Log Viewer

The Log Viewer shows system log entries in real-time, right next to your ServiceNow instance. No need to open syslog_list.do in another tab — logs stream live into the Sidekick window as they happen.

Opening the Log Viewer

Use the slash command /sklog or open Sidekick and select the Log Viewer tab.

How It Works

Once open, the Log Viewer polls your instance for new log entries and displays them in a scrollable, filterable list. Each entry shows:

• Timestamp — When the log was created
• Source — The script or component that generated the log
• Level — Info, warning, error, or debug
• Message — The log content

New entries appear at the top (newest first) and the list auto-scrolls to show the latest entry unless you've scrolled up to review older logs.

Filtering Logs

The Log Viewer includes filters to help you focus on relevant entries:

By Time Range

A Range row above the level chips lets you scope how far back the viewer fetches:

• 5m (default) — last five minutes. Keeps the initial load and live searches snappy on busy instances with thousands of log rows per minute.
• 1h — last hour.
• Today — since the start of today (instance time).
• All — full log history. Useful for tracking down something older, but slower on busy instances.

The active range applies to the initial load, the Refresh button, the Open in Platform link, and any search you run with the filter box. Live polling for new entries is unaffected — new logs always stream in regardless of range. Your choice persists across opens; if a search comes back empty, the empty state offers a one-click Search all logs link to widen the range without re-typing the filter.

By Level

A row of toggle pills under the toolbar — fatal · error · warning · info · debug · trace — lets you scope the view to one or more levels at any time. Inactive levels are dimmed; active levels are full colour:

• Click a level to show only that level. Click another to add it as well (e.g. fatal + error).
• Click an active level again to remove it from the filter.
• Click Clear to go back to all levels.
• The level pill on each row is also a shortcut — clicking the error pill on any log entry adds error to the filter, just like clicking it in the toggle row above.

The level filter is applied server-side (levelIN…), so refreshes, the 3-second polling loop and the Open in Platform button all carry it through — useful for filtering to a rare level like fatal that wouldn't be in the in-memory buffer of recent entries.

By Message or Source

Use the search field to filter log entries containing specific text in either the message or the source. Useful for finding logs related to a particular record, script, or error message. The match is highlighted in the result list.

You can also click any sys_id in a log message to search for that record. When a log entry contains both a table name and a sys_id, it becomes a direct link to that record.

Use Cases

Debugging a Business Rule

1. Open Log Viewer with /sklog
2. Trigger the business rule by saving a record
3. Watch the log entries appear in real-time
4. Filter by source to isolate your business rule's output

Monitoring Script Includes

1. Add gs.info() or gs.debug() statements to your script
2. Open Log Viewer
3. Execute the code path
4. See the output immediately without switching tabs

Tracking Down Errors

1. Open Log Viewer with /sklog
2. Click error (and optionally fatal) in the level toggle row under the toolbar
3. Reproduce the issue in your instance — only matching entries stream in
4. Click Clear in the toggle row to go back to all levels when done

Tips

• Pause auto-scroll — Scroll up in the log list to pause auto-scroll. Click the "Jump to latest" button to resume.
• Copy entries — Click on a log entry to copy its details to your clipboard.
• Clear the view — Use the clear button to reset the log view without affecting actual system logs.

Related

• Sidekick Overview — All five debugging tools
• Session Inspector — Check your current session context