ServiceNow HRSD MCP server

Integrate ServiceNow HR Service Delivery with AI agents to automate HR case management, employee lifecycle events, document generation, and self-service requests. An AI agent connected to HRSD can create HR cases, manage onboarding and offboarding, generate employment documents, publish policy articles, track leave balances, and generate reports—all from natural language requests. Use this for automating HR workflows, employee onboarding, benefits administration, self-service enablement, or compliance reporting.

Setting up an MCP server

This article covers the standard steps for creating an MCP server in AI Gateway and connecting it to an AI client. The steps are the same for every integration — application-specific details (API credentials, OAuth endpoints, and scopes) are covered in the individual application pages.

Before you begin

You'll need:

• Access to AI Gateway with permission to create MCP servers
• API credentials for the application you're connecting (see the relevant application page for what to collect)

Create an MCP server

Find the API in the catalog

1. Sign in to AI Gateway and select MCP Servers from the left navigation.
2. Select New MCP Server.
3. Search for the application you want to connect, then select it from the catalog.

Configure the server

1. Enter a Name for your server — something descriptive that identifies both the application and its purpose (for example, "Zendesk Support — Prod").
2. Enter a Description so your team knows what the server is for.
3. Set the Timeout value. 30 seconds works for most APIs; increase to 60 seconds for APIs that return large payloads.
4. Toggle Production mode on if this server will be used in a live workflow.
5. Select Next.

Configure authentication

Enter the authentication details for the application. This varies by service — see the Authentication section of the relevant application page for the specific credentials, OAuth URLs, and scopes to use.

Configure security

1. Set any Rate limits appropriate for your use case and the API's own limits.
2. Enable Logging if you want AI Gateway to record requests and responses for auditing.
3. Select Next.

Deploy

Review the summary, then select Deploy. AI Gateway provisions the server and provides a server URL you'll use when configuring your AI client.

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Connect to an AI client

Once your server is deployed, you'll need to add it to the AI client your team uses. Select your client for setup instructions:

• Claude Desktop
• Claude Code
• Cursor
• VS Code
• Windsurf

Tips

• You can create multiple MCP servers for the same application — for example, a read-only server for reporting agents and a read-write server for automation workflows.
• If you're unsure which OAuth scopes to request, start with the minimum read-only set and add write scopes only when needed. Most application pages include scope recommendations.
• You can edit a server's name, description, timeout, and security settings after deployment without redeploying.

Authentication

HRSD integration uses OAuth 2.0 authentication. When you register an OAuth application in your ServiceNow instance, you'll receive authorization and token endpoints in the pattern https://{instance}.service-now.com/oauth_auth.do and https://{instance}.service-now.com/oauth_token.do. You'll need your client ID and client secret to configure the MCP server. ServiceNow OAuth uses a default scope called useraccount which provides access to user account information and standard API operations across the HRSD module.

Available tools

These tools enable HR case management, employee lifecycle operations, document generation, knowledge publishing, and HR analytics.

Tool	Description
Create HR case	Create a new employee request or inquiry
Get case	Retrieve details for a specific HR case
Update case	Modify case status or add notes
List cases	Query HR cases with filtering
Create onboarding	Start new hire onboarding workflow
Get onboarding	Retrieve onboarding task status
Create document request	Request employment verification or letters
Generate document	Create custom HR documents
Get leave balance	Check employee remaining vacation/sick days
Request time off	Submit a leave request
Publish article	Create or update HR knowledge articles
Search articles	Find policy or benefits information
Get employee	Retrieve employee record details
Update employee	Modify employee information
Create task	Assign HR-related follow-up tasks
List tasks	Get pending HR tasks or assignments

Tips

Create standardized HR case templates for common requests like benefits changes or leave requests.

Publish policy articles in plain language so employees understand requirements without HR assistance.

Use consistent employee ID formats so the agent can reliably retrieve records.

Generate documents for common requests like employment letters automatically to reduce HR turnaround times.

Track leave balances in real time so the agent can answer employee questions immediately.