> loading a cross repo issue is a much slower experience

Why not solve the real problem instead of putting in a janky workaround?

At risk of being cliche, it seems like you guys could benefit from the 5 Whys approach here: "Why is loading a cross repo issue slow?" and iterate until you discover the root cause, and fix that.

I suspect fixing the root cause is going to be a lot less glorious career-wise than implementing a UX change that is easier to tout at review time (well maybe not so much after this debacle).