How SNcode works with your instance

Last reviewed: August 10, 2026

SNcode is a desktop app that connects to a ServiceNow instance and uses an AI to help you build on it. Connecting a third-party tool to a system that holds your (or your client's) tickets, user data, and configuration is a real decision. This page describes exactly how that works — connection, data flow, execution, and what we have and haven't done yet.

How does SNcode connect to my instance?

SNcode connects over the ServiceNow REST API using HTTP Basic authentication — the username and password (or a REST-enabled account) you enter for each instance. When an instance rejects Basic auth (for example, SSO/MFA-only accounts), SNcode falls back to driving an authenticated browser session for that instance.

The connection is desktop-to-instance and direct. SNcode builds the authorization header on your machine and talks to your instance from your machine. There is no SNcode server between the app and your ServiceNow instance.

Where are my credentials stored?

Instance URLs and credentials are stored locally in a SQLite database on your Mac at ~/.sncode/, encrypted at rest with SQLCipher. The database key is generated per user and sealed by the macOS Keychain (via Electron's secure storage); it lives only in the app's main process at runtime and is never written to disk in the clear.

Your ServiceNow credentials never reach our servers

SNcode uses your credentials on-device to authenticate directly to your instance. They are not transmitted to, or stored by, SNcode's servers.

What data goes where?

This is the part worth reading closely. There are two ways SNcode can run the AI, and they differ in what leaves your machine.

Your Mac — SNcode

ServiceNow credentials + chat history in a local SQLCipher-encrypted database

Builds the ServiceNow auth header on-device

Basic auth · direct

Your ServiceNow instance

No SNcode server sits between the app and your instance

SNcode API mode

SNcode API

Authenticates you and meters token usage

Stores token counts — not conversation content

relays prompt + results

Anthropic Claude API

Generates the response

Local Claude mode: SNcode assembles the prompt but does not relay it — your locally installed Claude CLI calls Anthropic directly under your own subscription. In both modes, data the AI reads from your instance can become part of the prompt sent to the model.

SNcode API mode (Pro, Max, Business): your message — including any ServiceNow query results or file excerpts the conversation contains — is sent over TLS to the SNcode API, which authenticates you, meters token usage, and relays the request to the Anthropic Claude API. Per Anthropic's commercial terms, API inputs and outputs are not used to train their models. SNcode records token counts for billing; it does not store your conversation content.

Local Claude mode (Local plan): SNcode sends the conversation to its API only to assemble the prompt, then your locally installed Claude CLI calls Anthropic directly under your own Claude subscription. Token usage counts against your own account; SNcode does not meter or store it.

Either way, remember the implication: data the AI reads from your instance can become part of the prompt sent to the model. Treat the AI request boundary accordingly.

What does SNcode store on its servers?

To operate accounts and enforce limits, the minimum:

Account profile from Google sign-in: email, name, avatar, user ID
Aggregate token usage counts, for quotas and billing
Subscription plan, seat count, and billing status (from Paddle, our payment processor)

SNcode does not store your ServiceNow credentials, conversation content, or attached files on its servers.

How does execution work — can the AI change my instance on its own?

No. Execution is gated by review. When the AI proposes a script, SNcode shows you a plain-English description and the exact code; nothing runs against your instance until you explicitly approve that action.

SNcode acts with the permissions of the connected account

After you approve an action, it runs with whatever rights the connected account has. If you connect an admin account, an approved action has admin-level reach. Connect a least-privilege account scoped to your task, and try changes on a PDI or sub-production instance before production.

What happens on disconnect or uninstall?

Deleting an instance in the app removes its stored credentials from the local database. Signing out closes the encrypted database. Your local data lives under ~/.sncode/ — removing the app does not automatically erase it; delete that folder to remove local data completely.

How are updates delivered?

The macOS app is code-signed with hardened runtime and notarized by Apple, and updates are delivered as signed builds. We do not bundle third-party analytics or tracking SDKs. SNcode emits operational logs (errors and timings) used to keep the service reliable; they are never sold or used for advertising.

Where are you in beta — honestly?

SNcode is in beta. What is true today: local-first architecture, ServiceNow credentials that stay on your machine, an encrypted-at-rest local database, review-gated execution, and a notarized macOS build. What we have not done yet: we do not hold a SOC 2 report or a third-party security audit, and we are not making compliance certifications. We would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.

Security contact

Security questions or vulnerability reports: support@sncode.dev. For data handling and your rights, see our Privacy Policy.