Get File List activity

reference australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read r_GetFileListActivity.md

The Get File List activity returns a list of files from a given directory and its subdirectories on an SFTP server (source host).

Input variables

Variable	Description
sourceHost	Name or IP address of the server containing the files you want to list.
sourcePort	Port number to use to communicate with the target server. The default port number is 22.
sourceDirectory	Path to the target directory containing the files to list.
sourceFiles	List of target files to return. This is a comma separated list that accepts wildcards, such as *.txt.
excludedFiles	List of target files to exclude. This is a comma separated list that accepts wildcards, such as *.txt.
includeSubfolders	True/false variable that determines if files from subfolders are included in the list. The default value for this variable is false.
sourceCredentialTag	Specific Credential aliases for Orchestration activities this activity must use to run SSH commands on the host.

Output variables

Variable	Description
errorMessage	The executionResult.errorMessages from the Activity designer parsing sources. If this variable is not null, the operation has failed. An activity can examine the error message to customize a condition. For example, if the error message contains NO_SUCH_FILE, the activity can be considered successful, depending on circumstances.
result	List of requested files, returned as a JSON string.

Conditions

Condition	Description
Success	The activity succeeded in listing the requested files.
Failure	The activity failed to list the requested files.

Parent Topic:SFTP File Transfer activity pack

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---
title: Get File List activity
description: The Get File List activity returns a list of files from a given directory and its subdirectories on an SFTP server \(source host\).
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/servicenow-platform/orchestration/r\_GetFileListActivity.html
release: australia
product: Orchestration
classification: orchestration
topic_type: reference
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [SFTP File Transfer activity pack, Orchestration activity packs, Classic Orchestration, ServiceNow AI Platform Additional Capabilities, Extend ServiceNow AI Platform capabilities]
---

# Get File List activity

The Get File List activity returns a list of files from a given directory and its subdirectories on an SFTP server \(source host\).

## Input variables

|Variable|Description|
|--------|-----------|
|sourceHost|Name or IP address of the server containing the files you want to list.|
|sourcePort|Port number to use to communicate with the target server. The default port number is **22**.|
|sourceDirectory|Path to the target directory containing the files to list.|
|sourceFiles|List of target files to return. This is a comma separated list that accepts wildcards, such as **\*.txt**.|
|excludedFiles|List of target files to exclude. This is a comma separated list that accepts wildcards, such as **\*.txt**.|
|includeSubfolders|True/false variable that determines if files from subfolders are included in the list. The default value for this variable is **false**.|
|sourceCredentialTag|Specific [Credential aliases for Orchestration activities](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/c_AssignCredsOrchActivities.md) this activity must use to run SSH commands on the host.|

## Output variables

|Variable|Description|
|--------|-----------|
|errorMessage|The **executionResult.errorMessages** from the [Activity designer parsing sources](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/orchestration/t_CreateAParsingRule.md). If this variable is not null, the operation has failed. An activity can examine the error message to customize a condition. For example, if the error message contains **NO\_SUCH\_FILE**, the activity can be considered successful, depending on circumstances.|
|result|List of requested files, returned as a JSON string.|

## Conditions

|Condition|Description|
|---------|-----------|
|Success|The activity succeeded in listing the requested files.|
|Failure|The activity failed to list the requested files.|

**Parent Topic:**[SFTP File Transfer activity pack](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/servicenow-platform/orchestration/c_OrchestrationSFTPActivityPack.md)