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Overview

Issues (also called Work Items) are the fundamental building blocks for tracking tasks, bugs, features, and other work in Plane. Each issue supports comprehensive metadata, relationships, and a powerful rich text editor for detailed descriptions.
Issues in Plane are flexible work items that can represent anything from simple tasks to complex features with multiple sub-issues.

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Creating Issues

You can create issues in multiple ways:
1

From the Issues View

Click the “New Issue” button in any project view to open the issue creation modal.
2

Quick Add

Use the quick add feature in list, kanban, spreadsheet, or calendar views to create issues inline.
3

Command Menu

Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows/Linux) and search for “Create Issue”.

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Issue Properties

Issues support a rich set of properties to organize and track work:

State

Track issue progress through customizable workflow states (Backlog, Todo, In Progress, Done, Cancelled)

Priority

Set priority levels: Urgent, High, Medium, Low, or None

Assignees

Assign multiple team members to work on an issue

Labels

Categorize issues with custom labels for better organization

Due Date

Set target completion dates to manage deadlines

Estimates

Add story points or time estimates for planning

Cycles

Assign issues to sprint cycles for iteration planning

Modules

Group issues into feature modules for better organization

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Rich Text Editor

The issue description editor provides powerful formatting capabilities:

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Text Formatting

- **Bold** and *italic* text
- Headings (H1, H2, H3)
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Code blocks with syntax highlighting
- Blockquotes
- Strikethrough text

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Advanced Features

Drag and drop images and files directly into the description. Supported file types include images, PDFs, and documents.
File uploads are processed asynchronously. Large files may take a moment to appear in the editor.

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Issue Relationships

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Parent-Child Hierarchy

Create hierarchical relationships by setting parent issues:
  • Parent Issues: Break down large work items into smaller tasks
  • Sub-issues: Track component tasks that roll up to a parent
  • View sub-issue progress directly on the parent issue
Link related issues to show dependencies and relationships:
  • Blocks: This issue prevents other issues from progressing
  • Blocked by: This issue is waiting on other issues
  • Relates to: General relationship between issues

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Issue Views

View and manage issues in multiple layouts:

List View

Traditional list layout with expandable rows and inline editing

Kanban Board

Drag-and-drop board grouped by state, priority, assignee, or labels

Spreadsheet

Table view with all properties visible for bulk operations

Calendar

Timeline view showing issues by due date

Gantt Chart

Project timeline with dependencies and date ranges

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Quick Actions

Perform common operations quickly: 
// Available quick actions from the issue context menu:
- Edit issue
- Change state
- Set priority
- Assign/unassign
- Add to cycle
- Add to module
- Create sub-issue
- Copy issue link
- Duplicate issue
- Archive issue
- Delete issue

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Draft Issues

Save incomplete issues as drafts to continue working on them later. Drafts are stored locally until you’re ready to create them.
Draft issues support:
  • All standard issue properties
  • Rich text descriptions with file uploads
  • Conversion to regular issues with one click
  • Separate draft workspace view

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Keyboard Shortcuts

ActionShortcut (Mac)Shortcut (Windows/Linux)
Create issueCC
Quick searchCmd+KCtrl+K
Copy issue linkCmd+Shift+CCtrl+Shift+C
Toggle issue detailsCmd+ICtrl+I

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Best Practices

Write Clear Titles

Use concise, action-oriented titles that clearly describe the work item. Good: “Add user authentication”, Bad: “Auth stuff”

Add Context in Descriptions

Include why the work is needed, acceptance criteria, and any relevant background information.

Use Sub-issues for Complex Work

Break down large issues into manageable sub-tasks for better tracking and parallel work.

Keep Properties Updated

Regularly update state, assignees, and other properties to maintain accurate project visibility.

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Code Examples

Working with issues programmatically: 
// Example issue creation payload
const issueData = {
  name: "Implement user authentication",
  description_html: "<p>Add JWT-based authentication...</p>",
  state_id: "state-uuid",
  priority: "high",
  assignee_ids: ["user-uuid-1", "user-uuid-2"],
  label_ids: ["label-uuid-1"],
  target_date: "2024-12-31",
  estimate_point: 5
};
  • Cycles - Organize issues into sprint cycles
  • Modules - Group issues by feature modules
  • Views - Create custom filtered views of issues
  • Analytics - Track issue metrics and trends

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