After months of collaboration between OpenProject and XWiki, the upcoming XWiki integration is almost here. Planned for the next release, OpenProject 17.6 in July 2026, it will allow teams to link project work and documentation across both platforms. For organizations looking for an open source alternative to Jira and Confluence, the integration brings project work in OpenProject and enterprise knowledge management in XWiki closer together.
In this article, you’ll learn how the upcoming XWiki integration will help you:
- Link XWiki pages in the work package tab.
- Link XWiki pages in work package descriptions.
- Track references across OpenProject and XWiki.
- Understand when the XWiki integration makes sense for your organization.
From partnership to product
When OpenProject and XWiki announced their partnership one year ago, we shared a common goal: to create a stronger open source alternative to Jira and Confluence by bringing project management and enterprise knowledge management closer together. Since then, teams from both projects have been working closely together to turn that vision into reality. The upcoming XWiki integration in OpenProject 17.6 is one of the first major results of that collaboration.
The integration connects OpenProject and XWiki where teams need it most: directly in their daily work. Instead of switching between project tasks and documentation, users will be able to create, link, and access XWiki pages from within OpenProject.
The reason is simple: Projects rarely consist of tasks alone. Teams also work with requirements, decisions, technical documentation, procedures, and lessons learned. The XWiki integration helps keep this knowledge connected to the work packages where the work is planned and tracked, reducing the need to search across disconnected tools or maintain the same information twice.
The integration helps teams:
- Keep project work and enterprise knowledge connected.
- Find the right information without switching between disconnected tools.
- Improve collaboration by linking documentation directly to the work it supports.
- Increase traceability by connecting requirements, decisions, and documentation with project execution.
- Maintain a more complete record of project knowledge and outcomes.
Let’s take a look at what’s coming in OpenProject 17.6.
Hinweis
OpenProject 17.6 marks the first major milestone of the XWiki integration in OpenProject. The corresponding integration on the XWiki side is already available, allowing teams to display and create OpenProject work packages directly from XWiki pages. Further enhancements are planned on both sides.
Link XWiki pages in the work package tab
With OpenProject 17.6, work packages will include a new Wiki tab. From there, users can create a new XWiki page or link an existing one to their work package. Whether it is a requirement specification, a process description, or an internal guideline, the relevant knowledge can be linked directly to the work it supports.
Once linked, users can quickly navigate between OpenProject and XWiki. This helps teams keep project work and knowledge connected instead of managing them separately.
Hinweis
The screenshots in this article are design mockups of the planned XWiki integration. The final user interface may change before release.
Image: OpenProject XWiki integration (PREVIEW) – Add wikis from XWiki to the new “Wiki” work package tab.
Users can either create a new XWiki page directly from OpenProject or connect an existing page that is already part of their knowledge base.
Link XWiki pages in work package descriptions
Sometimes, a simple link is all you need. In other cases, documentation is an essential part of the discussion around a work package.
That’s why OpenProject 17.6 will also make it possible to create and link XWiki pages directly from the work package description. Using new editor commands, users can either create a new wiki page or connect an existing one without leaving OpenProject.
Once inserted, the wiki page appears as a reference directly in the description, making it easy for everyone involved to access the relevant knowledge while working on the task.
Image: OpenProject XWiki integration (PREVIEW) – Add wikis from XWiki to work package descriptions.
Track references across OpenProject and XWiki
So far, we’ve talked about creating links between OpenProject and XWiki. But a true integration goes beyond that. It connects information across both platforms and makes those relationships visible where they matter.
The upcoming XWiki integration is designed with exactly that goal in mind. In OpenProject, users can also see where a work package is referenced from XWiki. These references appear automatically in the Mentioned in section of the Wiki tab.
Image: OpenProject XWiki integration (PREVIEW): Work package with highlighted ‘Referenced in’ section.
This provides additional context without requiring users to search through their knowledge base. Teams can quickly understand how project work and knowledge are connected across OpenProject and XWiki.
The integration also respects permissions defined in XWiki. Users only see and access pages they are authorized to view. If a linked page exists but a user does not have permission to access it, OpenProject will indicate that a page is linked while protecting the restricted content. This is made possible through a secure OAuth-based connection between OpenProject and XWiki.
Tipp
Looking at the integration from the XWiki perspective? XWiki already provides an OpenProject integration that allows users to reference and access OpenProject work packages directly from XWiki pages. Learn more in the OpenProject Integration for XWiki.
When should organizations use the XWiki integration?
OpenProject already provides a wiki module. This internal wiki will also be updated in the upcoming releases and remains a great choice for project-specific documentation. For organizations that manage large amounts of knowledge across teams and projects, XWiki offers capabilities that go beyond project-specific documentation.
This is often the case when knowledge needs to be shared across multiple projects, departments, or teams. Organizations can use XWiki to manage company guidelines, process descriptions, operating procedures, product knowledge, and other information that extends beyond a single project.
By connecting OpenProject and XWiki, teams can keep this organizational knowledge closely linked to the work packages where it is needed.
Wichtig
The XWiki integration is planned as an Enterprise add-on and is particularly suited for organizations that need dedicated knowledge management capabilities across teams, departments, and projects. At the same time, the work behind the integration contributes to a broader wiki concept that will benefit all OpenProject users.
Why XWiki?
XWiki is an open source platform for knowledge management and collaboration. Organizations use it to build internal knowledge bases, technical documentation portals, intranets, procedure libraries and custom business applications.
Unlike a simple documentation tool, XWiki helps teams structure knowledge around their own processes. Pages can be organized into clear hierarchies, enriched with structured data, connected to other content, and governed with granular permissions, version history, workflows, and search.
Together with OpenProject, it provides a powerful and sovereign open source alternative for connecting project management with enterprise knowledge management.
Curious about XWiki? Learn more about its knowledge management capabilities on the Why XWiki? page.
Example: Keeping project work and company knowledge connected
Imagine an aerospace engineering team developing an aircraft performance optimization tool. The project work is managed in OpenProject, while technical specifications, testing procedures, and engineering guidelines are maintained in XWiki.
Sofia, a systems engineer, is responsible for keeping this knowledge up to date. When the team starts working on a new feature or requirement, they can link the relevant XWiki pages directly to the corresponding work packages in OpenProject. Engineers no longer need to search through documentation or manually share links. The information is available exactly where the work happens.
The integration also helps Sofia. When project teams reference technical documentation from OpenProject, these connections become visible through the integration. Instead of wondering which projects or tasks rely on a particular specification, she can quickly see where it is being used and navigate directly to the related work packages.
As development progresses, everyone can easily move between project execution in OpenProject and the knowledge stored in XWiki. The result is better context, less searching, and fewer gaps between documentation and implementation.
Outlook: What’s next for the OpenProject XWiki integration?
OpenProject 17.6 marks the first major milestone of the XWiki integration on the OpenProject side. Teams will be able to connect project work and enterprise knowledge management directly within their daily workflows, whether through the Wiki tab, work package descriptions, or automatic references between both platforms.
But this is only the beginning. As OpenProject and XWiki continue to evolve the integration, we are already exploring ideas for future enhancements, including:
- Linking XWiki pages (and OpenProject-internal wikis) to projects.
- Referencing wiki content in project descriptions and other OpenProject fields.
- Automatically managed XWiki pages with synchronized permissions between OpenProject and XWiki.
- A central overview page for wiki content across OpenProject and XWiki.
As always, future plans may change as we continue to learn from users and refine our roadmap.
Our shared goal remains unchanged: to provide organizations with a powerful open source solution that connects project management and enterprise knowledge management while preserving flexibility, transparency, and data sovereignty.
For organizations looking to move away from Atlassian, OpenProject and XWiki together provide a strong open source alternative to the Jira and Confluence stack: OpenProject for planning, tracking, and project delivery; XWiki for structured documentation, enterprise knowledge management, and collaboration.
Want to follow the progress of the XWiki integration and other upcoming features? Visit the OpenProject roadmap. We look forward to sharing more updates as the collaboration continues to evolve.
