Unable to create Pull Request to another user's branch – Branch/repository not visible

Question

We are experiencing an intermittent issue with Bitbucket Cloud while creating Pull Requests.

Our setup:

* I have my own Bitbucket workspace and repository.
* User2 has his own workspace and repository and is the primary maintainer of this project.
* My normal workflow is to create a Pull Request from my branch/repository to User2 's branch/repository.

Issue:

* While creating a Pull Request, I can no longer see User2's repository/branches for selection.
* I can successfully fetch User2's branches using Git (git fetch), and the remote branches are visible locally.
* The issue appears to be limited to the Bitbucket Cloud Pull Request UI.
* We have also intermittently seen the following message: "The repository is currently being indexed. Please try again later."

Additionally, we have noticed that a user who left our organization several years ago still appears in the Pull Request interface, which makes us suspect there may be a repository metadata or indexing issue.

Questions:

* Could the repository indexing issue be preventing User2's repository/branches from appearing in the Pull Request UI?
* Is there a way to refresh or rebuild the repository metadata/indexes?
* Does this require Bitbucket Cloud Support to perform repository maintenance (such as garbage collection)?

Rachna Bhavsar · Answer

Sure,i'll the post the details on that thread

Gabriela - LeanZero · Answer

Hi @Rachna Bhavsar, this is the same one you raised as Unable to see other users' branches when creating Pull Requests, and Ben from Bitbucket Cloud Support has already taken that thread and has your two trace IDs.

Keep the rest of it on that thread. The ex-colleague still showing in the picker is worth him having, and he'll only see it on the thread he's working. Split across two, the ticket gets raised with half of it missing.

Unable to see other users' branches when creating Pull Requests

Nabeel awan · Answer

The "repository is currently being indexed" message does suggest that Bitbucket Cloud may not have finished updating its internal metadata. During indexing, repositories or branches can temporarily be unavailable in the Pull Request UI even though Git operations like git fetch continue to work normally.

A few things to check before assuming it's a backend issue:

* Verify that both repositories are still connected through the appropriate permissions and that cross-repository pull requests are allowed.

* Confirm that the destination branch exists and that both repositories are visible to the account creating the PR.

* Try creating the PR in an incognito/private browser window or a different browser to rule out cached UI data.

If the problem persists after indexing completes, there isn't a self-service way to rebuild repository indexes or run maintenance (such as garbage collection) in Bitbucket Cloud. Those operations are managed by Atlassian.

Since you can fetch the repository successfully but it doesn't appear in the PR interface, I'd recommend opening a Bitbucket Cloud Support ticket. Include:

* The source and destination repository URLs.

* Approximate timestamps when the issue occurs.

* Screenshots of the missing repository/branch selector.

* The "repository is currently being indexed" message.

* The fact that a former organization member still appears in the PR UI, as that could help Support investigate whether there's stale metadata or an indexing issue.

This should give Atlassian enough information to determine whether the problem is due to repository indexing or another backend issue.