ServiceNow | Clearly AI Docs

Overview

Clearly AI connects to ServiceNow using the OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant. In Clearly AI, the ServiceNow credentials are stored as a workspace-level secret and used for integrations across that entire Clearly AI workspace. For this reason, the OAuth client in ServiceNow should be configured on behalf of a dedicated ServiceNow system account (service principal) rather than an individual employee account. The access token issued by ServiceNow represents the OAuth application user you configure, and ServiceNow enforces table/field ACLs for that user on every REST API request.

See the Appendix for guidance on permissions, least-privilege principle, and supported modules.

Instructions

Prerequisites

You will need to be an administrator of your ServiceNow instance to complete all steps.
The OAuth plugin is typically active by default on new and upgraded ServiceNow instances, but it can be inactive in some environments.

Activate the OAuth 2.0 plugin. Instructions: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-security/page/administer/security/task/t_ActivateOAuth.html
Set the OAuth property (com.snc.platform.security.oauth.is.active) to true. Instructions: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-security/page/administer/security/task/t_SetTheOAuthProperty.html

Create a Service Account for Clearly AI

Create or designate a dedicated ServiceNow service account that will represent Clearly AI (for example, clearly_ai_integration), and assign only the roles and permissions required for the data you intend Clearly AI to access. All API access in the client-credentials flow is evaluated as this user.

Enable Client Credentials

To use the client credentials grant type, you must perform the following steps:

Create the glide.oauth.inbound.client.credential.grant_type.enabled system property and set it to true: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-security/page/integrate/authentication/concept/client-credentials.html
Add the OAuth Application User field to the OAuth Entity form if it is not already visible: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-security/page/integrate/authentication/task/add-oauth-application-user.html

Create an OAuth API Endpoint for External Clients

Create an OAuth API Endpoint configured for Client Credentials in the Application Registry. Instructions: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bundle/zurich-platform-security/page/administer/security/task/t_CreateEndpointforExternalClients.html

Navigate to All → System OAuth → Application Registry
Click New and select Create an OAuth API endpoint for external clients.
Complete the form and save. ServiceNow will generate a Client ID and Client Secret for this client.
In the OAuth client record you created, set the default grant type to Client Credentials and set OAuth Application User to the service principal from step 1. This ensures tokens are issued with that user's permissions.

Enter credentials in Clearly AI

In Clearly AI, open the Integrations page and select ServiceNow. Provide:
- Your ServiceNow instance URL (for example, https://yourinstance.service-now.com)
- Client ID
- Client Secret
Click "Test connection" AI to confirm token issuance and basic API access.
Click "Save". The credential is stored securely and is not retrievable after saving. You may delete the credential at any time.

Appendix

Token endpoint used by Clearly AI

Clearly AI requests tokens from the standard ServiceNow token endpoint:

https://<your-instance>.service-now.com/oauth_token.do

Permissions guidance

If you see successful authentication but no records returned for tables you expect to be readable, validate the service principal’s roles and ACL access for those tables and fields, and confirm that the records you are searching for are visible to that account (for example, in environments with domain separation or restrictive table ACLs). The simplest way to confirm whether this is a permissions issue is to temporarily grant read access in a controlled way and re-test, then roll back to least privilege once the required access pattern is understood.

Least-privilege guidance

Because the integration uses a workspace-level secret and operates under a single service principal, it is important to scope permissions deliberately. Customers typically start by confirming read access to the specific tables they care about (for example, incident, change_request, problem, sc_req_item, and kb_knowledge), then tighten roles and ACL rules until the service account has only the minimum access needed for the intended Clearly AI workflows.

Supported Modules

Please keep in mind that availability depends on the modules installed and licensed in your ServiceNow instance and the access controls you set on the OAuth application user’s roles and ACLs. It is normal for some tables to return zero results if the account is not permitted to read them.

The Clearly AI ServiceNow connector supports the following ServiceNow modules out of the box.

IT Service Management records, including incidents, problems, and change requests, as well as general task records (via the Task table).
Service Catalog request records, including requests, requested items, and catalog tasks; the connector can also read requested-item option values where present.
Knowledge Management articles, including knowledge search and article retrieval (knowledge availability depends on the relevant API/plugin being enabled in the instance).
CMDB configuration items.
Users for identity resolution of reference fields.
Attachments, including listing attachments for a record and downloading attachment content through the attachment file endpoint.

ServiceNow area	What Clearly AI accesses	Primary tables/endpoints involved
IT Service Management (ITSM)	Incidents, Problems, Change Requests, and general task records	`incident`, `problem`, `change_request`, `task`
Service Catalog	Requests, Requested Items, and Catalog Tasks; reads item option values for requested items	`sc_request`, `sc_req_item`, `sc_task`, `sc_item_option_mtom`, `sc_item_option`
Knowledge Management	Knowledge articles and knowledge search; may use the specialized KM API when needed	`kb_knowledge`, `/api/sn_km_api/knowledge/articles`
CMDB	Configuration items	`cmdb_ci`
Users	Resolves user fields and looks up users by sys_id or username	`sys_user`
Attachments	Lists and downloads attachments associated with records	`sys_attachment`, `/api/now/attachment/{sys_id}/file`
Additional modules when present	Some record-number patterns map to additional tables if they exist and are permitted	`rm_task`, `rm_story`, `sn_compliance_policy`, `engagement`

The connector can identify record-number prefixes that map to optional tables.

Clearly AI's connection to ServiceNow is built around ServiceNow’s REST APIs: Table API for record retrieval, Attachment API for attachment metadata and file downloads, and Knowledge API for searching and retrieving knowledge articles. These operations enforce that the calling user has sufficient roles to access the requested table data.