Timefold Solver 2.0 is coming March 2026!

[TomCools]

Hi all, we are excited to announce that we are working on our next major release for Timefold Solver.

What is going to happen

This release has 2 big pillars:

• Improve ease of use: We continue to simplify building with Timefold Solver. Recent additions like Custom Shadow Variables (replacing custom VariableListeners) and @PlanningListVariable (now on par with chained variables) reduce complexity.
  Solver 2.0 will remove classic VariableListeners and chained planning variables, along with other simplifications to come.

• Remove deprecated functions: When we forked from OptaPlanner, we kept all deprecated functionality to ease migration. These legacy features now slow down development and block improvements. An example of this is the Constraint Streams API, where over 30% of methods are deprecated. Solver 2.0 will remove this deprecated code to streamline the API and unlock future enhancements.

A clear and guided upgrade path

To make the transition to Timefold Solver 2.0 as easy as possible, we will deliver a comprehensive upgrade guide, designed to help you through the migration.

• Many of the changes will be automated using our OpenRewrite recipes.
• Some larger changes cannot be automated. We will provide a structured plan to guide you through those.

Timefold Solver 1.x support path

Don’t worry if you are not ready to upgrade immediately. We will maintain Timefold Solver Community Edition 1.x throughout 2026 with quarterly bug-fix releases and security updates.

For our enterprise clients: Read the enterprise announcement on our website: https://timefold.ai/blog/introducing-timefold-solver-2-0

Given the relatively simple migration towards 2.x, we expect most people to migrate quickly. Should you require some extended support, do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Preparing for Timefold Solver 2.x

You can already start preparing your codebase for Timefold Solver 2.x today:

• Upgrade to the most recent version of Timefold Solver using the OpenRewrite recipes.
• Remove all calls to deprecated code.
• For larger changes, you can already start migrating towards our newer solutions.
  • Custom Variable Listeners => Custom Shadow Variables
  • @PlanningVariable(type Chained) => @PlanningListVariable
    

No feature loss for the community

We want to be absolutely clear: We are not removing any functionality from the open source version. Everything you can build right now with Timefold Solver 1.x, you will be able to build in Timefold Solver 2.x as well.

What’s next

As 2.0 approaches, we’ll share the full list of changes and keep the migration guide updated.

Thanks for your continued support! We’re excited for what’s coming next.