Device action diagnosis and checks

reference brazil Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read device-actions-issues.md
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Diagnose common device action symptoms by checking the related tables and configurations.

Symptom

Checks

Action doesn't appear in Employee Center

Confirm the following:- Employee Center (ec_enabled) is enabled.

  • User applicability (user_applicability) is set to End user.
  • Device OS matches the OS of the target device.

Action doesn't appear in ServiceNow Otto

Check that ServiceNow Otto (va_enabled) is enabled or set to true. This setting is inactive by default.

Issue configuration is not available when creating a device action

Confirm that the issue configuration is:- Not already associated with another device action.

  • Enabled for end users through the User applicability setting.
  • Linked to remedial action resolution type.
  • Not linked to unsupported or silent engagement type.

Action runs but reports failure

Check the execution record for the user and device, and review the associated task for details about the failure.

Action completes without visible result (macOS)

Confirm that the sudoers file grants the required permissions to _servicenow.For more information, see Configure the ServiceNow sudoers file.

Battery replacement action repeats without resolving the issue

Before creating or modifying this action, confirm that the battery replacement resolution record is correctly configured. The battery replacement action has a specific configuration requirement.

Action triggers unexpectedly or does not trigger at all

Check the metric source on the metric definition record. If the metric source does not match the expected evaluation method, the action might trigger incorrectly or not at all.

**Note:** If a symptom persists, contact ServiceNow Customer Support.
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