Save time linking resources with autolink references
Now you can automatically link references to external systems with GitHub Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans.
Are you constantly searching for references in external systems? Now you can set up an autolink reference and GitHub will automatically create links for you.
How it works
If you use GitHub with external services (like Jira), you might be familiar with shorthand references (like TICKET-123) to point to resources in those external systems.
Starting today, GitHub can automatically transform shorthand references into clickable links for GitHub Pro, Team, and Enterprise plans. To enable this feature, a repository admin needs to register the reference prefix (such as TICKET-) in the settings. Afterwards, references of that type are detected in issues, pull requests, comments, or commit messages, and turned into links. This speeds up navigation between GitHub and external systems.
Let us know what you think
We hope this change makes your workflow smoother, but we can always improve. Let us know how autolink references work for you.
Learn more about autolink references
Tags:
Written by
Related posts
GitHub joins coalition advocating for fixes to California AI Transparency Act to protect open source
We’re calling for targeted amendments to resolve conflicts with open source licensing and align with international transparency frameworks while preserving regulatory intent.
GitHub availability report: May 2026
In May, we experienced nine incidents that resulted in degraded performance across GitHub services.
GitHub Universe is back: All together now, in the agentic era
GitHub Universe is back: returning to the historic Fort Mason Center in San Francisco on October 28–29, 2026.