Linear Issue Properties
Every issue in Linear carries a set of properties that describe it, rank it, and connect it to other work. Understanding each property helps teams assign, prioritize, and track issues with precision.
Overview of Issue Properties
Properties appear in the right-side panel when you open any issue. Each property answers a different question about the issue.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ENG-88: Add dark mode to settings screen │ │ │ │ Status: ● In Progress │ │ Assignee: 👤 Alice │ │ Priority: 🔴 Urgent │ │ Project: 📁 Mobile App v2 │ │ Cycle: 🔄 Sprint 23 │ │ Label: 🏷 Feature │ │ Estimate: 📏 3 points │ │ Due Date: 📅 Jun 30 │ │ Parent: ENG-80 (Profile Overhaul) │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Status
Status shows where an issue stands in the team's workflow. The team admin defines available statuses inside team settings. Every team starts with a default set that covers the most common stages.
| Status Category | Default States | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Unstarted | Backlog, Todo | Work hasn't started yet |
| Started | In Progress, In Review | Someone is actively working on this |
| Completed | Done | Work is finished and accepted |
| Cancelled | Cancelled | This work will not happen |
Priority
Priority tells the assignee and team how urgently an issue needs attention. Linear offers four priority levels plus a "No Priority" option.
| Priority Level | Icon | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Urgent | 🔴 | Breaks production, blocks users, needs immediate attention |
| High | 🟠 | Significant business or user impact, needed this cycle |
| Medium | 🟡 | Important but not critical, can be scheduled normally |
| Low | 🔵 | Nice to have, minimal impact if delayed |
| No Priority | ⚪ | Not yet assessed or relevant to current planning |
Priority Decision Guide
Does this break production or block users?
Yes → Urgent
No →
Does it have high business impact this week?
Yes → High
No →
Is it planned for this cycle?
Yes → Medium
No → Low
Assignee
The assignee is the one person responsible for completing the issue. Linear intentionally limits each issue to one assignee. This prevents shared ownership, which often means no one actually owns the work.
When an issue needs input from multiple people, use comments and @mentions to involve others while keeping one person accountable.
Estimate
Estimates help teams plan how much work fits into a cycle. Linear supports multiple estimation systems. The team admin chooses which system to use inside team settings.
| Estimation System | Values | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| T-Shirt Sizes | XS, S, M, L, XL | Quick, rough sizing with low precision |
| Fibonacci Points | 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 | Teams that practice agile story pointing |
| Linear Scale | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Simple numeric scoring |
| Days | 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5, 10 | Teams estimating in actual time |
Labels
Labels categorize an issue by type. Common labels include Bug, Feature, Improvement, and Documentation. A single issue can carry multiple labels.
Labels act like tags. They help you filter and sort the issue list quickly. A team can create custom labels to match their specific workflow needs.
Due Date
The due date marks when an issue must be complete. Issues with a due date appear on the calendar view and trigger reminder notifications as the deadline approaches.
Due dates differ from cycle end dates. A cycle end date applies to all work in that sprint. A due date on an individual issue signals that this specific task has its own hard deadline inside the cycle.
Parent Issue and Sub-Issues
The parent field links an issue to a larger, higher-level issue. Sub-issues under a parent let teams break complex work into manageable pieces while keeping them connected.
Parent Issue: ENG-50 – Rebuild checkout flow
│
├── ENG-51: Create new cart summary component [Done]
├── ENG-52: Build payment method selector [In Progress]
└── ENG-53: Add order confirmation screen [Todo]
Parent progress: 1 / 3 complete
Relationships Between Issues
Linear supports structured relationships between issues. These go beyond parent-child nesting.
| Relationship Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | This issue must finish before another can start | ENG-10 blocks ENG-15 |
| Blocked By | This issue cannot start until another is done | ENG-15 is blocked by ENG-10 |
| Duplicate of | Two issues describe the same task | ENG-30 is a duplicate of ENG-12 |
| Related to | Two issues are connected but not dependent | ENG-44 is related to ENG-45 |
Adding relationships between issues helps the team spot blockers before they cause delays. Any issue marked as "Blocked By" stands out visually in the issue list.