Link and organize tickets

Use this guide when a ticket depends on other work, belongs to a larger outcome, or needs collaboration history.

Add a comment

1. Open Tickets.
2. Open the ticket detail drawer.
3. Scroll to the comments or activity area.
4. Write the update.
5. Include issue keys, doc references, decision IDs, or risk IDs when they support the update.
6. Save the comment.

Use comments for handoffs, decisions made during execution, investigation notes, and review context that should remain attached to the ticket.

Comment authors can edit or delete their own comments. Deleting a comment removes the comment body permanently and leaves an activity record on the ticket.

Link related tickets

1. Open the ticket.
2. Find the links or related tickets section.
3. Choose the link type:
   • relates_to for contextual relationship.
   • blocks when this ticket blocks another.
   • is_blocked_by when another ticket blocks this one.
   • duplicates or is_duplicated_by when two tickets represent the same work.
   • clones or is_cloned_by when one ticket is a copy of another.
4. Search for the target ticket by issue key or title.
5. Save the link.
6. Open both tickets and confirm the relationship reads correctly from each side.

Use precise link types. A blocker link should change how the team prioritizes or sequences work.

Create subtasks

1. Open the standard ticket that should be the parent.
2. Create a new ticket.
3. Set Type to subtask.
4. Set Parent to the parent ticket.
5. Give the subtask its own owner, status, and acceptance criteria.
6. Save it.

Use subtasks when smaller pieces still belong under one deliverable. Use separate sibling tickets under an epic when the work has independent release or planning value.

The subtask type is always available and cannot be archived in project settings.

Add an existing ticket as a subtask

1. Open the standard ticket that should become the parent.
2. Find Subtasks and select Add existing.
3. Search within the project and select a task, story, bug, custom standard ticket, or existing subtask.
4. Confirm the selected ticket now appears in the parent's subtask list.

TOW converts a standard ticket to a subtask and links it atomically. If you select a subtask that already has a parent, TOW reparents it immediately without a confirmation step. You need permission to edit the selected child and view the parent.

To detach a subtask, edit the child and change Type to a standard work type. A subtask cannot exist without a parent, so clearing Parent by itself is not supported.

Attach a ticket to an epic

1. Open the ticket.
2. Set Parent or Epic to the roadmap epic.
3. Confirm the epic key or title is correct.
4. Save the ticket.
5. Open Roadmap and confirm the ticket appears under the intended epic if that view is relevant.

Epics are managed from Roadmap. If a search in Tickets finds matching epics, TOW may point you to Roadmap instead of showing epics in the ticket table.

Mark duplicates without losing history

1. Open the newer or lower-quality duplicate ticket.
2. Link it to the ticket that should remain active with duplicates.
3. Add a comment explaining why the other ticket is the survivor.
4. Archive the duplicate instead of deleting it.
5. Check that references and comments still explain the path.

Use delete only for accidental or sensitive records that should not remain in history.

Run a duplicate conflict scan

1. Open Tickets.
2. Select the relevant project or All Projects.
3. Select Scan conflicts.
4. Wait for the result. If Agent Runs are queued, wait for AI status to finish and refresh.
5. Review the suggested keep/archive pair.
6. Choose which ticket should stay active.
7. Accept the proposal if it is correct, or reject it if the pair is not actually a duplicate.
8. Recheck active tickets after the scan.

Do not accept duplicate proposals in bulk without reading them. A false duplicate can hide important work.

Organize a messy ticket cluster

1. Search for the shared keyword, customer, epic, or issue key.
2. Identify the primary outcome.
3. Choose or create the epic that represents the larger outcome.
4. Move implementation tasks under that epic.
5. Link blockers and duplicates.
6. Archive stale duplicates after adding an explanatory comment.
7. Update board filters or card fields if the cluster needs repeated review.

Related concepts: Ticket links, comments, and hierarchy, Ticket conflicts, Roadmap and epics.