// 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".
| name | bkt |
| version | 0.28.1 |
| 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"} |
bkt is a unified CLI for Bitbucket Data Center and Bitbucket Cloud. It mirrors gh ergonomics and provides structured JSON/YAML output for automation.
1. Verify installation — always check before running any bkt command:
bkt --version
If not installed:
| Platform | Command |
|---|---|
| macOS/Linux | brew install avivsinai/tap/bitbucket-cli |
| Windows | scoop bucket add avivsinai https://github.com/avivsinai/scoop-bucket && scoop install bitbucket-cli |
| Go | go install github.com/avivsinai/bitbucket-cli/cmd/bkt@latest |
| Binary | Download from GitHub Releases |
2. Check authentication — most commands require an active session:
bkt auth status
Bitbucket Cloud Token Requirements:
read:user:bitbucket)For config-free use in containers and CI pipelines, see headless authentication.
If not authenticated, log in:
# Data Center (PAT-based)
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.example.com --username alice --token <PAT>
# Bitbucket Cloud — OAuth (official binaries open browser out of the box)
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.org --kind cloud --web
# Bitbucket Cloud — API token (--web-token opens Atlassian's token creation page)
bkt auth login https://bitbucket.org --kind cloud --web-token
For source and Nix builds, set BKT_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID and BKT_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET env vars before running --web.
3. Set up a context — contexts bind a host to a project/workspace and optional default repo, so you don't repeat flags on every command:
# Data Center
bkt context create dc-prod --host bitbucket.example.com --project ABC --set-active
# Cloud
bkt context create cloud-team --host bitbucket.org --workspace myteam --set-active
Some commands are Data Center only or Cloud only — check the command reference for *(DC)* and *(Cloud)* badges. Key splits:
| Feature | Data Center | Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Pull requests | yes | yes |
| Repositories | yes | yes |
| Branches (list) | yes | yes |
| Branches (create/delete/protect) | yes | — |
| Issues | — | yes |
| Pipelines | — | yes |
| Permissions | yes | — |
| Webhooks | yes | yes |
| Auto-merge, tasks, reactions | yes | — |
| Variables | — | yes |
When a user's context is DC, do not suggest Cloud-only commands (and vice versa). If the platform is unknown, ask or check with bkt auth status.
bkt pr create --title "feat: add caching" --target main
Source branch, title, and target default to sensible values from git state. Add --draft for work-in-progress, --reviewer alice to request review.
bkt pr checks 42 --wait # Wait for CI to pass
bkt pr approve 42 # Approve
bkt pr merge 42 # Merge (closes source branch by default)
bkt pr checkout 42 # Creates pr/42 branch
All commands support --json, --yaml, --jq, and --template:
bkt pr list --mine --json | jq '.pull_requests[].title'
For endpoints without a dedicated command:
bkt api /rest/api/1.0/projects --param limit=100 --json
Every command accepts these inherited flags:
| Flag | Short | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
--context | -c | Use a specific named context |
--json | JSON output | |
--yaml | YAML output | |
--jq | Apply a jq expression (requires --json) | |
--template | Render with Go template |