## **Problem** Every link we paste is a potential interruption. To verify a comment link is correct, users click away, find it, read it, come back... losing their train of thought. To see a linked Figma design, they open a new tab and context-switch. Research confirmed this friction: users told us: > "it would be much more efficient if the link showed the relevant content instead of just a URL." [Dovetail](https://gitlab.dovetail.com/projects/5uWuYw4ObYX7J1vJScSoD6/readme) ## Vision GitLab users constantly share links: to issues, MRs, wiki pages, YouTube videos, Figma files, filtered lists. Today, users can choose how GitLab object links display: * ID * Title * Summary These options are inconsistent and limited. External content like Figma or YouTube has no preview at all. Rich links expand what's possible. We're adding **Embed** for external content and **improving discoverability when users paste supported links.** For details on how **ID**, **Title**, and **Summary** currently behave, see https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/587917+ ### How it works **GitLab links:** When a user pastes a GitLab link, it defaults to **Title**. Users can change the display via the existing link menu: * ID * Title * Reference (renamed from Summary—see note below) **External links (YouTube, Figma):** When a user pastes a supported external link, a prompt appears: * "Embed video" / "Keep as link" (YouTube) * "Embed file" / "Keep as link" (Figma) This improves discoverability without overwhelming users with options. > [!note] > > We're renaming "Summary" to "Reference" to better reflect what it shows. "Summary" implies content; "Reference" describes what it actually is—a compact inline reference with metadata. ## Early Concepts * [Figma explorations](https://www.figma.com/design/IKYZhcvLSF57nCFtbw8gJJ/Text-Editors?node-id=171-1695) * [Figma prototype](https://www.figma.com/proto/IKYZhcvLSF57nCFtbw8gJJ/Text-Editors?page-id=270%3A18079&node-id=270-18080&viewport=913%2C265%2C0.41&t=g5USkTQmG8orAXaq-1&scaling=contain&content-scaling=fixed&starting-point-node-id=270%3A18080) ## Related Issues * [Iframe embed implementation thread](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/282443#note_3013930566) - Technical implementation * [Embedding test project](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/plan-stage/knowledge-group/-/work_items/26) - Internal dogfooding * [Feedback issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/586587) - Collect feedback * [Wiki embedded link previews in descriptions and comments](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/502316) - Original research-backed issue * :dove: [Dovetail project](https://gitlab.dovetail.com/projects/5uWuYw4ObYX7J1vJScSoD6/readme) * :mag: [Research issue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/ux-research/-/issues/3250) * [Analyze and improve workflow for connecting Wiki pages to work items](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/539197) - Usage analysis and workflow improvements