**Support associating branches _from any project_ to a work item.** Currently, the only way to associate a branch to a work item is by adding the work item IID to the branch name. Both the work item and branch must be in the same project, and since branches cannot be renamed there is no way to build this association once the branch is created (but the MR can be associated). ## Follows - [Show branches in Relationship Manager](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/7085) ## Current Solution - None ## Tightly related proposals - [Add branch references to GFM](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/17084) - If this is tackled as part of this epic, please note the [new GFM reference syntax we are standardizing on](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/217614#use-markdown-references) - [Add an existing branch to a specific issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/15901)