link-resolver

name	link-resolver
description	Build a dependency graph from Jira issue links and identify key dependencies
model	claude-opus-4-6

Link Resolver Skill

Phase: Pre-Processing User-Invocable: false

Purpose

Build a dependency graph from Jira issue links, categorizing relationships and identifying key dependencies.

When to Use

Invoked by the jira-collector subagent after collecting issue links from the main issue.

Input

main_issue_key: PROJ-12345
issue_links:
  - outward_issue:
      key: PROJ-11111
      summary: <summary>
    link_type:
      name: Blocks
      outward: blocks
      inward: is blocked by
  - inward_issue:
      key: PROJ-22222
      summary: <summary>
    link_type:
      name: Relates
      outward: relates to
      inward: relates to
  - ...
subtasks:
  - key: PROJ-12345-1
    summary: <summary>
    status: <status>
  - ...

Output Format

dependency_graph:
  main_issue: PROJ-12345

  outward_links:
    - target: PROJ-11111
      relationship: blocks
      link_type: Blocks
      summary: <summary>
    - ...

  inward_links:
    - source: PROJ-22222
      relationship: is blocked by
      link_type: Blocks
      summary: <summary>
    - ...

  categorized_links:
    blocking:
      - PROJ-11111  # Issues this blocks
    blocked_by:
      - PROJ-22222  # Issues blocking this
    implements:
      - PROJ-33333  # Features/epics implemented
    implemented_by:
      - PROJ-44444  # Stories implementing this
    relates_to:
      - PROJ-55555  # Related issues
    parent:
      - PROJ-99000  # Parent epic/feature
    children:
      - PROJ-12345-1  # Subtasks
    depends_on:
      - PROJ-66666  # Issues this depends on
    depended_on_by:
      - PROJ-77777  # Issues depending on this
    triggers:
      - PROJ-88888  # Issues this triggers
    triggered_by:
      - PROJ-99999  # Issues triggering this
    split_to:
      - PROJ-10101  # Issues split from this
    split_from:
      - PROJ-20202  # Issues this was split from
    causes:
      - PROJ-30303  # Issues caused by this
    caused_by:
      - PROJ-40404  # Issues causing this
    problem_of:
      - PROJ-50505  # Problems of this issue
    incident_of:
      - PROJ-60606  # Incidents of this issue

  hierarchy:
    level: story  # epic | feature | story | task | subtask
    parent: PROJ-99000
    children:
      - PROJ-12345-1
      - PROJ-12345-2

  all_linked_issues:
    - key: PROJ-11111
      direction: outward
      type: Blocks
      pr_urls:
        - https://github.com/example-org/example-repo/pull/1234
    - key: PROJ-22222
      direction: inward
      type: Blocks
      pr_urls: []
    - ...

  aggregated_pr_urls:
    - url: https://github.com/example-org/example-repo/pull/1234
      source_issue: PROJ-11111
      source_type: custom_field  # custom_field | comment
      is_main_issue: false
    - ...

Link Type Classification

Standard Jira Link Types

Link Type	Outward Description	Inward Description	Category
Blocks	blocks	is blocked by	blocking
Cloners	clones	is cloned by	clones
Duplicate	duplicates	is duplicated by	duplicates
Relates	relates to	relates to	relates
Parent/Child	is parent of	is child of	hierarchy
Epic-Story Link	has Epic	is Epic of	hierarchy
Implements	implements	is implemented by	implements
Dependency	depends on	is depended on by	dependency
Triggers	triggers	is triggered by	triggers
Split	split to	split from	split
Causes	causes	is caused by	causes
Problem/Incident	is problem of	is incident of	problem

Link Direction Rules

Outward Links (Process These):

• The main issue is the SOURCE of the link
• Example: "PROJ-12345 blocks PROJ-11111"
• These indicate downstream dependencies

Inward Links (Collect for Reference):

• The main issue is the TARGET of the link
• Example: "PROJ-22222 blocks PROJ-12345"
• These indicate upstream dependencies

Hierarchy Detection

Determine the issue's position in the hierarchy:

1. Epic/Feature: Has children, no parent of same type
2. Story: Has parent epic/feature, may have subtasks
3. Task: Standalone work item
4. Subtask: Has parent task/story

Critical Dependency Identification

Mark links as "critical" if:

• Link type is "Blocks" (blocking/blocked_by)
• Link is to a Feature or Epic (parent hierarchy)
• Link is marked as "Must Have" in requirements

Example Processing

Input:

main_issue_key: PROJ-12345
issue_links:
  - outward_issue:
      key: PROJ-11111
      summary: Storage refactoring
    link_type:
      name: Blocks
      outward: blocks
  - inward_issue:
      key: PROJ-22222
      summary: Migration improvements
    link_type:
      name: Relates
      outward: relates to
  - outward_issue:
      key: PROJ-99000
      summary: CPU Hot-plug Feature
    link_type:
      name: Implements
      outward: implements

Output:

dependency_graph:
  main_issue: PROJ-12345

  categorized_links:
    blocking:
      - PROJ-11111
    blocked_by: []
    implements:
      - PROJ-99000
    relates_to:
      - PROJ-22222
    parent:
      - PROJ-99000
    children: []

  critical_dependencies:
    - key: PROJ-11111
      type: Blocks
      reason: This issue blocks downstream work
    - key: PROJ-99000
      type: Implements
      reason: Parent feature dependency

Usage Notes

1. 1 Level Depth Only: Only process direct links from the main issue
2. Do NOT Recurse: Do not follow links from linked issues
3. Collect Both Directions: Track both outward and inward for context
4. Prioritize Outward: Outward links are primary for PR collection