---
name: issue-management
description: "Manage GitHub Issues 2.0 relationships with gh CLI: parent issues, sub-issues, blocked-by, and blocking links."
---
Use this skill when creating, editing, inspecting, or removing relationships between GitHub issues.
These commands use the Issues 2.0 `gh issue` support added in GitHub CLI PR [cli/cli#13057](https://github.com/cli/cli/pull/13057). Because this feature is new, first confirm the installed `gh` supports it:
```bash
gh issue create --help | grep -E -- '--parent|--blocked-by|--blocking'
gh issue edit --help | grep -E -- '--parent|--add-sub-issue|--add-blocked-by|--add-blocking'
```
If those flags are missing, update `gh` before trying to manage issue relationships. Do not invent older commands.
## Issue reference format
Relationship flags accept issue numbers or issue URLs.
Use a number for an issue in the current repository:
```bash
gh issue edit 123 --parent 100
```
Use a full issue URL for a cross-repository relationship:
```bash
gh issue edit 123 --blocked-by https://github.com/remotion-dev/remotion/issues/456
```
Multiple related issues can be passed as a comma-separated list:
```bash
gh issue edit 123 --add-blocked-by 200,201
```
## Parent and sub-issue relationships
A sub-issue has exactly one parent issue.
To create a new issue directly under a parent:
```bash
gh issue create \
--title 'Docs: Add issue management skill' \
--body-file /tmp/remotion-issue-body.md \
--parent 100
```
To set or change the parent of an existing child issue:
```bash
gh issue edit <child-number> --parent <parent-number-or-url>
```
To remove the parent from a child issue:
```bash
gh issue edit <child-number> --remove-parent
```
To manage children from the parent issue:
```bash
gh issue edit <parent-number> --add-sub-issue <child-number-or-url>
gh issue edit <parent-number> --remove-sub-issue <child-number-or-url>
```
`--add-sub-issue` moves the child to the new parent if it already has another parent. Do not use `--add-sub-issue` while editing multiple parent issues in one command; one child cannot be added ambiguously to several parents.
## Blocked-by and blocking relationships
Use `blocked-by` when the issue being edited is waiting on another issue.
```bash
# Issue 123 is blocked by issue 200.
gh issue edit 123 --add-blocked-by 200
# Remove that relationship.
gh issue edit 123 --remove-blocked-by 200
```
Use `blocking` when the issue being edited blocks another issue.
```bash
# Issue 123 is blocking issues 300 and 301.
gh issue edit 123 --add-blocking 300,301
# Remove one blocking relationship.
gh issue edit 123 --remove-blocking 300
```
Equivalent mental model:
```bash
gh issue edit A --add-blocking B
```
means the same relationship as:
```bash
gh issue edit B --add-blocked-by A
```
Choose the command based on which issue you are already editing.
When creating an issue, set relationships immediately:
```bash
gh issue create \
--title 'Studio: Add timeline validation' \
--body-file /tmp/remotion-issue-body.md \
--blocked-by 200,201 \
--blocking 300
```
## Inspecting relationships
Human-readable view shows parent, sub-issues, blocked-by, and blocking metadata when present:
```bash
gh issue view <number>
```
Raw non-TTY output includes stable relationship lines:
```bash
gh issue view <number> | grep -E '^(parent|sub-issues|sub-issues-completed|blocked-by|blocking):'
```
For scripts, request the JSON fields explicitly:
```bash
gh issue view <number> \
--json parent,subIssues,subIssuesSummary,blockedBy,blocking
```
`subIssues`, `blockedBy`, and `blocking` are connection objects with `nodes` and `totalCount`. `subIssuesSummary` contains completion counts.
## Safe workflow
1. Create any new issue bodies with `--body-file`, not inline multiline shell strings.
2. Link the relationship using the appropriate `gh issue create` or `gh issue edit` flag.
3. Verify with `gh issue view <number>` or `gh issue view <number> --json parent,subIssues,subIssuesSummary,blockedBy,blocking`.
4. If editing a PR or parent issue body afterward, replace vague checklist text with concrete issue numbers.