Overview
We’re excited to announce a new capability in the IBM DevOps Loop platform: natural language driven work item management for IBM DevOps Plan, powered by the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
This integration enables developers and project managers to interact with DevOps Plan directly from VS Code using plain English, streamlining planning, reducing context switching, and accelerating software delivery.
Why This Matters
Traditional planning workflows often require users to leave their development environment, navigate multiple dashboards, and manually manage work items. This disrupts developer flow and introduces inefficiencies.
With the MCP DevOps Plan integration, teams can now create, update, delete, and query work items via a conversational Github Copilot agent, right from where they write code.
Key Capabilities
The @securedevops/mcp-devops-plan module exposes a robust set of tools that allow AI agents to manage IBM DevOps Plan work items using natural language.
Here’s what’s possible:
Retrieve Applications and Projects
Quickly explore available applications and their associated projects.
Example Prompts:
| Get me all available applications in Plan |
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| Show me the projects in the 'DevOp' application. |
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View Components and Work Item Types
Gain visibility into project structure and available work item types.
Example Prompts:
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“What types of work items can I create?”
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Create, Retrieve, and Delete Work Items
Use natural language to manage epics, tasks, and defects.
Example Prompts:
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“Create a new Epic titled 'User Authentication System' in the Customer Portal project.”
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“Create two tasks: 'Design login UI' and 'Implement OAuth integration'"
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“Delete design login UI task.”
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Filter Work Items by Type, State, or Owner
Stay on top of your backlog and assignments with smart filtering.
Example Prompts:
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“What are the bugs in state closed?”
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“Provide the list of bugs assigned to Abhilash with high priority.”
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Generate Summary Reports
Get instant insights into sprint progress, no SQL or dashboards needed.
Example Prompt:
| “Create a summary report of completed vs remaining work items.” |
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Configuration and Setup
To install and configure the MCP DevOps Plan server, follow the official setup guide:
This includes:
- Installation via
npx
- Required environment variables
- Running the MCP server locally
Benefits
- Developer-Centric: Interact with planning tools directly from VS Code
- Faster Execution: Manage work items in seconds using natural language
- Improved Visibility: Real-time access to assignments, defects, and backlog
Conclusion
This feature represents a major leap forward in simplifying how teams plan and track work throughout the software development lifecycle. By embedding AI-driven interactions directly into IBM DevOps Plan, we empower development teams to move faster, stay aligned, and reduce operational overhead.
If you're currently using IBM DevOps Loop or exploring conversational AI for software delivery, this is a feature you’ll want to try today.
Want to Learn More?
As highlighted above, IBM continues to invest heavily in the IBM DevOps Loop solution. With new features, AI-powered capabilities, and ongoing innovation, we’re committed to delivering the most trusted application release automation platform for enterprises worldwide.
We also host DevOps Summits and Bootcamps across the globe, join our mailing list to stay informed about upcoming events near you.
Feel free to reach out:
Abhilash Kashyap
Technical Product Manager – AI Research
IBM DevOps Automation