Copy Flow (Flow Designer)
copy_flowCopy a ServiceNow Flow into your scoped application for safe modification. Returns the new sys_id and the now-sdk transform command to pull the flow locally.
Instructions
Copy an existing ServiceNow Flow Designer flow into a target scoped application. This is the best-practice first step when you want to modify any flow — OOB (out-of-box) and shared flows should not be modified directly. Copying into your application scope first keeps the original intact and gives you a flow you own and can freely modify.
This tool enables the full AI-assisted flow development lifecycle: copy_flow → pull with 'now-sdk transform' → modify → push → test_flow → publish_flow
The copied flow lands in draft/unpublished state in the target scope with a new sys_id, independent of the source. The tool returns the new flow's sys_id and prints the exact 'now-sdk transform' command to pull it locally.
Use list_scoped_apps to find the target_scope sys_id for your application.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| instance | No | The ServiceNow instance auth alias to use. This is the alias configured via `now-sdk auth --add` (e.g., "myinstance", "prod", "test"). The user will typically refer to this by name when saying things like "on my myinstance instance". If not provided, falls back to the SN_AUTH_ALIAS environment variable. | |
| source_flow_id | Yes | Source flow sys_id (32-char hex) or scoped name (e.g., "global.change__standard"). This is the flow you want to copy. It can be an OOB flow, a flow in global scope, or a flow in any other application scope. | |
| name | Yes | Display name for the newly created flow copy (e.g., "Copy of Change - Standard"). This becomes the flow's name in Flow Designer. | |
| target_scope | Yes | Scope sys_id of the target application to copy the flow into. This must be a sys_id (not a scope name). Use list_scoped_apps to find the sys_id for your application scope. |