Dependencies

Dependencies let you define ordering relationships between tasks and epics. When one piece of work cannot start until another is finished, a dependency makes that relationship explicit and visible to the whole team.

Task dependencies

A task dependency means one task must be completed before another can begin. Takonaut supports two directions:

• Blocked by — this task cannot proceed until the linked task is done. For example, “Implement payment API” is blocked by “Set up Stripe account.”
• Blocking — this task is preventing another task from starting. The inverse of “blocked by.”

Both directions describe the same link. When you mark task A as blocking task B, task B automatically shows task A in its “blocked by” list.

Adding dependencies

To add a dependency, open the task detail page and look for the Dependencies section. Click Add dependency and search for the task you want to link. Choose whether the current task is blocked by or blocking the selected task.

You can also add dependencies through the MCP server, which is useful when an AI agent is planning work and needs to express ordering constraints programmatically.

How blocking works

When a task has unresolved blockers (tasks in its “blocked by” list that are not yet done), it is visually marked as blocked on the board. This gives the team a clear signal that the task cannot move forward until its dependencies are resolved.

Blocked tasks display a warning indicator so they stand out during sprint planning and daily standups.

Dependency visualization

From any task, you can see its full dependency chain — both upstream blockers and downstream tasks it is blocking. This helps you understand the ripple effect of delays. If a task is falling behind, you can quickly identify every other task that will be affected.

Epic dependencies

Dependencies also work at the epic level. An epic dependency means all the work grouped under one epic needs to be completed (or at least substantially progressed) before another epic can begin.

Epic dependencies are managed from the epic detail page, using the same “blocked by” and “blocking” model as task dependencies. They are especially useful for roadmap planning where large initiatives have a natural ordering.

See Epics & Roadmap for more on managing epics.

Impact on sprint planning

Dependencies directly affect how you plan sprints:

• Blocked tasks should not be scheduled in a sprint unless their blockers are expected to resolve within the same sprint. Takonaut highlights blocked tasks during sprint planning so you can avoid pulling in work that cannot actually start.
• Auto-scheduling respects dependencies. When using the auto-schedule feature, the system will not place a blocked task before its blockers in the timeline.
• Standup blockers. If a task you are working on becomes blocked, it surfaces in the daily standup blockers view, prompting the team to discuss how to unblock it.

Best practices

• Keep dependency chains short. Long chains of sequential tasks create fragile plans. If you find yourself chaining more than three tasks, consider whether some can run in parallel.
• Resolve blockers early. When you see a blocked task in your sprint, prioritize the blocker first. Unresolved blockers are one of the most common causes of missed sprint commitments.
• Use epic dependencies for strategic ordering. Task-level dependencies handle day-to-day sequencing. Epic dependencies communicate the broader plan to stakeholders and help with quarterly planning.