Connect Claude to your ServiceNow instances

Óptimo MCP gives Claude hundreds of tools to query, diagnose and administer your ServiceNow instances: read and change records, the CMDB, the catalog, flows, automated tests, the knowledge base, users and their permissions, MID Servers and what you build, and it remembers your work from one conversation to the next. Each person registers their own instances, and their credentials are stored encrypted on the server.

The admin panel is currently available in Spanish; this guide shows each step.

1. Requirements

• A ServiceNow instance (PDI, development or production) reachable over HTTPS.
• A technical user on that instance with the admin role or, at minimum, rest_api_explorer plus the x_mcp_bridge.executor and x_mcp_bridge.script_runner roles once the bridge is installed.
• An account on the https://mcp.optimotech.co panel. Accounts are created by invitation from the service operator.
• Claude (web, desktop or Claude Code) with custom connector support.

2. Create your account and register an instance

1. Open the invitation link you received, choose your email and password, and set up two-step verification.
2. Sign in to the panel and go to Mis instancias > Nueva (My instances > New).
3. At the top of the form, enter a name (for example Acme desarrollo) and the instance address, Dirección de la instancia (the subdomain is enough, for example acme). You do not need to type an identifier: it is generated from the name (acme-desarrollo) and you can change it under Opciones avanzadas (advanced options). In Claude you can refer to the instance by its name or by its identifier.
4. Under Credenciales (credentials), choose the authentication method (Usuario y contraseña, user and password, to start) and enter the technical user and its password. Cómo prepararlo (how to set it up), next to the method, explains what to create in ServiceNow.
5. Under Uso (usage), choose Consultas y cambios (queries and changes) if Claude will create or modify records; by default it stays on Solo consultas (queries only). Check Es una instancia de producción (it is a production instance) if it applies: it asks to confirm the instance before every change and blocks direct application deployments.
6. If you want to check the details first, click Probar antes de guardar (test before saving): the panel validates the credentials without saving anything.
7. Click Crear (create). Saving also tests the connection and tells you which user it signed in as or what failed; the password is encrypted at that moment and is never shown again.

3. Connect from Claude

Before you start: you need Claude Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. On Team or Enterprise, ask the organization owner to add the connector.

1. In Claude go to Settings > Connectors and click Add custom connector.
2. Type a name (for example "ServiceNow MCP") and the URL https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp. No client ID or secret is needed.
3. When you click Connect, the https://mcp.optimotech.co authorization screen opens. Sign in with your panel account and click Autorizar conexión (Authorize connection).
4. You return to Claude with the connector added. In a new chat, open the tools menu and turn on “ServiceNow MCP”.

Other MCP clients

They all use the same URL and register themselves through OAuth: when you connect, the https://mcp.optimotech.co authorization screen opens. After editing a configuration file, quit and reopen the client.

claude mcp add --transport http servicenow https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "servicenow": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp" }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "servicenow": { "url": "https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp" }
  }
}

{
  "servers": {
    "servicenow": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp" }
  }
}

codex mcp add servicenow --url https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp
codex mcp login servicenow

[mcp_servers.servicenow]
url = "https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp"

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "servicenow": { "httpUrl": "https://mcp.optimotech.co/mcp" }
  }
}

With a token from the operator

If the operator gave you an access token instead of using OAuth, add the header Authorization: Bearer <your-token> to the client configuration. In Claude Code: --header "Authorization: Bearer <your-token>".

If the operator enabled the IP allowlist and the client answers 403, your network is not authorized: ask a panel administrator to add it (you will see your IP in "Connect my client").

4. First queries

Write what you need as you would ask a person. Before answering, Claude activates the instance you name and reviews what is already known about it; you do not need to ask. You can write in English or Spanish.

• Use my “Acme desarrollo” instance and tell me how many open incidents there are. The first query to check that everything works.
• Review the CMDB quality on Acme desarrollo and tell me which servers look duplicated. Reviews CMDB quality and looks for duplicates.
• Describe the incident table: mandatory fields, references and the choices of the state field. Reads the table structure and remembers it for next time.
• Diagnose the "Access request" catalog item and suggest improvements to its variables and UI policies. Reviews the item, its variables and its policies.
• Create an assignment rule on incident that sets the group by category; show me the plan first. Shows you the plan and creates the rule inside an update set.
• Remember that on this instance the default group is "Service Desk". Saves it as a preference for that instance.
• Where is getUserGroups used in the instance code? Give me the line of each use. Searches business rules, script includes, client scripts, widgets, UI pages and more.
• What changed in the "STRY0012 alta" update set compared with the previous version of each artifact? Compares each artifact; secrets are never shown.
• Review the quality of the scripts and ACLs of the x_acme application and sort the findings by severity. Read only; each finding comes with its recommendation.
• Give me the incident MTTR and backlog for the last 30 days by assignment group. CSM and HR have statistics and work queues too.

5. Security and permissions

Two-step verification

1. The first time you sign in you choose the method: an authenticator app (recommended), a passkey (your device or phone fingerprint or face, 1Password or a hardware key) or a code sent to your email.
2. With a passkey you do not type codes: your browser asks you to confirm with your fingerprint, face or key. You can register several in My profile.
3. With the app, the panel shows a QR code: scan it with any code app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, 1Password, Authy or another) and enter the 6-digit code it shows. You get 10 single-use backup codes (also with a passkey): keep them somewhere safe, they are not shown again. You can download them as a PDF protected with your account password.
4. With email, we send you a 6-digit code every time you sign in. You can switch to the app at any time from My profile.
5. After you enter the code, that browser does not ask for it again for 8 hours, even if you sign out (only your password). After that it asks again; your organization can adjust the period.

It cannot be turned off from your account. Every activation or reset is emailed to you; if it was not you, write to us right away.

6. Óptimo Chat inside ServiceNow

Óptimo Chat is an assistant you install inside your instance from the panel. Each person uses it with their own ServiceNow user: they only see and do what their roles allow, and every change (create, update, close) asks for confirmation before it runs. You choose the AI model and pay for it with your own key: Claude API (default), Claude in Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI, Azure OpenAI or an OpenAI-compatible service.

Install it

1. The instance must be registered with username and password or instance OAuth (not API key or per-user OAuth), and that user needs the admin role.
2. In the panel open the instance page and its Óptimo Chat tab. Review the pre-check result.
3. Choose the provider, suggested models, profiles and usage limits, and click Instalar (Install). The installation runs in the background and shows its progress; you can close the page.
4. In ServiceNow go to Workflow Studio > Integrations > Connections, open Óptimo Chat - Proveedor de IA and paste your provider key (the panel gives you the direct link to the credential). With Azure OpenAI or a compatible service also fill in the endpoint and the models. The key is never entered in the panel.
5. Back in the panel click Probar conexión (Test connection): it tests the model of each profile and, if they answer, the status changes to active.
6. Give each person the x_<prefix>_mcpchat.chat_user role (their incidents, requests, catalog, knowledge and approvals) or x_<prefix>_mcpchat.chat_admin (administrative queries and changes). The chat appears in the Óptimo Chat menu and in the portal: as a floating button on every page or embedded on the home page, as chosen when installing. The Estado del chat (chat status) page shows the Óptimo MCP status and monthly usage to people with chat_admin; to see the AI connection they also need connection_admin and credential_admin.

Limits worth knowing

7. Licenses and branding

When you connect an instance, Óptimo MCP reads its subscriptions in Subscription Management (read only) and the branding it shows: name, logo, theme colors and portals. With that Claude knows which modules your instance is licensed for, warns you before using one that could create true-up costs and builds reports with your colors and logo.

8. Modules by product

ServiceNow products you can ask Claude about. If your instance does not have the product installed, Claude tells you what is missing and what to use instead. If it is not in your licenses, it still works and warns you about a possible extra cost (true-up).

9. Support

• Email: [email protected] (English or Spanish)
• Quick diagnosis: ask Claude “test the connection to my instance” or “check the Óptimo MCP component on my instance”. It tells you whether it connects, how long it takes, which roles are missing and whether the component is up to date.
• 403 when connecting: your network is not in the IP allowlist or the token expired. Ask an administrator to authorize your IP or reconnect the connector.
• Claude says “plugin not installed”: your instance does not have that ServiceNow application; the answer names it.