Release notes
These release notes present the version 26.03 of Cloud Solution Workbench.
New features
| Feature | Description | Available since version |
|---|---|---|
| Design Assistant (beta) | AI-based chatbot integrated into the Solution Designer that answers questions about the current project design and executes design tasks such as creating model elements, establishing relationships, and cloning configuration from existing elements — all through natural-language prompts. Documentation. | 26.03 |
| Project Baselines and OML Profiles | Create model elements, relationships and rules in OML Profiles for your specific use cases and bundle different profiles for your projects within Project Baselines. | 26.03 |
| Entra ID support | Manage your OIDC via Keycloak or Entra ID. | 26.03 |
| Modelling Support MCP server (beta) | When GraphQL / modelling is enabled for your deployment, the diagram modeller service exposes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) endpoint. External AI clients and integrations can discover element types, inspect GraphQL schema, read and update design data, and run guided prompts—for example to draft a design from code. Requires a valid JWT from your environment’s identity provider. Documentation. | 26.03 |
| Reverse engineering (beta) | Generate a first K5 design from an existing codebase by running the guided MCP prompt generate-k5-design-from-code. The workflow analyzes your implementation, proposes elements and relationships, asks for confirmations, and writes the approved results into your project branch. Documentation. | 26.03 |
| Extended modelling capabilities in default profiles | Use extended set of properties of several model element types in domain driven design profile and implementation design profile. | 26.03 |
| Arrow styles for relationships | Customize the display of your relationships in terms of style and color. | 26.03 |
| Advanced integration between lightweight modeling and custom model | Use C4 model elements seamlessly with all other elements at all levels and diagrams. | 26.01 |
| SOAP and REST in graphical implementation design / Upload API specifications | Support for SOAP integration endpoints and REST APIs in the graphical implementation design, and the ability to upload API specifications. | 26.01 |
| Custom shapes, colors, and fonts for diagram elements | Custom shapes for model elements, more color options, and font/color settings for shapes. | 26.01 |
| Insert images on canvas | Upload and use your own images on a canvas. | 26.01 |
| Lock elements on a canvas | Lock notes and other elements with a locking option and icon in the bulk toolbar. | 26.01 |
| Define own diagram types | Define custom diagram types in the modelling configuration. | 26.01 |
| Change type of model element | Change the type of a model element after it has been created. | 26.01 |
| Semantic relationships | Create relationships on the canvas and select relationship type with a semantic meaning. | 26.01 |
| Community Edition | When running within the Loop platform, there is now a free Community Edition available, which allows full functional usage with restrictions on number of items. | 26.01 |
| Gitea as Git provider | It is now possible to set up Gitea as Git provider for your projects. | 26.01 |
| Single feature branch | With this setting, you can limit your project to one feature branch for effortless collaboration within one central workflow for all users. Read more | 26.01 |
| Modeling tool improvements | The usability of the modeling tool has been improved. Among other things, API specifications can be created or uploaded directly within the model element's details, images can be inserted, and one or several elements can be locked onto the canvas. | 26.01 |
| Rich text fields in model elements | Description fields in model elements are now rich text fields giving you more formatting options. Additional RTE fields can also be defined (tech-preview). | 26.01 |
| Branch indicators | There are now indicators in the application header for uncommitted changes in the current branch as well as changes in the remote branch. Learn more | 26.01 |
| Solution Hub within Solution Designer | The functionalities of the former Solution Hub are now an integrated part of the Solution Designer. Learn more | 26.01 |
| Custom Stacks with IBM Project Bob | Use your design files as context for IBM Project Bob to generate code that follows your architectural patterns and maintains design consistency. Learn more about this flexible approach to AI-assisted development. | 26.01 |
| Use GPT-5.1 for AI-powered capabilities | Updated from using GPT-4o to GPT-5.1 for ADR Sidekick and Diagram Assistant . | 25.11 |
| Create diagrams from any model element | Create more detailed diagrams from any model element. | 25.10 |
| Project settings | Configure project-specific capabilities and enable or disable design methodologies within your projects. Control access to architectural decisions, C4 architecture modeling, domain-driven design, and implementation design features to tailor your development environment. Learn more about customizing your project workspace. | 25.10 |
| Domain modelling for NestJS stack | Model and implement your business logic based on Domain Driven Design principles is now also supported for NestJS stack. | 25.10 |
| Graphical implementation design | Visually design service projects using an intuitive canvas-based interface with drag-and-drop model elements for domain-driven design, implementation design, integration, and persistence. Learn more about creating comprehensive service architectures. | 25.09 |
| Custom Stacks (Beta) | Use your design files as context for AI-powered coding assistants like Cursor IDE and GitHub Copilot to generate code that follows your architectural patterns and maintains design consistency. Learn more about this flexible approach to AI-assisted development. | 25.09 |
| Import any project from GIT repository as dynamic project | Import your existing projects into the Solution Builder to leverage the design capabilities for your project. | 25.08 |
| AI-based Diagram Assistant (beta) | Drawing diagrams is now supported by various AI-based capabilities. | 25.08 |
| Connect C4 components with namespaces | Link your C4 components to API, domain or integration namespaces within your service projects | 25.08 |
| Level 4 Code diagrams | Create Level 4 Code diagrams to visualize the code level of your application | 25.08 |
| Generic implementation project | Create a flexible project with all options open you to make brainstorming, designing and planning effortless, without the restriction of choosing an implementation language. | 25.07 |
| Generic diagram | Create a generic diagram with no restriction of what can be modeled and which elements are usable. | 25.07 |
| Direct conversion | Directly convert notes into model elements. | 25.06 |
| Colors in notes and model elements | Notes and model elements can now be displayed in different colors for further differentiation. | 25.06 |
Changes
| Topic | Description | Changed in version |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | Operator based installation is not longer supported and replaced by helm based installation. | 25.11 |
Resolved Issues
| Topic | Description | Resolved since version |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | The <k5project>-cli-config.json file used by the k5 setup-envoy --file <k5project>-cli-config.json command did not have the expected JSON format for the command. | 26.01 |
| Modeling tool | When concurrently committing and pushing changes for the same branch of a Software architecture project, data loss could occur. | 26.01 |
| Modeling tool | A PNG export did not contain text when using the Safari browser. | 26.01 |
| Domain Service Projects (TypeScript, Java) | Project configuration files (e.g. tsconfig.json, mvnw.cmd) get overwritten on the deployed pods if they already exist on the git repository. | 25.03 |
Known issues
| Topic | Description | Known since version |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | k5 checkout will report an error during the checkout of a new branch, if this branch has different extensions to the previously checked out main branch, when those were causing local files to be created. Workaround: ignore the compile errors after the checkout or use git checkout in combination with k5 generate-code | 25.10 |
| License validation | License check is currently performed to the wrong edition when using "Design-aware" coding assistance. That means the operation is available even if the professional license was not associated. | 25.10 |
| API Namespaces | When adding a new property to an object schema, adding enumeration elements fails during property creation._Remediation:_ Create the property with its enumeration elements apart from the objct schema and add it to the schema afterwards. | 25.05 |
| Modeling tool | Combinations of expandable model elements (systems, containers, groups) cannot be copied and pasted properly. Expandable elements within an expandable element wil be inserted outside of the parent element and have to be manually moved back to the parent. | 25.03 |
| Modeling tool | Copying/Cutting and pasting relationships (e.g. if two connected elements are copied and pasted) results in the relationship being inserted even if it has been removed beforehand. | 24.11 |
| Git Provider Connectivity | The first commit to GitHub Enterprise shows incorrect user data in the Git repository. | 24.11 |
| Git Provider Connectivity | When getting new permissions or when permissions are changed in the repository membership or role assignment, it may take up to a maximum of 3 minutes to activate them if the repository membership is changed. This time period is currently not configurable._Remediation:_ If the role assignment is changed, you have to log out and log back in to activate the permissions. To reduce the time required to activate the new permissions, you can clear the cache manually by calling the appropriate API, for example, via the Swagger UI interface. | 24.11 |
| Implementing Domain Services | Sending an array / a complex payload entity (i.e. has properties that are entities) is not supported due to the way an entity is represented (nested value dictionaries) that are not able to be constructed back when consuming events and firing agents. If the event payload is a simple structure (an entity with simple properties), it is successfully reconstructed, the event is consumed, and the agent is fired. | 24.11 |
| Application composition projects | When the version of a component in use is changed, the associated binding information (API binding(s) and theme binding(s)) is not automatically updated. _Remediation:_ When you have changed the configuration of the component, please save a copy of the content and then remove the component. Then click the "cog wheel" icon and click the "API Bindings/Theme Bindings" button. Finally, add the component back in the desired version and paste the configuration again. | 24.11 |
| Domain Service Projects | Adding an entity name with a suffix "Entity" (e.g. petEntity) in the domain namespace results in a compilation error because the SDK currently uses the "Entity" suffix as the reserved name for the entity interface. In the future, the generated interfaces will be removed. | 24.11 |
| Modelling Events in Generic Implementation | If you try to model an event for generic implementation, option to add schema payload is not shown. This is a side-effect of not having the event-Version in k5-project.yaml. As a workaround in this case, after initialization of generic project, go to the git repository and edit k5-project.yaml to add version as '2.0' in businessEventSupport extension. Once k5-project.yaml is updated and a reset to remote in designer is done, The event payload should work. | 24.11 |
Deprecated features
If a feature is listed as deprecated, or certain system requirements are indicated as deprecated, this capability or support might be removed in a subsequent release of the Cloud Solution Workbench to focus on follow-on technologies or the strategic feature that is listed under Action. Typically, a feature is not deprecated unless an equivalent alternative is provided or available. A feature is not removed for at least two releases after the deprecation of the feature is declared. In rare cases, it might be necessary to remove features sooner; such cases are indicated in the descriptions of these removed features.
The following features from previous releases are deprecated:
| Deprecated feature | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Managed Stacks | The complete feature set around manged stack is deprecated in version 26.03 | Use the new appraoch with project baselines, profiles, recipes and coding assistants instead |
| Stack TypeScript Node | The feature Stack TypeScript Node is deprecated in version 24.11 | Use Stack NestJS TypeScript instead |
Removed features
The following features from previous releases are removed in Cloud Solution Workbench
| Removed feature | Description | Action |
|---|---|---|
| IBM Watson® Knowledge Catalog integration | Generate entities from IBM Watson® Knowledge Catalog data assets is removed in version 26.03 | There is no replacement for the deprecated feature |
| IBM Business Automation Workflow toolkit generation | The feature to generate IBM Business Automation Workflow toolkits for API namespaces is removed in version 26.01 | There is no replacement. |
| Stack Generic TypeScript 1.0 | The feature Stack Generic TypeScript 1.0 is removed in version 25.09 | Use Stack NestJS TypeScript or Stack React TypeScript instead |
| Stack Generic Javascript 1.0 | The feature Stack Generic Javascript 1.0 is removed in version 25.09 | Use Stack NestJS TypeScript or Stack React TypeScript instead |
| Java Spring Boot Stack 1.0 | With introduction of the new Java Spring Boot Stack 2.0 the feature is removed in version 25.07 | Upgrade to the new version of the stack |
| Event Support 1.0 | The feature Event Support 1.0 is removed in version 25.11 | Use the compability mode to to migrate your projects as described in Event Support 1.0 |