scaffold behavior below. Default to typescript.basic only as a last resort after two unanswered prompts.
5. The scope prefix comes from now.config.json. When helping with Fluent DSL code after setup, tell the user to activate the sn-sdk-fluent skill.
6. Never run install without a successful build first. now-sdk install deploys whatever is in dist/. Running it without a prior now-sdk build silently pushes stale or missing artifacts. Build must complete cleanly before deploy.
7. Always verify auth before deploying. OAuth tokens expire silently. Run now-sdk auth --list and confirm the correct alias is active before every deploy. A mid-deploy auth failure is confusing and hard to diagnose.
8. sys_app.do is the app record, not the running UI. After deploy, the link in the install output points to the app record. The live UI URL is the endpoint value defined in the UiPage() call in the .now.ts source — e.g. https://<instance>.service-now.com/<endpoint>.do.

Behavior by Task Type

New project scaffold

Read references/setup-workflows.md and references/init-templates.md first, then follow this flow:

Step 1 — Instance URL If not already provided, ask:

"What's your ServiceNow instance URL? (e.g. https://dev12345.service-now.com)"

Step 2 — Auth

• Recommend OAuth. Ask: "OAuth (recommended) or Basic auth?"
• Important: OAuth requires interactive terminal input — Claude Code cannot handle this. See references/cli-reference.md → auth --add (token refresh) for the Terminal workaround.
• Once they confirm auth succeeded, verify with: now-sdk auth --list

Step 3 — What to build Ask one question with examples to guide the answer:

"What are you building? For example:

• Business rules, script includes, flows, Service Portal widgets → typescript.basic
• App with a custom React UI page → typescript.react
• App with a custom Vue UI page → typescript.vue"

• If they answer → map to the right template, state your reasoning in one sentence, confirm with user, then scaffold.
• If no answer → ask once more: "Does it need a custom UI, or is it server-side only?"
• If still no answer → use typescript.basic and say: "Going with typescript.basic — works for everything server-side. You can add React later with partial.typescript.react."

Step 4 — Scaffold

now-sdk init \
  --template <chosen-template> \
  --appName "<App Name>" \
  --packageName <package-name> \
  --scopeName <x_scope_name> \
  --auth dev

Then: npm install

Step 5 — Hand off

"Project ready. Activate the sn-sdk-fluent skill to start writing .now.ts files."

---

Authentication setup (standalone)

1. Read references/setup-workflows.md section 2 (Configure Authentication)
2. Determine Basic vs OAuth — recommend OAuth
3. For full flag reference and alias management, read references/auth-profiles.md.
4. OAuth requires interactive terminal input — Claude Code cannot handle this. See references/cli-reference.md → auth --add (token refresh) for the Terminal workaround.
5. Verify with: now-sdk auth --list

Convert existing application

1. Read references/setup-workflows.md section 3 (Convert Existing Application)
2. For full 5-step workflow with gotchas, read references/convert-existing-app.md.
3. Walk through the full workflow: init --from → transform → build → install

Build & Deploy

Pre-deploy checklist — always run through this first:

1. now-sdk auth --list → confirm the correct alias is marked as default
2. Ensure source changes are saved and complete
3. Run build — it must succeed cleanly before proceeding

The sequence — never skip or reorder:

npm run build    # now-sdk build — type-check + bundle
npm run deploy   # now-sdk install — push artifacts to instance

Post-deploy verification — always confirm the right version landed:

1. Open https://<instance>.service-now.com/sys_app.do?sys_id=<scopeId> (scopeId is in now.config.json)
2. Confirm version matches what you just deployed
3. Confirm state is Active
4. If either is wrong, check sys_app_install_log on the instance for errors

Finding the live UI URL after deploy: The install output shows a sys_app.do link — that is the app record, not the running UI. To get the live URL:

1. Open the UiPage() definition in your .now.ts source file
2. Read the endpoint value (e.g. x_snc_myapp_portal.do)
3. Live URL: https://<instance>.service-now.com/<endpoint>.do

Targeting a specific instance:

now-sdk install --auth <alias>   # override the default alias

Common failures and fixes:

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Auth error mid-deploy	Expired OAuth token	OAuth token refresh requires interactive input — see references/cli-reference.md → auth --add (token refresh) for the Terminal workaround, then retry deploy.
"Could not determine app installation status"	Upload processor returns no tracker ID; SDK's sys_upgrade_history poll times out after 30s	Use --reinstall: now-sdk install --auth <alias> --reinstall. This uninstalls first, then reinstalls cleanly via the tracker path.
Install succeeds but UI shows old code	Build was skipped or stale	Re-run npm run build then npm run deploy
Type-check error blocks build	TypeScript error in source	Fix the error reported — do not bypass
Scope conflict on install	Another app owns the scope	Check sys_app for conflicting scope, resolve before retrying

---

Environment validation

1. Direct user to run scripts/check-environment.sh --offline (if in CI) or without flag (to also check connectivity)
2. Interpret the JSON output and explain any failed checks