Update Sets

Contents

snow updateset

Manage ServiceNow update sets from the CLI — list, inspect, export, import, and diff. Also available as snow us.

Command Description
snow updateset list List update sets on the instance
snow updateset current Show the currently active update set
snow updateset set <name> Set the active update set
snow updateset show <name> Show details and all captured items
snow updateset capture <name> --add <table:sys_id> Add specific records to an update set
snow updateset export <name> Download the update set as an XML file
snow updateset apply <xml-file> Upload an XML file to another instance
snow updateset diff <set1> <set2> Compare captured items between two update sets
snow updateset explain <name> AI-generated pre-promotion review of an update set

Names or sys_ids are accepted wherever <name> appears.

list 

# All in-progress and complete update sets (default: excludes "ignore")
snow updateset list

# Filter by state
snow updateset list --state "in progress"
snow updateset list --state complete --limit 20
Flag Description
-s, --state <state> Filter by state: in progress, complete, ignore (default: all except ignore)
-l, --limit <n> Max results (default: 50)

Output columns: Name, State, Application (scope), Created by, Created on. In-progress sets are highlighted in green; the active set is marked with a star.

current 

snow updateset current

Shows the update set that is currently active for the authenticated user. REST API writes go to this update set.

set 

snow updateset set "Sprint 42 - Incident fixes"
snow updateset set a1b2c3d4e5f6...   # sys_id also accepted

Stores the selection in sys_user_preference so subsequent REST API operations are captured into the selected update set.

show 

snow updateset show "Sprint 42 - Incident fixes"
snow updateset show "Sprint 42 - Incident fixes" --limit 200

Displays update set metadata followed by a table of every captured item (sys_update_xml) with type, action, and target name.

capture

Force-captures specific records into an update set without modifying them:

# Capture a single record
snow updateset capture "My Update Set" --add sys_script_include:abc123...

# Capture multiple records at once
snow updateset capture "My Update Set" \
  --add sys_script_include:abc123... \
  --add sys_script:def456... \
  --yes

How it works: temporarily activates the target update set for the authenticated user, performs a no-op PATCH on each record to trigger ServiceNow’s capture mechanism, then restores the previously active update set. The records themselves are not changed.

export 

# Export to current directory
snow updateset export "Sprint 42 - Incident fixes"

# Export to a specific directory
snow updateset export "Sprint 42 - Incident fixes" --out ./updatesets

Calls /export_update_set.do and saves the XML to <safe-name>.xml. The file can be imported into any ServiceNow instance using snow updateset apply or via the ServiceNow UI.

apply

Import an update set XML into an instance. Creates a Retrieved Update Set record that you then load, preview, and commit.

# Apply to the active instance
snow updateset apply ./sprint-42-incident-fixes.xml

# Apply to a different instance by alias
snow updateset apply ./sprint-42-incident-fixes.xml --target prod

# Skip confirmation
snow updateset apply ./sprint-42-incident-fixes.xml --target prod --yes

After uploading, the CLI prints the direct link to the Retrieved Update Set record and instructions for the load → preview → commit steps.

diff

Compare the captured items of two update sets side by side:

snow updateset diff "Sprint 42" "Sprint 43"
snow updateset diff a1b2c3...  b4c5d6...   # sys_ids

Output shows:

  • Items only in the first set (removed in second) — in red
  • Items only in the second set (added in second) — in green
  • Items in both sets, flagged if the action changed — in yellow
  • A summary line: 3 removed 5 added 1 changed 42 unchanged

explain

AI-generated pre-promotion review of an update set. Fetches all captured items and their payloads, extracts script content, and asks the LLM to summarise what the update set does, what is affected, and what to test before committing.

snow updateset explain "Sprint 42"
snow updateset explain <sys_id>
snow updateset explain "My Feature Branch" --save ./pre-flight.md

# Use a specific LLM provider
snow updateset explain "Sprint 42" --provider anthropic
Flag Description
--provider <name> Override the active LLM provider
--save <file> Write the report to a markdown file

What the AI report covers:

Section Description
Summary What the update set does in plain English (2-4 sentences)
Affected Areas Which tables, workflows, and business processes are touched
Risk Assessment What could go wrong when promoting — rated Low / Medium / High
Testing Checklist Specific scenarios to test before committing
Dependencies Required roles, records, or other update sets this relies on
Concerns Unusual patterns, anti-patterns in scripts, or things needing a second look

Script content from business rules, script includes, client scripts, UI actions, scheduled jobs, and ACLs is extracted from the sys_update_xml payload and sent to the LLM. Scripts are truncated to 600 characters each to keep the prompt manageable.

snow-cli — MIT License