Links, issues, and relations

Use links, issues, and relations to make test cases traceable beyond their own steps. They connect a test case to supporting context, external work items, requirements, defects, or related test cases, so the team can understand what the test covers and where to find the larger context.

The right connection type depends on whether the destination is an arbitrary URL, a record in an external tracker, or another TestOps test case.

Choose the right connection type

Links

Use links for general-purpose URLs such as design docs, API specs, runbooks, or other external references that help someone understand the test.

Issues

Use issue links when the destination belongs to an integrated work-management system such as Jira, GitHub Issues, or another supported tracker. Issue links require a project integration with the external tracker. Set up the integration first, then add the issue mapping at project level.

Unlike plain links, issue links become structured TestOps data: they can be looked up through the tracker integration and used in filters, AQL queries, and reporting.

Relations

Use relations when one test case should be connected to another inside TestOps, for example when a manual test is automated later or when two cases are duplicates or closely related.

Decide where the connection should be maintained

Manual test assets are often easiest to maintain directly in the UI. Automated test assets usually work better when the link or issue metadata comes from the result payload or adapter-supported labels.

If automated uploads should stop overwriting UI-managed issue or link data, use Metadata update settings.

Integrations for the supported issue-tracker and work-management systems;
Defects when the real goal is managing known failures rather than just attaching context.

Legacy routes

Older links may still point to the individual pages for links, issues, or relations. Those routes are retained only as migration stubs and now route back to this canonical page.