Resolve health issues for an external content connector
View and resolve connector health issues using the connector health dashboard in the external content connector editor.
Before you begin
Role required: sn_ext_conn.xcc_admin
About this task
External content connectors depend on a variety of configuration settings, permissions, and operations. Incorrect or outdated settings or permissions in the ServiceNow AI Platform® or the source system can keep a connector from operating properly. Issues encountered during crawls may keep specific content items from being retrieved and indexed for search.
Specific circumstances that can interfere with proper function of an external content connector include:
- Certificate expiration
- Permission mismatches after a source system policy change
- Connector plugin scope changes following an upgrade to External Content Connectors or the ServiceNow AI Platform
- User identity mapping gaps that silently conceal connector search results from users
- Reaching the content indexing limit (typically one million content items, but some connector types have different limits)
When an external content connector has one or more of these health issues, its status changes to Action required.
Procedure
-
Navigate to All > External Content Connectors > External Content Admin Home.
-
If prompted to switch scope, select Switch scope and select the application scope specified in the prompt.
-
In the Connectors list, select the record for the external content connector whose health issues you need to check or resolve.
Note: Connectors with health issues show Action required status.
-
In the connector editor, select the Overview tab.
-
Review the health category cards in the Connector health section.
Each card includes a health category name, a status indicator, and a context label.
-
Health category name
The health category name describes which aspects of the external content connector's configuration and operations the card refers to.
- Source connection: Connection and authentication settings for the source system.
- Internal connection: ServiceNow AI Platform connectivity needed to run crawls.
- Content Permissions: Permissions needed to access content and metadata in the source system.
- Content: Status of crawled items and any crawl errors that need attention.
- User permissions: Status of user and group access permissions for secure search.
- Search profile: Assignment to at least one search profile.
-
Status indicator
The status indicator shows the state of the health category for the external content connector. Typical values include Ready, Not configured, Warning, and Error.
-
Context label
The context label indicates whether the health category refers to settings in the ServiceNow AI Platform or settings in the external content connector's source system.
-
-
For each health category card that shows a status other than Ready, perform the following steps.
-
Select the health category card.
In the Issues section, actionable entries show all health issues associated with the selected health category.
-
Follow the provided action links or guidance to resolve all health issues for the selected health category.
-
Result
The external content connector no longer shows Action required status.
Parent Topic:Configuring External Content Connectors
---
title: Resolve health issues for an external content connector
description: View and resolve connector health issues using the connector health dashboard in the external content connector editor.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-administration/search-administration/resolve-health-issues-external-content-connector.html
release: brazil
product: Search Administration
classification: search-administration
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-10-20"
reading_time_minutes: 2
keywords: [ServiceNow Otto, AI Agents, generative AI, agentic AI]
breadcrumb: [Configure, External Content Connectors, Search administration, Configure core features, Administer the ServiceNow AI Platform]
---
# Resolve health issues for an external content connector
View and resolve connector health issues using the connector health dashboard in the external content connector editor.
## Before you begin
Role required: sn\_ext\_conn.xcc\_admin
## About this task
External content connectors depend on a variety of configuration settings, permissions, and operations. Incorrect or outdated settings or permissions in the ServiceNow AI Platform® or the source system can keep a connector from operating properly. Issues encountered during crawls may keep specific content items from being retrieved and indexed for search.
Specific circumstances that can interfere with proper function of an external content connector include:
- Certificate expiration
- Permission mismatches after a source system policy change
- Connector plugin scope changes following an upgrade to External Content Connectors or the ServiceNow AI Platform
- User identity mapping gaps that silently conceal connector search results from users
- Reaching the content indexing limit \(typically one million content items, but some connector types have different limits\)
When an external content connector has one or more of these health issues, its status changes to **Action required**.
## Procedure
1. Navigate to **All** > **External Content Connectors** > **External Content Admin Home**.
2. If prompted to switch scope, select **Switch scope** and select the application scope specified in the prompt.
3. In the Connectors list, select the record for the external content connector whose health issues you need to check or resolve.
**Note:** Connectors with health issues show **Action required** status.
4. In the connector editor, select the **Overview** tab.
5. Review the health category cards in the **Connector health** section.
Each card includes a health category name, a status indicator, and a context label.
- **Health category name**
The health category name describes which aspects of the external content connector's configuration and operations the card refers to.
- **Source connection**: Connection and authentication settings for the source system.
- **Internal connection**: ServiceNow AI Platform connectivity needed to run crawls.
- **Content Permissions**: Permissions needed to access content and metadata in the source system.
- **Content**: Status of crawled items and any crawl errors that need attention.
- **User permissions**: Status of user and group access permissions for secure search.
- **Search profile**: Assignment to at least one search profile.
- **Status indicator**
The status indicator shows the state of the health category for the external content connector. Typical values include **Ready**, **Not configured**, **Warning**, and **Error**.
- **Context label**
The context label indicates whether the health category refers to settings in the ServiceNow AI Platform or settings in the external content connector's source system.
6. For each health category card that shows a status other than **Ready**, perform the following steps.
1. Select the health category card.
In the **Issues** section, actionable entries show all health issues associated with the selected health category.
2. Follow the provided action links or guidance to resolve all health issues for the selected health category.
## Result
The external content connector no longer shows **Action required** status.
**Parent Topic:**[Configuring External Content Connectors](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/brazil/markdown/platform-administration/search-administration/configuring-ext-cont-connectors.md)
| title | Resolve health issues for an external content connector |
| description | View and resolve connector health issues using the connector health dashboard in the external content connector editor. |
| locale | en-US |
| canonical_url | https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/platform-administration/search-administration/resolve-health-issues-external-content-connector.html |
| release | brazil |
| product | Search Administration |
| classification | search-administration |
| topic_type | task |
| last_updated | 2026-10-20 |
| reading_time_minutes | 2 |
| keywords | ServiceNow OttoAI Agentsgenerative AIagentic AI |
| breadcrumb | ConfigureExternal Content ConnectorsSearch administrationConfigure core featuresAdminister the ServiceNow AI Platform |