Dependencies

Record how work items relate to each other — this one is blocked by that one, this one duplicates that one — so the ordering constraints live on the item instead of in someone's head.

Plan: Pro and above

What you can do

  • Link a work item to another with one of four relationships: Blocked by, Blocks, Relates to, Duplicates.
  • See a work item's existing links grouped by relationship type.
  • Remove a link.
  • Rely on the server to reject nonsense: an item cannot depend on itself, the same link cannot be added twice, and a blocking link that would close a loop (A blocks B blocks C blocks A) is refused with a clear error.

Getting started

Add a dependency

  1. Open the work item that the relationship is about.
  2. In the action bar, click Dependencies.
  3. In the modal, under Add dependency:
    • Pick the Relationship — Blocked by, Blocks, Relates to or Duplicates.
    • Pick the Issue the relationship points at, from the dropdown of work items in the same project.
  4. Click Add dependency.

The new link appears in the list at the top of the modal, under a heading for its relationship type.

📷 Screenshot: The Dependencies modal, showing existing links grouped by relationship above the "Add dependency" form.

Remove a dependency

Open the same modal, find the link in the list, and click the bin icon on its row.

How the relationships behave

  • Blocked by and Blocks are directional and are treated as a real dependency graph. The server walks that graph before it saves a new link and refuses anything that would create a circular dependency.
  • Relates to and Duplicates are loose associations. They are stored and displayed, but they are not part of the blocking graph and are never cycle-checked.

Tips

  • Pick one direction and stick to it. Recording "A is blocked by B" and "B blocks A" gives you two rows saying the same thing, and only clutters both modals.
  • Use Blocked by on the item that is stuck — that is the item whose owner needs to see the link.
  • If adding a link fails with a circular-dependency error, one of the items in the chain is already blocking the thing you are trying to block. Follow the chain and fix the real ordering.

Limits & good to know

This feature is deliberately thin. Be aware of what it does not do:

  • Nothing is enforced. A blocked work item can still be moved, assigned, closed or pulled into a cycle. Dependencies are documentation, not a gate.
  • The links are only visible inside the modal. There is no badge, icon or warning on list, board, or cycle views, and no dependency column.
  • There is no graph or dependency board. A workspace route exists but currently renders a placeholder — the modal on the work item is the real, working surface.
  • The modal shows outgoing links only — the relationships you added from this item. Work items that were linked to this one from elsewhere do not appear here, so add a link from the item that people will actually open.
  • Same-project only. The picker lists work items from the current project, and only the first 100 of them, so on a large project the item you want may not be in the list.
  • Removing a link does not notify anyone or write to the work item's activity feed.