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
Still a developer. Just outside. Our latest GitHub Shop collection is here.
The ESC collection lets you escape the confines of your desk and get out into the sun where good ideas are bound to happen.
Take your local GitHub sessions anywhere
Kick off work in VS Code or the CLI, finish it from your phone. Remote control for GitHub Copilot sessions is now generally available on github.com and GitHub Mobile.
GitHub availability report: April 2026
In April, we experienced 10 incidents that resulted in degraded performance across GitHub services.