#Task relations

Task relations appear as Linked items and describe how two independent tasks are connected. A relation is stored once and shown from both tasks with the appropriate direction.

Relations do not merge tasks, change status, or start an Automation by themselves.

#Add a linked task

From a task's Linked items section, choose a relation type and then search for or paste another Anakin task URL.

The target task must:

• Belong to the same Organization.
• Be different from the current task.
• Not already have the same or contradictory inverse relation to the current task.

Linked tasks can belong to different Spaces. Space access still applies when a person opens the linked task.

Use Add link instead for an external document, design, log, or website.

You can also start from a comment in Activity: creating a Task from a comment automatically links the new Task to the Task that comment belongs to with a "relates to" relation, with no manual step. Creating a sub-task from a comment makes it a sub-task of the source Task instead. Adjust relations afterwards from the task's Linked items section.

#Built-in relation types

The current Linked items picker provides these built-in types:

Directional types display different wording from each side. relates to displays the same wording from both sides.

#Relations do not change lifecycle state

Adding is blocked by does not move a task to a Blocked-named status. Adding duplicates does not move a task to a Duplicate-category status.

When the relationship should affect lifecycle state, update the status separately or use an Automation with an explicit trigger and instructions.

#Blocking indicators on boards

Board cards show two separate indicators for a blocking relationship:

• the number of tasks that the current task blocks; and
• the completion progress of the tasks blocking the current task.

The count and progress update when the related Tasks change state. They describe the relationship and related-task progress; creating or removing a relation does not change a Task's Workflow status.

The Duplicate-category task action also records a specific original task in the same Space. That lifecycle action is separate from a cross-Space duplicates relation.

#Change or remove a relation

Linked items and parent or sub-task links are unlinked from different places.

For Linked items, open a relation's more menu:

• change the relation type, for example from relates to to is blocked by. Anakin preserves the far-side task and recalculates the direction for the new type;
• remove the relation, which drops that edge.

For a parent or sub-task link, unlink from either side:

• on the sub-task, choose Unlink parent task;
• on the parent, choose Remove subtask.

Unlinking updates both tasks, so no half-visible relation is left behind. It does not delete the tasks, their sub-tasks, comments, activity, or external resources. Menu labels follow the product UI.

#Custom task link types

Organization Owners and Admins can create custom task link types in Organization settings.

Each custom type defines:

• Name for settings.
• Outward description read from the source task.
• Inward description read from the linked task.

For example:

• causes / is caused by
• validates / is validated by
• supersedes / is superseded by

Built-in types are fixed and cannot be edited or deleted. A custom type cannot be deleted while existing relations use it.

#Linked items versus sub-tasks

Use sub-tasks for hierarchy:

• The parent represents a larger outcome.
• The child is part of that outcome.
• In the standard create and parent-edit flows, the parent must be in the same Space.
• Anakin rejects self-parenting and checks the recent ancestor chain for detected cycles.

Use Linked items when both tasks remain independent and the relationship is dependency, derivation, duplication, or context.

The Linked items UI also offers actions to convert a related task into a parent or sub-task relationship. That updates task hierarchy rather than creating another relation edge.

#Practical guidance

Use a relation when it changes how someone understands or executes the work. For important dependencies:

• Choose the correct direction.
• Explain the reason in a comment when it is not obvious.
• Update task status separately when the Workflow needs to show a blocked or duplicate state.
• Remove obsolete relations so Linked items remains useful.