Integrate OpenCode with Live ServiceNow Data via CData Connect AI
OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that connects to a wide range of LLM providers. It supports the model context protocol (MCP), allowing you to configure local or remote MCP servers in its configuration files to add external tools and data sources and give the agent access to live data.
By integrating OpenCode with CData Connect AI through the built-in MCP Server, OpenCode gains governed, real-time access to live ServiceNow data. You can list catalogs, explore schemas, and query records from ServiceNow data using natural language prompts, with all data access running securely against authorized sources.
This article explains how to configure ServiceNow connectivity in Connect AI, generate the required personal access token, install OpenCode, add the Connect AI MCP Server in the project configuration file, configure an LLM provider, and verify the integration by querying live ServiceNow data from OpenCode.
About ServiceNow Data Integration
CData simplifies access and integration of live ServiceNow data. Our customers leverage CData connectivity to:
- Get optimized performance since CData uses the REST API for data and the SOAP API for schema.
- Read, write, update, and delete ServiceNow objects like Schedules, Timelines, Questions, Syslogs and more.
- Use SQL stored procedures for actions like adding items to a cart, submitting orders, and downloading attachments.
- Securely authenticate with ServiceNow, including basic (username and password), OKTA, ADFS, OneLogin, and PingFederate authentication schemes.
Many users access live ServiceNow data from preferred analytics tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Excel, and use CData solutions to integrate ServiceNow data with their database or data warehouse.
Getting Started
Step 1: Configure ServiceNow connectivity for OpenCode
Connectivity to ServiceNow from OpenCode is made possible through Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with ServiceNow data from OpenCode, start by creating and configuring a ServiceNow connection in Connect AI.
- Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
- Select ServiceNow from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to ServiceNow.
ServiceNow uses the OAuth 2.0 authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, register an OAuth app with ServiceNow to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret connection properties. In addition to the OAuth values, specify the Instance, Username, and Password connection properties.
See the "Getting Started" chapter in the help documentation for a guide on connecting to ServiceNow.
- Click Save & Test
- Navigate to the Permissions tab and update user-based permissions
Add a Personal Access Token
A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from OpenCode. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.
- Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
- On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
- Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create
- Copy the token when displayed and store it securely. It will not be shown again
With the ServiceNow connection configured and a PAT generated, OpenCode can now connect to ServiceNow data through Connect AI.
Step 2: Install OpenCode and configure the Connect AI MCP Server
Next, install OpenCode, add the Connect AI Remote MCP Server in your project configuration file, and configure an LLM provider so the agent can discover and call live data tools through Connect AI.
- Download and install OpenCode by following the official installation guide
- Create a new folder for your project, or open an existing project directory
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In the root of that directory, create a file named opencode.json and paste the following configuration:
{ "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json", "mcp": { "cdata-connect-ai": { "type": "remote", "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp", "enabled": true, "oauth": false, "headers": { "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT" }, "timeout": 30000 } } }Note: OpenCode will use Basic authentication with Connect AI. Combine your Connect AI user email and the PAT you created earlier in the format email:PAT, base64 encode the combined string, and prefix it with Basic. For example, given [email protected]:ABC123...XYZ789, the Authorization header value becomes something like: Basic dXNlckBkb21haW4uY29tOkFCQzEyMy4uLlhZWjc4OQ==
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Open the project directory in OpenCode. Select the project from the project dropdown, or click Add project to point OpenCode at the folder that contains opencode.json
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Configure an LLM provider so the agent can interpret prompts and call MCP tools. Open the model selector (Ctrl + '), choose a provider such as OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google, and enter your API key
With the MCP server added in opencode.json and an LLM provider configured, OpenCode is ready to query live ServiceNow data through Connect AI.
Step 3: Query live ServiceNow data from OpenCode
With the integration complete, use OpenCode to interact with live ServiceNow data through natural language prompts handled by the configured LLM.
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In a new session, type a prompt in the chat input, for example:
- Use the cdata-connect-ai tools to list all available catalogs
- Show the available schemas and tables for ServiceNow
- Query the top 5 records from a table in ServiceNow
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OpenCode calls the Connect AI MCP Server and returns live results from ServiceNow data
At this point, OpenCode communicates with the Connect AI MCP Server and retrieves live ServiceNow data through remote MCP tools directly from your AI coding agent.
Get CData Connect AI
To access hundreds of SaaS, big data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, try CData Connect AI today. Download a free 14-day trial of CData Connect AI, and our Support Team is available to help with any questions you have.