Subtasks Navigation for Jira user's guide

Subtasks Navigation for Jira user's guide

For more information visit Subtasks Navigation for Jira on Atlassian Marketplace

Overview

Subtasks Navigation adds contextual panels to Jira issues, making it easy to navigate between sibling subtasks and epic issues without leaving the current issue.

All panels appear above the Details section in the issue view, spanning the full width of the content area.


Panel types

Subtasks Navigation provides three panel types. Each panel is shown only on the relevant issue type.

Other subtasks

  • Shown on: Subtasks

  • What it shows: All sibling subtasks from the same parent issue

  • Use case: Quickly see and navigate to other subtasks of the same parent without going back to the parent issue first

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 10.45.08.png

Other work items

  • Shown on: Standard issues (stories, tasks, bugs)

  • What it shows: All other issues in the same epic

  • Use case: See what else is in the epic alongside the current issue, with inline status, assignee, and priority

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 10.44.32.png

Epic progress

  • Shown on: Epics

  • What it shows: All child issues with progress bars for issue count, story points, and time tracking

  • Use case: Get a quick overview of epic completion without leaving the epic issue

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 10.44.11.png

Features

  • Inline editing — change priority, assignee, and status directly from the panel without opening each issue

  • Create issue — add a new subtask or issue in epic directly from the panel

  • Copy link / Copy ID — quickly copy an issue link or key to clipboard

  • Sort and filter — sort by various fields and filter issues within the panel

  • Progress bars — visual progress indicators for story points, issue count, and time tracking (on epics)

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 11.20.16.png

 


How panels become visible

Jira requires an entity property on each issue before an app panel becomes visible. There are three ways panels get enabled:

1. New issues — automatic

When any issue is created in your Jira instance, a background trigger automatically enables the appropriate panel. No action is needed — panels appear on new issues immediately.

2. Existing issues — admin batch enable

Issues that existed before the app was installed need a one-time activation. A project administrator can batch-enable panels for all existing issues in a project:

  1. Go to Apps > Manage apps in your Jira administration

  2. Find Subtasks Navigation and click Configure

  3. Switch to the "Enable on Issues" tab

  4. Find the project you want to enable panels for

  5. Click "Enable panels" for that project

  6. Wait for the progress bar to complete — this processes all issues in the project

SCREENSHOT NEEDED: The admin "Enable on Issues" tab showing a list of projects with the "Enable panels" button. Ideally show one project mid-progress (progress bar visible) or just completed (green success message).

This operation is safe and non-destructive — it only adds a visibility flag to each issue. No issue data is modified, deleted, or overwritten. You can run it multiple times without side effects.

3. Manual — per-issue

Any user can add panels to individual issues:

  • Click the “settings" button under the issue header, then select the Subtasks Navigation panel

  • Alternatively, if the panel is already visible on one issue, use the three-dot menu on the panel header and select "Show for all work items" to enable it across the project

Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 11.22.26.png
Screenshot 2026-02-16 at 11.24.02.png

 


Admin settings

Access admin settings via: Apps > Manage apps > Subtasks Navigation > Configure

Panel Settings tab

The Panel Settings tab lets you enable or disable individual panel types per project:

  • Other subtasks — toggle on/off for each project

  • Other work items — toggle on/off for each project

  • Epic progress — toggle on/off for each project

When you disable a panel for a project, it is completely hidden from all issues in that project — no panel header, no empty space. Re-enabling the panel makes it visible again on next page load.

SCREENSHOT NEEDED: The "Panel Settings" tab showing the project table with toggle switches for each panel type. Show at least 2-3 projects, some with panels enabled and some disabled.

Enable on Issues tab

The Enable on Issues tab lets you batch-enable panels for all existing issues in a project. See the "Existing issues — admin batch enable" section above for step-by-step instructions.


Frequently Asked Questions

Why don't I see the panels on my issues?

Panels may need to be enabled for existing issues. Go to the admin settings (Apps > Manage apps > Subtasks Navigation > Configure), switch to the "Enable on Issues" tab, and click "Enable panels" for your project.

For individual issues, you can also use the "+" button at the bottom of the issue view to add the panel manually.

Can I remove a panel from an issue?

Yes. Click the three-dot menu on the panel header and select "Remove". This removes the panel from that specific issue only.

Do new issues get panels automatically?

Yes. A background trigger enables the appropriate panel on every newly created issue. No manual action is required for new issues.

Can I disable panels for a specific project?

Yes. Go to admin settings (Apps > Manage apps > Subtasks Navigation > Configure), and use the Panel Settings tab to toggle individual panel types on or off for each project.

Why does a panel show "No parent issue" or "No epic assigned"?

This means the panel is visible but the current issue doesn't have the expected relationship:

  • "No parent issue" on a subtask — the subtask has no parent set

  • "No epic assigned" on a standard issue — the issue is not linked to any epic

These messages are informational. Once you assign a parent or epic, the panel will display the related issues.

Where are the panels positioned?

All panels appear above the Details section in the full-width content area of the issue view. They do not appear in the right sidebar.


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