Enhanced collaboration and integration with Smart Links in Align

[#1]

Hi Atlassian Community!

My name is Emily, and I am a Product Manager for Align.

I’m thrilled to announce that we are enhancing the Align experience by introducing the capability to render both Atlassian and third-party (3P) product (ex. Google Drive, Figma, Slack, etc.) URLs as Smart Links in the description field of Theme, Epic, Capability, and Feature work items. This new feature allows you to access relevant information from other products directly within Align, minimizing context-switching and the need to navigate different applications.

In Align, Smart Links can be displayed in two distinct formats: inline and card views.

Inline Smart Links provide a clean, text-based representation of linked content, helping you maintain a concise view within your work items. This format is perfect for users who prefer a minimalist approach, concentrating on essential information without visual distractions.

Card Smart Links, on the other hand, offer a more detailed and visually engaging representation of the linked content. This view includes a preview of the content, providing additional context at a glance. Card views are particularly beneficial when you need to quickly assess the content’s relevance or when visual elements play a crucial role in your workflow.

This feature is available on Align Cloud production instances starting today, May 9, 2025, in the 11.11.X release. However, please note that for the feature to function properly, you must enable Atlassian Guard in the platform settings to integrate your Align instance with Atlassian Identity. Atlassian Guard is essential for authenticating with Atlassian Identity through your identity provider (IdP). For detailed instructions on setting up Atlassian Guard with Align, please refer to this help article.

We’re excited to see how this new feature enhances your collaboration. How do you envision using Smart Links in your workflow? Please share your thoughts or questions in the comments below. Your feedback is invaluable, and we look forward to hearing how this feature supports your team’s efforts.

[Rich Sparks]

Thanks for this, @Emily Jin ! Does this work with Jira and Confluence DC? Or do Smart Links only work with Jira and Confluence Cloud products?

[Vincent Cheng]

@Rich Sparks This feature only works with Jira Cloud, Confluence Cloud, and all other Cloud products that are integrated with Atlassian Identity. Unfortunately DC products do not fall into this bucket.