OpenProject 17.8 takes the next step in connecting AI assistants with your project work. The MCP Server introduced in OpenProject 17.2 can now create and update work packages, add comments, and manage work package relations – while respecting the permissions and business rules configured in OpenProject.
With this release, we are expanding the possibilities for AI-assisted workflows while keeping users in control. OpenProject 17.8 also brings multiple target versions for work packages, global restrictions for time entries, and further improvements to Backlogs, wikis, meetings, and more. In addition, displaying work package relations in tables is now available in the Community edition.
In this article, we highlight the most important changes and what they mean for your daily work. And, as always, please see our Release notes that contain all changes, features and bug fixes.
A quick article navigation:
- AI-assisted actions with the MCP Server (Enterprise add-on)
- Work package relations in tables now available in the Community edition
- Other great improvements with OpenProject 17.8
AI-assisted actions with the MCP Server (Enterprise add-on)
With OpenProject 17.2, released in March 2026, we introduced the MCP Server to securely connect AI assistants to OpenProject as an Enterprise add-on in the Professional plan and higher. The MCP Server implements the open source Model Context Protocol, letting AI assistants and other tools securely interact with project data like projects, work packages, comments, and relations. Until now, this connection has focused on accessing and retrieving project information – for example, to find work packages or answer questions based on project data.
With OpenProject 17.8, AI-assisted workflows can go a step further: users can now create and update information in OpenProject through their AI assistant. The MCP Server adds write capabilities for work packages, comments, and relations, while applying the same permissions and business rules as the OpenProject interface and API.
Important
With OpenProject, users remain in control when working with AI. Extending the MCP Server with write capabilities does not mean handing control over to AI. Organizations choose which AI tools and models to connect, existing OpenProject permissions continue to apply, and users remain responsible for reviewing and acting on AI-generated results. Learn more about responsible AI in OpenProject.
Create and update work packages with AI assistance
Users can now create new work packages or update existing ones through a connected AI assistant. This includes standard work package attributes as well as custom fields, opening up AI-assisted workflows that go beyond searching and summarizing existing project information.
For example, AI assistance can be used to create demo data for a template project, giving users useful examples when they start a new project based on that template. Existing work packages can also be updated with new information without having to transfer it manually.
Add comments and manage work package relations
AI-assisted workflows can now also include comments and work package relations. The MCP Server can read and add comments as well as create and remove relations between work packages.
This makes it possible to use an AI assistant for a broader range of project management workflows while keeping the resulting information and changes in OpenProject.
Learn more about OpenProject’s MCP Server in our system admin guide.
Work package relations in tables now available in the Community edition
At OpenProject, we remain committed to our Community and to continuously strengthening the OpenProject Community edition. That’s why we regularly release selected Enterprise add-ons to the Community. With OpenProject 17.8, displaying work package relations in tables is now available in the Community edition.
Users can add relations as columns to a work package table to see related work packages directly in their configured table view. This makes dependencies and other relationships between work packages easier to identify without opening individual work packages.
Here’s an example work package table showing just two out of many options to display relations – in this case, the “Related to” relation (every work package type) and the work package type “Feature” (all relations):
Other great improvements with OpenProject 17.8
Beyond these AI updates, OpenProject 17.8 introduces several additional enhancements for planning, time tracking, agile work, collaboration, and more. We’ll give a short overview in this article. For the complete list of features, enhancements, and bug fixes, please always refer to the Release notes.
Multiple target versions for work packages
OpenProject 17.8 introduces multiple target versions for work packages. When enabled, the previous single-value Version field becomes the multi-value Target versions field, allowing users to assign a work package to more than one version.
For new OpenProject installations, target versions are enabled by default. On existing installations, administrators can enable the new functionality in the administration. Please note that this conversion cannot be reversed.
Agile improvements for bulk editing and dragging Backlogs cards to external applications
We continue to improve agile planning and working with Backlogs in OpenProject. With OpenProject 17.8, users can bulk edit work packages directly from the Backlogs view, making it easier to update multiple items at once.
Work package cards can also be dragged from Backlogs to external applications. This makes it easier to reference or share work packages when working across different tools.
Milestones and sprints in the project timeline
The Project timeline widget on the project overview now provides a more complete picture of important project dates. In addition to project phases, it now displays milestones and sprints, bringing key planning information together in one place.
Milestones link directly to their work package view, while sprints are displayed as read-only items. Links provide quick access to all milestones in the Gantt chart and to the sprints overview.
Global limits and restrictions for time entries (Enterprise add-on)
Administrators using the OpenProject Professional plan and higher can now configure global restrictions for time entries to help ensure that logged time follows their organization’s requirements. The restrictions apply across the OpenProject instance and are disabled by default, so existing behavior does not change unless an administrator enables them.
For example, administrators can limit the number of hours allowed for a single time entry or per day, prevent users from logging more hours than defined for their working day, restrict time entries on non-working days, or prevent changes to time entries from previous months.
Wiki macros available in more text editors
Wiki macros are now available in more text editors across OpenProject, including meeting descriptions, outcomes, comments, wiki pages, and text custom fields. This makes it easier to reference and create wiki pages directly from other areas of your project work.
OpenProject 17.8 also improves navigation in project wikis. The redesigned sidebar displays wiki pages in a collapsible hierarchy and includes a search to quickly find pages while keeping their position in the page structure visible.
Tip
The term “internal wiki” has been replaced with “project wiki” throughout the interface, making the distinction from external wiki integrations such as XWiki clearer.
Read about all wiki changes for 17.8 in our release notes.
Improved work package identifiers and search
OpenProject 17.8 further improves support for work package identifiers. Search results and autocompleters now prioritize exact identifier matches over similar results, making it easier to quickly find a specific work package by its identifier.
Meeting activity visible directly in work packages
Meeting-related activity is now visible directly in the Activity tab of a work package. This gives users more context about discussions and meetings connected to their work without having to navigate away from the work package.
OpenProject 17.8: Migration, installation, updates and support
Follow the upgrade guide for the packaged installation or Docker installation to update your OpenProject installation to OpenProject 17.8. We update your hosted OpenProject environments (Enterprise cloud) today, September 2, 2026.
You will find more information about all new features and changes in our Release notes and in the OpenProject Documentation.
If you need support, you can post your questions in the Community Forum, or if you are eligible for Enterprise support, please contact us and we will be happy to support you personally.
- New to OpenProject? To test all features of OpenProject 17.8 right away, create a 14 days free trial instance for our OpenProject Enterprise cloud.
- Prefer to run OpenProject 17.8 in your own infrastructure? Here you can find the Installation guidelines for OpenProject.
- Want to upgrade from a Community version to try out the Enterprise add-ons? Get a 14 days free trial token to test the Enterprise add-ons (all plans).
Credits
A very special thank you goes to Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, City of Cologne, Deutsche Bahn, and ZenDiS for sponsoring released and upcoming features. Your support, alongside the efforts of our amazing Community, helps drive these innovations.
Also a big thanks to our Community members for reporting bugs and helping us identify and provide fixes. Special thanks for reporting and finding bugs go to Christoph Jansen, Chris Kerrison, Laurent Redor, Gernot Hollinger, Thomas Knäuper, Gábor Alexovics, and Rince wind.
Last but not least, we are very grateful for our very engaged translation contributors on Crowdin, who translated quite a few OpenProject strings! This release we would like to particularly thank the following users:
- Narek Selvinazyan, for translations into Armenian,
- Amir Zalaghi for translations into Persian.
Would you like to help out with translations yourself? Then take a look at our translation guide and find out exactly how you can contribute. It is very much appreciated!
