Relations between issues¶
A relation is a typed link between two issues. Relations capture how work fits together: what blocks what, which issue duplicates another, what order things should happen in. They're informational links and dependency markers — they don't move issues through statuses on their own.
The relation types¶
Specivo has five canonical relations. Four of them are directional, so each one also has a reverse that shows up on the other issue automatically — nine named links in all.
| Relation | Reverse | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| relates to | relates to | A plain, symmetric link between two issues | They're connected and worth reading together, with no dependency |
| duplicates | duplicated by | This issue describes the same thing as another | You found a second report of the same bug or request |
| blocks | blocked by | A blocked issue can't proceed until its blocker is done | One piece of work must finish before another can start |
| precedes | follows | A scheduling order: one should happen before the other | You want a sequence; precedes can carry an optional delay in days |
| copied to | copied from | Records that one issue was copied or derived from another | You split or cloned an issue and want to keep the trail |
relates is symmetric — it reads the same from either side. The other four are directional: if
ACME-10 blocks ACME-11, then ACME-11 shows blocked by ACME-10.
Precedes can carry a delay
When you add a precedes relation you can set an optional delay in days — useful when the follow-up work shouldn't start immediately after the first issue finishes.
No circular dependencies
Specivo prevents circular blocks and precedes chains. If A blocks B and B blocks C,
you can't then make C block A — the loop would be impossible to satisfy, so Specivo refuses it.
Add a relation¶
- Open the issue and find the Relations section.
- Choose the relation type (relates, duplicates, blocks, precedes, copied to).
- Enter the other issue (for example
ACME-11). - For precedes, optionally set a delay in days.
- Save. The reverse relation appears on the other issue automatically.
Remove a relation¶
In the Relations section, find the link you want to drop and remove it. The matching reverse link disappears from the other issue at the same time.
Mentioned in¶
Below the relations, the Relations tab lists where the issue is mentioned: the wiki pages, issues and comments whose text links to it, grouped by kind. A mention is any of:
- the issue's key, such as
ACME-42, written in the text (not inside code); - a Markdown link to the issue's address, such as
[the bug](/issue/ACME-42/).
Each row shows the page or issue, its project and, when the link has its own text, that text. A comment row opens the issue at that comment. The list is loaded when you open the tab, and it only shows what you can open yourself: mentions in a private issue, a private note or a wiki you can't read are left out. Unlike relations, mentions come from the text, so to remove one, edit the text that contains it.