---
sourceDocument: Australia Build workflows
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/build-workflows

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia Build workflows

ft:clusterId :

    - crworkflow

bundleId :

    - crworkflow

workflow :

    - Creator


---

# Action error evaluation

# Action error evaluation {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read

Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Action Error Evaluation

Action error evaluation in ServiceNow enables you to catch failures within individual action steps while allowing the overall action to continue running.
This feature lets you identify specific error conditions and define custom action status codes, messages, and error states.
It enhances error handling by giving flow designers more control and detailed information to manage failures effectively.
Show full answer Show less  

## Key Features

* **Step Failure Handling:** Choose to continue running subsequent steps despite a failure or direct the flow to error evaluation.
* **Step Status Data Pills:** Access runtime details like step error codes (0 for success, 1 for error) and system-generated messages for each step.
* **Custom Error Conditions:** Define multiple error conditions to specify when an action returns an error state, along with custom status codes and messages.
* **Error Evaluation Logic:** The action evaluates error conditions top-down, returning the status of the first matching condition or the last step if none match.
* **Action Status Data Pills:** Retrieve the overall action status code and message, either from custom error conditions or the last executed step.

## Practical Configuration Components

* **Error Evaluation Section:** Contains the list of error conditions evaluated during action execution.
* **Add Error Condition Option:** Allows creation of new error conditions, each behaving like an "else if" flow block where only one condition applies at a time.
* **Error Condition Settings:** Configure labels, matching criteria, error states, status codes, and messages for each condition to tailor error handling.

## Guidelines for Effective Use

* Allow only independent steps to continue running to avoid failures in dependent downstream steps.
* Limit error conditions to fewer than 10 for optimal performance, as each condition adds evaluation overhead.
* Use Step Status information to identify specific failing steps, especially when multiple similar steps exist.
* Order error conditions from specific to general to ensure correct matching and handling.
* Use descriptive labels for error conditions to easily recognize their purpose without editing.

## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

By implementing action error evaluation, you gain enhanced control over action execution and error handling within your flows. This leads to improved reliability by catching and managing errors gracefully, detailed error reporting for troubleshooting, and the ability to implement corrective actions based on specific failure scenarios. Ultimately, this empowers flow designers to build more resilient and maintainable automation workflows.  
Enable actions to catch step failures and continue running. Identify when specific error conditions occur and return your own action status code, status message, and error state.

## Benefits {#action-error-evaluation__section_fn1_zbn_hpb}

Enable action error evaluation to gain these benefits.

* Catch step failures and allow an action to continue running. Specify the failure behavior of each step you add to an action.
* Create your own error conditions. Specify when an action returns an error state as well as the status codes and messages they return.
* Provide more error handling information and options to flow designers. Use your own action status codes and messages to identify issues and provide details for corrective actions.
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## Action error evaluation step components {#action-error-evaluation__section_jj4_p3s_jpb}

Each step offers these error evaluation components.  
Figure 1. Error evaluation step components

1. If this step fails option
:   Option to continue running the next step or go to error evaluation. This option has no
    effect on the Step Status.

2. Step Status
:   Object data pill containing runtime details about the step. Each step in an action
    returns a Step Status.

3. Step Status \> Code
:   Integer data pill indicating whether the step produced an error. A step returns a value of 1 when it produces an error for any reason. For example, a step can produce an error if it is missing mandatory input data or
    returns output in the wrong data type. A step returns a value of 0 when it runs successfully. You cannot customize these codes.

4. Step Status \> Message
:   String data pill containing the error message produced by the step or system
    operation. You cannot customize the step status message.

## Action error evaluation configuration components {#action-error-evaluation__section_cns_t14_mpb}

Action error evaluation consists of these configuration components.  
Figure 2. Error evaluation configuration components

5. Error Evaluation section
    : Section containing possible error conditions. When an action runs, it evaluates the available error conditions from top to bottom looking for a possible match. An action returns the Action Status specified by the first matching error condition. If there is no matching error condition, the Action status is set to the Step Status of the last step run.  
    Note:  
    Data stream actions have an error evaluation section for REST, SOAP, and JDBC steps. For more information see [Data Stream actions and pagination](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=data-stream-actions&version=australia&pubname=australia-integrate-applications&ft:locale=en-US).

6. Add error condition option
:   Option to add an error condition. Each error condition is equivalent to an else if
    flow logic block. Only one error condition can be true at a time.

7. Error condition configuration
:   Options available to configure an error condition.

    * Label you want to use to identify this error condition
    * Conditions that must be met to match this error condition
    * Error state you want the action to return to flow
    * Action Status Code you want the action to return to flow
    * Action Status Message you want the action to return to flow
    {#action-error-evaluation__ul_dzc_h4n_mpb}

8. Action Status
:   Object data pill containing runtime details about the action. An action always returns
    an Action Status.

9. Action Status \> Code
:   Integer data pill containing the code returned by the first matching error condition
    or the last step run. You can return your own code when you create a custom error
    condition.

10. Action Status \> Message
:   String data pill containing the message produced by a matching error condition or the
    last step run. You can return your own message when you create a custom error
    condition.

## Flow and action error handling resources {#action-error-evaluation__id_o5h_rn3_xcc}

For more information about using error handling in actions and flows, see the ServiceNow® Community post [Flow and Action Error Handling Overview: Why and how to test for errors - Worfklow Automation CoE](https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/flow-and-action-error-handling-overview-why-and-how-to-test-for/ta-p/2877891).

* [Flow and Action Error Handling Level 1: Retry and Action Error Evaluation - Workflow Automation CoE](https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/flow-and-action-error-handling-level-1-retry-and-action-error/ta-p/2877930)
* [Flow and Action Error Handling Level 2: Flow Logic - Workflow Automation CoE](https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/flow-and-action-error-handling-level-2-flow-logic-workflow/ta-p/2877963)
* [Flow and Action Error Handling Level 3: Flow Error Handling - Workflow Automation CoE](https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/flow-and-action-error-handling-level-3-flow-error-handling/ta-p/2877970)
* [Flow and Action Error Handling Level 4: Good Practices and Summary - Workflow Automation CoE](https://www.servicenow.com/community/workflow-automation-articles/flow-and-action-error-handling-level-4-good-practices-and/ta-p/2877996)
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## General guidelines {#action-error-evaluation__id_tk3_hvb_ptb}

Follow these general guidelines to achieve the benefits offered by action error evaluation.

Allow only independent steps to continue running
:   Allow a step to continue running if it does not return data required by a later step. If a step provides data necessary for later steps, then you know that the later steps cannot run successfully.

Avoid more than 10 error conditions
:   While there is no limit to the number of error conditions you can create, each error condition requires evaluation. The more error conditions your action has to evaluate, the potentially slower your action can run.

Identify specific step failures
:   You can use the Step Status to identify when a specific step fails.
    Identifying a specific step can be useful when your action contains multiple instances of the same type of step. You may also want to identify a specific step so that a flow error handler can take specific corrective
    actions for the failure.

Put specific error conditions before general error conditions
:   Error evaluation stops when the action finds a matching error condition. Putting general error conditions first may prevent the action from ever matching specific error conditions.

Use descriptive error condition labels
:   Identify an error condition without having to edit it. By default, you can only see error conditions when you edit them.
* **[Add error condition](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/CU6LaOkAn4DxyTVZr7GTFw)**   
  Enable an action to return custom status information when specific conditions are met. Specify whether a flow considers your custom action status as an error or a successful run.