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JiraLinkLens for Jira
How do you find linked Jira work items with JQL, and where does linkedWorkItems() stop?
To find the work items linked to one Jira work item, use the linkedWorkItems() JQL function: issue in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123) returns everything linked to ABC-123, and issue in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123, "is blocked by") narrows it to one link type. Atlassian's JQL reference, read on 13 Oct 2026, writes the function as linkedWorkItems() after Jira's rename of "issues" to "work items"; most older guides and saved filters call it linkedIssues(). The function takes one work item key, not a query, so it answers "what is linked to this item", never "what is linked to everything in this filter".
The function, as Atlassian documents it
| linkedWorkItems() | |
|---|---|
| Syntax | linkedWorkItems(workItemKey), linkedWorkItems(workItemKey, LinkType), linkedWorkItems(workItemKey, LinkType, LinkType) |
| Link type argument | Case-sensitive, and written as the link's description, for example "is blocked by" or "is duplicated by" |
| Operators | IN and NOT IN only (=, !=, WAS and the rest are not supported) |
| Input | One work item key |
Three queries from that page, with the key changed to yours:
- Everything linked to a work item:
issue in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123) - Only one link type:
issue in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123, "is duplicated by") - Any of several link types:
issue in linkedWorkItems(ABC-123, "is duplicated by", "is blocked by")
Because the link type argument is a description, the direction matters. On the default Blocks link type, "blocks" and "is blocked by" are the two directions of the same link (our post on link types explains why). Read the description from ABC-123's side: linkedWorkItems(ABC-123, "is blocked by") lists the work items linked to ABC-123 through its "is blocked by" description; if you get the opposite side from what you expected, swap to "blocks" and compare.
The link fields next to it
The same reference lists two link fields that do part of this job without the function:
| Query (as written on Atlassian's page, 13 Oct 2026) | Returns |
|---|---|
workItemLink = ABC-123 | Work items with a link of any type to ABC-123 |
workItemLink in (ABC-123, ABC-456) | Work items linked to at least one of a list of keys |
workItemLink["blocks"] = ABC-123 | Work items that block ABC-123 |
workItemLink["is blocked by"] = ABC-123 | Work items that are blocked by ABC-123 |
workItemLinkType = "is blocked by" | Work items that are blocked by something, anywhere |
workItemLinkType != "is blocked by" | Work items with no blockers |
The in (ABC-123, ABC-456) form is the closest native JQL gets to "linked to a set": you can paste a short list of keys, but it is still a list you type, not the result of another query.
About the names. The page uses the new "work item" names throughout (linkedWorkItems(), workItemLink, workItemLinkType). Filters on many sites still use the issue-named forms (linkedIssues(), issueLinkType). We have not tested which spellings every site accepts today; the JQL editor's autocomplete shows the names your site knows, so start typing linked or issueLink / workItemLink there and pick what it offers.
Where it stops
- One key in, one hop out. The function takes a single work item key and returns the work items linked to it. To go one more level (what blocks the blockers), you run it again on each result. The function list on Atlassian's page, read 13 Oct 2026, has no native function that takes a JQL query as its input for links, so "everything linked to the work in this sprint" is not one native query.
- This site only. The link-type field's documentation says you can only find work items from the Jira site you are searching on; remote links to work items on other Jira sites are not included.
- Results are a list. JQL returns a flat list of work items. It does not show which item links to which, or in which direction, unless you open each one.
For one work item and one level, that is enough: a saved filter such as issue in linkedWorkItems(REL-42, "is blocked by") AND statusCategory != Done is a good "what is still in the way of this release item" check, and it works on any Jira Cloud plan.
When you need the whole chain
When the question is "what is blocking this, and what is blocking that, across projects", the list form runs out. LinkLens for Jira, which we make, draws the links of the type you pick (Blocks by default, or any link type on your site) as a graph: in a work item's panel (up to 5 hops in each direction) or on the project's Dependencies page for the whole project or any JQL scope, so each hop and its direction is an arrow instead of another query. Loops show as red dashed arrows and Hide Done drops finished work. It is read-only and does not change your links. Native first, though: if one hop around one work item answers your question, the function above is all you need.
FAQ
Is linkedIssues() the same as linkedWorkItems()?
Atlassian's JQL functions page, read 13 Oct 2026, documents the function as linkedWorkItems(), with the same arguments that linkedIssues() has always taken (a key and optional link types). Use the name your site's JQL autocomplete offers.
Can linkedWorkItems() take a JQL filter instead of a key?
Not according to the documented syntax: the first argument is one work item key. The nearest native option is workItemLink in (KEY-1, KEY-2, ...) with a typed list of keys.
Why does my link type argument return nothing?
It is case-sensitive and expects the link's description as it appears on the work item ("is blocked by", "is duplicated by"), so check the spelling and the direction.
Does it find links to work items on another Jira site?
No. Atlassian's page says only work items from the site you search are found; remote links to other Jira sites are not included.
Sources
- JQL functions, Atlassian Support -
linkedWorkItems()syntax, case-sensitive link type arguments, supported operators (IN, NOT IN) and examples; the list of native functions. Read 13 Oct 2026. - JQL fields, Atlassian Support -
workItemLinkandworkItemLinkTypesyntax and examples; only work items on the searched site are found, remote links to other Jira sites are not included. Read 13 Oct 2026. - Configure work item linking, Atlassian Support - link types have a name, an outward and an inward description. Read 8 Oct 2026.