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 Sharkly 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.

Built-in relation types

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

Outward wording	Inward wording	Use
blocks	is blocked by	Express an execution dependency.
clones	is cloned by	Record that one task was copied or derived from another.
duplicates	is duplicated by	Record that two independent tasks describe the same work.
relates to	relates to	Record a symmetric contextual relationship.

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.

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

A linked relation can be changed from either task. Sharkly preserves the far-side task and recalculates the direction for the new type.

Removing a relation from either side removes the shared edge. It does not delete either task, its comments, or its external resources.

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supersedes / is superseded by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.

Sharkly 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.

Add a linked task#

Built-in relation types#

Relations do not change lifecycle state#

Change or remove a relation#

Custom task link types#

Linked items versus sub-tasks#