name: bkt version: 0.19.0 description: Bitbucket CLI for Data Center and Cloud. Use when users need to manage repositories, pull requests, branches, issues, webhooks, or pipelines in Bitbucket. Triggers include "bitbucket", "bkt", "pull request", "PR", "repo list", "branch create", "Bitbucket Data Center", "Bitbucket Cloud", "keyring timeout". metadata: short-description: Bitbucket CLI for repos, PRs, branches compatibility: claude-code, codex-cli

Bitbucket CLI (bkt)

bkt is a unified CLI for Bitbucket Data Center and Bitbucket Cloud. It mirrors gh ergonomics and provides structured JSON/YAML output for automation.

Dependency Check

Before executing any bkt command, verify the CLI is installed:

bkt --version

If the command fails or bkt is not found, install it using one of these methods:

Only proceed with bkt commands after confirming installation succeeds.

Authentication

# Data Center (opens browser for PAT creation)
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.example.com --web
 
# Data Center (direct)
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.example.com --username alice --token <PAT>
 
# Bitbucket Cloud
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.org --kind cloud --web
 
# Check auth status
bkt auth status

Bitbucket Cloud Token Requirements:

• Create an "API token with scopes" (not a general API token)
• Select Bitbucket as the application
• Required scope: Account: Read (read:user:bitbucket)
• Additional scopes as needed: Repositories, Pull requests, Issues

Contexts

Contexts store host, project/workspace, and default repo settings:

# Create context for Data Center
bkt context create dc-prod --host bitbucket.example.com --project ABC --set-active
 
# Create context for Cloud
bkt context create cloud-team --host bitbucket.org --workspace myteam --set-active
 
# List and switch contexts
bkt context list
bkt context use cloud-team

Quick Command Reference

Repository Operations

bkt repo list --limit 20
bkt repo list --workspace myteam          # Cloud workspace override
bkt repo view platform-api
bkt repo create data-pipeline --description "Data ingestion" --project DATA
bkt repo browse --project DATA --repo platform-api
bkt repo clone platform-api --ssh

Pull Request Workflows

# List and view
bkt pr list --state OPEN --limit 10
bkt pr list --mine                        # PRs you authored
bkt pr view 42
bkt pr view 42 --web                      # Open in browser
 
# Create and edit
bkt pr create --title "feat: cache" --source feature/cache --target main --reviewer alice
bkt pr create --title "WIP: refactor" --source refactor/auth --target main --draft
 
bkt pr edit 123 --title "New title" --body "Updated description"
 
# Publish / unpublish draft PRs
bkt pr publish 42                         # Mark draft PR as ready for review
bkt pr publish --undo 42                  # Convert PR back to draft
 
# Review and merge
bkt pr approve 42
bkt pr comment 42 --text "LGTM"
bkt pr comment 42 --text "Needs refactor" --pending   # Pending (draft) comment
bkt pr merge 42 --message "merge: feature/cache"
bkt pr merge 42 --strategy fast-forward
 
# CI/build status
bkt pr checks 42                          # Show build status
bkt pr checks 42 --wait                   # Wait for builds to complete
bkt pr checks 42 --wait --timeout 5m      # With timeout
bkt pr checks 42 --fail-fast              # Exit on first failure
 
# Checkout locally
bkt pr checkout 42                        # Fetches to pr/42 branch

Branch Management

bkt branch list
bkt branch list --filter "feature/*"
bkt branch create release/1.9 --from main
bkt branch delete feature/old-stuff
bkt branch set-default main               # DC only
bkt branch protect add main --type fast-forward-only  # DC only

Issue Tracking (Bitbucket Cloud Only)

bkt issue list --state open --kind bug
bkt issue view 42 --comments
bkt issue create -t "Login broken" -k bug -p major
bkt issue edit 42 --assignee "{uuid}" --priority critical
bkt issue close 42
bkt issue reopen 42
bkt issue comment 42 -b "Fixed in v1.2.0"
bkt issue status                          # Your assigned/created issues

Issue kinds: bug, enhancement, proposal, task Priorities: trivial, minor, major, critical, blocker

Webhooks

bkt webhook list
bkt webhook create --name "CI" --url https://ci.example.com/hook --event repo:refs_changed
bkt webhook delete <id>
bkt webhook test <id>

Pipelines (Cloud)

bkt pipeline run --ref main --var ENV=staging
bkt pipeline list                         # Recent runs
bkt pipeline view <uuid>                  # Pipeline details
bkt pipeline logs <uuid>                  # Fetch logs
bkt status pipeline <uuid>                # Alt: status check

Permissions (DC)

bkt perms project list --project DATA
bkt perms project grant --project DATA --user alice --perm PROJECT_WRITE
bkt perms repo list --project DATA --repo platform-api
bkt perms repo grant --project DATA --repo api --user alice --perm REPO_WRITE

Raw API Access

For endpoints not yet wrapped:

bkt api /rest/api/1.0/projects --param limit=100 --json
bkt api /repositories --param workspace=myteam --field pagelen=50

Output Modes

All commands support structured output:

bkt pr list --json                        # JSON output
bkt pr list --yaml                        # YAML output
bkt pr list --json | jq '.pull_requests[0].title'

Global Options

• --json / --yaml — Structured output
• --context <name> — Use specific context
• --project <key> — Override project (DC)
• --workspace <name> — Override workspace (Cloud)
• --repo <slug> — Override repository

Environment Variables

• BKT_CONFIG_DIR — Config directory override
• BKT_ALLOW_INSECURE_STORE — Allow file-based credential storage
• BKT_KEYRING_TIMEOUT — Keyring operation timeout (for example 2m)

References

• Full command reference: See references/commands.md