Guidance Required: Setting Up an Interactive PR Review Checklist in Bitbucket Cloud

Question

Hello Atlassian Community,

We are using Bitbucket Cloud and would like to set up a standard Pull Request (PR) review checklist for our development team.

Our requirement is:

* Every new PR should automatically have the standard checklist available.

* Each checklist item should have an interactive checkbox.

* Developers/reviewers should be able to tick/untick (resolve/reopen) each item.

* We would like to prevent merging a PR if the required checklist items are not completed.

* The checklist should be centrally maintained so that developers do not have to manually create the tasks for every PR.

For example, we would like something like:

Code Review

* ☐ Coding standards followed

* ☐ No unnecessary code changes

* ☐ Exception handling verified

Security

* ☐ Input validation verified

* ☐ Authorization verified

* ☐ No sensitive information exposed

Testing

* ☐ Unit testing completed

* ☐ Functional testing completed

* ☐ Regression testing completed

VAPT / Security

* ☐ VAPT findings addressed

* ☐ Security fixes tested

* ☐ Retesting completed where applicable

Could someone please guide us step-by-step on the recommended Bitbucket Cloud configuration?

Specifically, we would appreciate guidance on:

* How to create the interactive checklist/tasks.

* How to configure these as default tasks for every new PR.

* How to allow developers/reviewers to tick/untick or resolve/reopen the tasks.

* How to configure "No unresolved pull request tasks" as a merge check.

* How to ensure that unresolved tasks block the merge.

* Whether Bitbucket Cloud Premium is required for enforcing this.

* Whether this can be achieved entirely using native Bitbucket Cloud features, without developing a custom Forge app or other automation.

* If there are any limitations with using PR templates (.bitbucket/pull_request_template.md) for this purpose.

We have already created a .bitbucket/pull_request_template.md file, but the Markdown [ ] syntax is not providing clickable checkboxes in the Bitbucket Cloud PR editor.

We are therefore looking for the best native Bitbucket Cloud approach for an interactive and enforceable PR review checklist.

Any step-by-step instructions or screenshots/documentation links would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Josh · Answer

Hi Kiran, you can do almost all of this natively. The piece you're missing is Default pull request tasks, which replaces the Markdown checkboxes (those aren't interactive in Bitbucket Cloud's PR description).

1. Create the checklist once, centrally (per repository)

* Repository settings → Default pull request tasks. Add one task per checklist item.
* Every new PR in that repository gets these tasks automatically. If you edit the list later, it applies to PRs created afterwards; existing PRs keep the tasks they already have.
* There are no headings in the task list, so prefix the section: "[Security] Input validation verified", "[Testing] Regression testing completed", and so on.

2. Tick / untick

Default tasks show up in the PR's Tasks panel like any other PR task. Reviewers and the author can resolve them, and reopen them if something changes. Nothing else to configure.

3. Block the merge until they're done

* Repository settings → Branch restrictions → add or edit the restriction for your target branch (e.g. main) → merge checks → tick No unresolved pull request tasks. Add minimum approvals there too, if you want.
* Premium is required to actually block. On Standard, merge checks show a warning but people can still merge. On Premium you can enable the option that prevents merging while merge checks are unresolved.

Limitations to know up front

* Default tasks apply to all PRs in the repository. You can't vary them by source or target branch; that's the open suggestion BCLOUD-22124. The ticket also notes that PRs targeting release branches don't get the default tasks.
* The setting is per repository, so plan a short rollout across your repos.
* Twelve tasks is a lot. In my experience reviewers start ticking them in bulk. I'd keep tasks for the true gates (security, VAPT, regression) and move the guidance-style items into Default description (also under Repository settings). That gives every PR the full checklist text as a reminder, while the enforced list stays short.

So, to your last question: yes, it's achievable with native features only, no Forge app needed. Enforcement is the only part that depends on Premium.

Viswanathan Ramachandran · Answer

Hi @KiranKesarkar

Setting up an interactive and enforceable Pull Request (PR) review checklist in Bitbucket Cloud is best achieved using native Tasks and Automation, rather than Markdown checkboxes in a PR template.

1. Use Native Bitbucket Tasks for Interactivity

They..

* Are interactive (can be ticked/unticked and resolved/reopened).

* Appear in a dedicated sidebar for easy tracking.

* Can be enforced as a requirement for merging.

2. Automatically Create Tasks via Bitbucket Automation

To ensure every new PR has the standard checklist without manual entry, use Bitbucket Automation:

* Go to your Repository settings > Automation.

* Create a new rule:

* Trigger: Pull request created.

* Action: Create a task.

* Add multiple "Create a task" actions for each item in your checklist (e.g., Coding standards followed, Unit testing completed).

* You can also use a single action to call the The Bitbucket Cloud REST API if you have a very long list, but individual actions are easier to manage natively.

3. Enforce Completion with Merge Checks

To prevent merging a PR if checklist items are unresolved:

* Go to Repository settings > Branch restrictions.

* Add or edit a restriction for your target branch

* Under Merge settings, enable the check: No unresolved pull request tasks.

* Premium Requirement: To strictly prevent the merge (block the button), you must be on the Bitbucket Premium plan. On the Standard plan, this check will only show a warning but won't hard-block the merge. Pull request and merge settings | Bitbucket Cloud | Atlassian Support

4. Central Maintenance

* Repository Level: Manage the automation rules and branch restrictions within each repository's settings.

* Workspace Level (Premium): If you have many repositories, Premium allows you to set Workspace-level merge checks to enforce No unresolved tasks across all repositories in your workspace. Set up and use custom merge checks | Bitbucket Cloud | Atlassian Support

Summary of Limitations with PR Templates

As you discovered, pull request template md file is designed for the PR Description field and while it supports Markdown, the checkboxes are static text in the editor and only become clickable in the rendered view but they do not link to Bitbucket's task system or merge checks. Using the Automation + Tasks approach is the recommended native path for enforceability.