In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for enabling content tethering for a content management system. A content tethering component can receive an indication to link (tether) content items of a content management system to one another, and associates the content items in a hierarchical structure according to the linking. Content items can exist and evolve independently, can be placed under different folder hierarchies, and can be managed by the same or different users. The hierarchical structure can indicate relationships between linked content items, and notify users associated with linked items in response to events (e.g., modifications or deletions) affecting those documents. A security data can be used to determine permissions and privileges for particular users with respect to particular items. In an embodiment, the content tethering component can be provided as a pluggable module for use with existing content management systems.