Overview
Thunders lets you connect Jira and Linear as knowledge sources so that the AI Copilot can pull in real context from your issue tracker when generating Test Plans and Test Cases. Instead of writing requirements in the Copilot, you can reference tickets directly and let Thunders build richer, more accurate test scenarios.
Prerequisites
Before using Jira or Linear as a knowledge source, make sure you have:
An active Thunders account with at least one Project created
A Jira or Linear account with access to the issues you want to reference
The Admin or Member role in your Thunders workspace
An active subscription (integration configuration is not available on expired plans)
How It Works
When you connect Jira or Linear to a Thunders project, two things become possible:
Knowledge Source for Copilot : When generating a Test Case, you can enable Jira or Linear so the AI can automatically fetch ticket details referenced in your prompt and incorporate them into the generated test steps.
Knowledge Source for Test Plans : When generating a Test Plan, you can enable Jira or Linear so the AI can automatically fetch ticket details referenced in your requirements text and incorporate them into the test plan.
Behind the scenes, Thunders connects to Jira and Linear through a secure integration service. When you authorize Thunders to access your Jira or Linear account, it handles the OAuth connection so that the AI can make read-only lookups during test generation.
Important: Thunders only performs read-only operations on your Jira and Linear data through the knowledge source connection. As stated in the AI system prompt: the AI will "only use read-only operations (get issue, search issues)" and will "never create, update, comment on, or transition tickets" through this path.
Setting Up the Integration
Step 1 — Open the Knowledge Base
Navigate to your Project
Click the Knowledge tab in the project sidebar
You will see the All Sources tab listing available integrations
The page is divided into sections:
Connected — Integrations already configured for this project
Available — Integrations ready to be connected
Coming Soon — Integrations planned for future releases
Jira and Linear appear in the Available section until you connect them.
Step 2 — Connect Jira or Linear
Click the Connect button next to Jira or Linear.
For Jira:
You will be redirected to a third-party authorization page — this is expected
Sign in to your Atlassian / Jira account when prompted
Authorize Thunders to access your Jira workspace
You will be redirected back to Thunders
A configuration form appears asking you to select:
Field | Description |
Cloud ID | The Jira Cloud instance |
Project | The Jira project to connect |
Issue Type | The default issue type (e.g., Bug, Story, Task) |
6. Click Submit to finalize the connection
For Linear:
You will be redirected to a third-party authorization page
Sign in to your Linear account when prompted
Authorize Thunders to access your Linear workspace
You will be redirected back to Thunders
A configuration form appears asking you to select:
Field | Description |
Team | The Linear team to connect |
Assignee | Default assignee for issues (optional) |
6. Click Submit to finalize the connection
Once connected, the integration moves to the Connected section and shows a green plug icon.
Updating or Disconnecting
Update: Click the Update button on a connected integration to modify its settings (e.g., change the linked Jira project or Linear team)
Disconnect: Click the three-dot menu icon next to a connected integration and select Disconnect. This removes all saved configuration and credentials for that integration. You will need to re-authorize if you want to reconnect later.
Using Jira and Linear in Test Plan Generation
Once Jira or Linear is connected to your project, you can use them as knowledge sources when generating a Test Plan.
Step 1 — Open the Copilot
Navigate to your Project
Click Copilot in the sidebar
Switch to Test Plan mode using the toggle at the bottom of the input area
Step 2 — Select Knowledge Sources
In the Test Plan input area, click the Knowledge Sources button (brain icon) at the bottom left of the text field. A popover appears listing available integrations:
Jira — appears if Jira is connected to this project
Linear — appears if Linear is connected to this project
Toggle on the integrations you want the AI to use. When selected, the button updates to show the icons of active sources and a count (e.g., "1 Source" or "2 Sources").
Note: Only integrations that have been connected in the Knowledge Base appear as toggleable options. If Jira or Linear is not connected, a Connect button appears instead, allowing you to set up the integration directly from the Copilot view.
Step 3 — Provide Your Requirements
Enter your requirements in the text field. You can:
Type requirements text describing the feature to test
Upload a file (PDF, DOCX, or Markdown) containing your requirements document
Reference ticket IDs directly in your text (e.g., "Test the acceptance criteria from APP-1455 and KAN-234")
You can combine all three: upload a requirements document, add extra context in the text field, and reference specific tickets.
Step 4 — Generate the Test Plan
Click the Generate button. Thunders processes your input as follows:
The AI reads your requirements text and/or uploaded document
If Jira or Linear sources are enabled, the AI uses MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools to:
Look up specific tickets referenced by ID (e.g., APP-1455) to fetch their full title, description, and acceptance criteria
Search for related issues to enrich the test plan context
The AI generates a structured Test Plan with test sections, scenarios, and source references
The resulting Test Plan organizes your requirements into logical test sections, each with suggested test scenarios ready for review.
Using Jira and Linear in Test Case Generation
The Copilot's Test Case mode also supports Jira and Linear knowledge sources. This is especially useful when you want to generate detailed test steps based on a specific ticket.
Step 1 — Open Test Case Mode
Navigate to your Project
Click Copilot in the sidebar
Ensure you are in Test Case mode (the default)
Step 2 — Select Knowledge Sources
Click the Knowledge Sources button and toggle on Jira, Linear, or both. In Test Case mode, a Web Browse source is also available for web-based context gathering. (Web Browse is not available in Test Plan mode.)
Step 3 — Describe Your Test Case
Enter a description of the test case you want to generate. You can reference ticket IDs directly:
"Generate test steps for the login flow described in APP-1455"
or describe the scenario in natural language:
"Test the checkout process with multiple payment methods"
Step 4 — Generate
Click the Generate button. The AI Copilot will:
Detect any issue IDs in your message (matching patterns like
APP-1455,LIN-234,KAN-5)Automatically look up those tickets in the connected Jira or Linear workspace
Use the ticket details (title, description, acceptance criteria) as additional context
Generate detailed, actionable test steps
The Copilot works as a chat interface — you can provide follow-up instructions to refine the generated test steps.
How the AI Uses Your Integration Data
When Jira or Linear is enabled as a knowledge source, the AI has access to two operations:
Get issue by ID : Fetches the full details of a specific ticket when you provide its ID (e.g., APP-1868). The AI extracts the title, description, and acceptance criteria to inform test generation.
Search issues : Searches your Jira or Linear workspace for issues matching a query. Used when you describe a feature or scenario rather than referencing a specific ticket.
These operations are read-only. The AI cannot create, update, or transition issues through this connection.
Supported File Types for Test Plan Generation
When generating a Test Plan, you can upload a requirements document alongside your Jira/Linear context:
File Type | Extension |
| |
Word Document |
|
Markdown |
|
Key Concepts
Knowledge Source — An external integration (Jira, Linear, Notion, etc.) that provides context to the Thunders AI when generating tests. Connected through the Knowledge Base tab in your project settings.
MCP (Model Context Protocol) — The standard protocol used by Thunders to connect to external tools. MCP enables the AI to call read-only tools on your Jira or Linear workspace during test generation.
Integration Service — Thunders uses a trusted third-party service to handle OAuth authentication between your Jira or Linear account. You will see a brief redirect during the initial connection.
Knowledge Sources Button — The brain icon in the Copilot input area. Click it to toggle which integrations the AI should use when generating tests.
Connected vs. Available — In the Knowledge Base tab, integrations appear under "Connected" once configured, or "Available" if not yet set up. Only connected integrations can be used as knowledge sources.
Troubleshooting / FAQ
I connected Jira but it does not appear in the Knowledge Sources popover — why?
Make sure the integration is connected at the project level, not just at the organization level. Navigate to your project's Knowledge tab and verify Jira shows under the "Connected" section. If it only shows "Available," click Connect to set it up for this project.
The AI is not fetching my Jira/Linear tickets — what should I check?
Verify the integration is connected (green plug icon) in the Knowledge Base tab
Ensure you have toggled on the integration in the Knowledge Sources popover before generating
Check that the ticket IDs you reference match the format your tool uses (e.g.,
PROJ-123for Jira,ENG-456for Linear)If your credentials have expired, you may need to reconnect the integration
Can I use both Jira and Linear at the same time?
Yes. You can connect both integrations to the same project and enable both in the Knowledge Sources selector. The AI will use whichever integration is appropriate based on the ticket IDs or search queries.
Does the AI write back to Jira or Linear?
No. The knowledge source connection is read-only. The AI only reads issues to use as context for test generation. It cannot create, update, or comment on tickets through this connection.
Note: Thunders does offer a separate bug reporting feature that can create tickets in Jira or Linear when you report bugs from failed test steps. That feature uses the same integration credentials but operates independently from the knowledge source functionality described here.
What happens if a referenced ticket cannot be found?
If the AI cannot find a ticket ID you referenced (e.g., the ticket was deleted or you don't have access), it will proceed with the information it already has. The generated test plan or test case will be based on the remaining context from your requirements text and document.
I see "Connect" instead of a toggle switch in the Knowledge Sources popover — why?
This means the integration is not yet connected for your project. Click the Connect button directly from the popover to start the authorization flow, or go to the Knowledge tab in your project settings to set it up.
Can I use Jira/Linear as knowledge sources for Test Plans only, or for Test Cases too?
Both. Jira and Linear can be used as knowledge sources when generating Test Plans (with file upload support) and when generating Test Cases through the Copilot chat interface.
[REVIEW NEEDED: Screenshots should be added for the following UI elements:
Knowledge Base "All Sources" tab showing Jira and Linear integrations
The Pipedream OAuth redirect screen
Jira configuration form after authorization
Linear configuration form after authorization
Copilot Test Plan input with Knowledge Sources button
Knowledge Sources popover showing Jira and Linear toggles
A generated Test Plan showing ticket-enriched scenarios]