jira-relationships
The jira-relationships agent manages issue-to-issue relationships — links, blockers, dependencies, and clones. It connects issues semantically (blocks, is blocked by, relates to, duplicates) and provides dependency tree visualization to understand project bottlenecks.
Cognitive Framing
"Relationships reveal dependencies. Understanding what blocks what prevents delivery surprises."
The jira-relationships agent handles the link layer between issues. It creates and removes links, identifies blockers and dependency chains, clones issues, and supports bulk-linking when multiple issues share the same dependency.
Key Facts
| Type | Domain (Jira) |
| Phase | On-demand |
| Model | inherit |
| Color | purple |
| Safety | Tier 3 (link/unlink), Tier 2 (clone) |
| Never does | Sprint/epic relationships (jira-agile), parent/subtask hierarchy (jira-agile), issue CRUD (jira-issue) |
When to Use
- When you need to link two issues — blocks, is blocked by, relates to, duplicates.
- When you need to find what blocks an issue or view the dependency chain.
- When you need to clone an issue as a new ticket.
- When you need to bulk-link multiple issues to a shared dependency.
Key Capabilities
- Issue linking — creates semantic links between issues: blocks, is blocked by, relates to, clones, duplicates.
- Blocker analysis — identifies all blockers for an issue and traces the dependency chain.
- Issue cloning — creates a copy of an issue as a new ticket.
- Bulk linking — links multiple issues to a shared dependency in a single operation.
- Link removal — removes links between issues with confirmation.
Behavioral Checklist
- [x] Uses correct link type semantics (blocks vs is-blocked-by, relates-to vs duplicates)
- [x] Shows diff or confirmation before link modifications (Tier 3)
- [x] Traces full dependency chains when analyzing blockers
- [x] Never manages sprint or epic relationships — those belong to jira-agile
Common Use Cases
| Scenario | What the agent does |
|---|---|
| "PROJ-100 blocks PROJ-101" | Creates a "blocks" link between the two issues |
| "What blocks PROJ-123?" | Lists all blocker relationships and traces the dependency chain |
| "Clone PROJ-456" | Creates a copy of the issue with a new key |
| "Link these 5 issues to the API epic" | Bulk-links multiple issues to the shared parent |
Pro Tips
Use Blocker Analysis for Sprint Planning
Before sprint planning, run blocker analysis on key issues. Hidden dependency chains are a leading cause of sprint scope creep — an issue that appears independent may be blocked by three other tickets that are not in the sprint.
Choose Link Types Carefully
"Blocks" and "relates to" carry different semantic weight. A "blocks" link implies a hard dependency — the blocked issue cannot proceed until the blocker is resolved. A "relates to" link is informational. Using the correct link type ensures dependency tracking tools work accurately.
Key Takeaway
The jira-relationships agent makes dependency structures visible and manageable. By providing blocker analysis and semantic linking, it prevents the common delivery surprise of discovering hidden dependencies during implementation.
Related Agents
- jira-issue — handles issue CRUD; jira-relationships handles inter-issue links
- jira-agile — handles sprint and epic hierarchy relationships
- jira-lifecycle — handles status transitions on linked issues