Exploring MCP Server Console

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated August 8, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Exploring MCP Server Console

    The Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server Console allows ServiceNow customers to create and manage MCP servers that enable AI applications, such as Microsoft Copilot or Claude, to securely access and interact with data and functionality on a ServiceNow instance. MCP servers communicate with AI clients using a standardized protocol and OAuth 2.0 authentication, exposing configurable tools that define what external resources and actions are available.

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    With MCP Server Console, AI administrators can customize which ServiceNow capabilities are accessible to AI clients, facilitating automation and enhanced employee experiences through AI-driven queries and actions.

    Key Features

    • Create and configure MCP servers: Set up servers that expose selected tools for different use cases (e.g., IT, HR).
    • Create tools based on existing capabilities: Build tools from Now Assist skills or other functionalities to define accessible data and actions.
    • OAuth 2.0 inbound integrations: Securely control client access to MCP servers on the instance.
    • Preconfigured Quickstart Server: Provides ready-to-use tools for incident and case record lookup and summarization, helping administrators quickly get started.
    • Cross-instance access: Use the ServiceNow MCP Client to allow AI applications on one instance to interact with servers on another instance.
    • AI Gateway integration: Enables monitoring and metrics tracking of MCP server access and tool usage via AI Control Tower.

    Practical Workflow for AI Administrators

    • Identify the desired instance functionality to expose to AI clients.
    • Use the Quickstart Server or create custom MCP servers and tools tailored to specific workflows or client needs.
    • Configure OAuth inbound integrations for secure client authentication.
    • Provide clients with server and authentication details to enable connection and access.
    • Employees use AI clients to request data or perform actions on the ServiceNow instance through the MCP server.

    Key Outcomes

    • Enables seamless integration of AI applications with ServiceNow instances using a standardized protocol.
    • Empowers administrators to control and secure what data and functionality AI clients can access.
    • Facilitates automation and enhanced employee productivity by allowing AI clients to query information and trigger actions such as summarizing incidents or cases.
    • Provides a streamlined onboarding experience with the Quickstart Server and monitoring capabilities through AI Gateway.

    Learn about how you can use Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers to allow AI applications to access data and perform actions on a ServiceNow instance.

    MCP Server Console overview

    The Model Context Protocol defines a standard method of communication between large language models (LLMs) and external systems, such as a ServiceNow instance. AI applications connect to an external system from an MCP client, such as an AI agent, using an MCP server. The server tells the client which external resources it can access and how to access them. Then, from an MCP client, users can request information from the server and automate functionality using the available tools and data that the server returns. For general information about the Model Context Protocol and MCP terminology, see the Model Context Protocol documentation on the modelcontextprotocol.io website.

    With MCP Server Console, you can create MCP servers on an instance and configure the tools that they expose or use a preconfigured Quickstart Server. Tools define which functionality and data a server exposes to clients and the actions that can be performed on an instance by clients. You can create tools based on existing capabilities, such as Now Assist skills.

    Then any AI application, such as Microsoft Copilot or Claude, can call a server from a client using OAuth 2.0 authentication and get a list of available tools. With these tools, employees using MCP clients can prompt the server for information from the instance or to perform an action on the instance, such as to summarize a list of recently closed incidents or cases. You can also use the ServiceNow Model Context Protocol Client to let an AI application on one instance access tools from an MCP server on another instance.

    MCP Server Console users

    User Description
    AI administrator AI administrators can create MCP servers and configure which tools they expose to MCP clients. They also create OAuth inbound integrations on the instance for each client and configure clients with the server and authentication details.

    MCP Server Console workflow

    The following infographic shows the workflow for AI administrators to get started managing MCP servers with MCP Server Console.

    Figure 1. Managing MCP servers with MCP Server Console
    Process for managing MCP servers on a ServiceNow instance and connecting to a server from an MCP client in an AI application. For details, refer to the following description.
    1. As an AI administrator, you identify which functionality on an instance to access from an external MCP client and employee experience.
    2. You can use the preconfigured Quickstart Server or create an MCP server with the appropriate tools to use the desired functionality.

      You can create one or more servers that expose different tools for different use cases, such as for HR or IT workflows, or for different clients.

    3. If needed, you can create additional tools from Now Assist skills and configure which fields are exposed to clients and then add the tools to servers.
    4. You create OAuth inbound integrations for each client to secure access to servers on an instance.
    5. You configure clients to connect to a server using the server and OAuth inbound integration details.

      Then the client calls the server, which validates the OAuth token and responds with the list of tools available for use with the server.

    6. Employees use clients, such as AI agents, to prompt the server for data from the instance or to perform an action on the instance.
    Note:
    With AI Gateway in AI Control Tower, AI administrators can monitor MCP server access and view metrics for servers and their tools. For more information, see AI Gateway.

    MCP Server Console benefits

    Benefit Feature Users
    Integrate with any AI application and MCP client using a standard protocol. Create a Model Context Protocol server AI administrator
    Control which tools and fields are exposed to MCP clients. Create a tool for a Model Context Protocol server AI administrator
    Securely access functionality from a ServiceNow instance in any external employee experience. Configure an MCP client to connect to an MCP server AI administrator

    Quickstart Server in MCP Server Console

    MCP Server Console includes a preconfigured Quickstart Server to help you get started learning about MCP servers and connecting MCP clients to a ServiceNow instance. The Quickstart Server includes tools for looking up and summarizing incident and case records.

    Table 1. Quickstart Server tools
    Name Description
    Case summarization Get a summary of details in a case record generated by Now Assist.
    Incident summarization Get a summary of details in an incident record generated by Now Assist.
    Look up Case Records Look up case records to enable summarizing them with the Case Summarization tool.
    Look up Incident Records Look up incident records to enable summarizing them with Incident summarization tool.

    What to explore next

    To learn more about configuring and using MCP Server Console, see: