Bitbucket Cloud is expanding its capabilities with the launch of Custom Merge Checks, a new feature built on Atlassian’s Forge platform that enables development teams to create tailored merge requirements within their pull request workflows.
- Custom Merge Checks build on Atlassian’s Forge platform for extensibility.
- Function-as-a-Service infrastructure means no maintenance burden for developers.
- Workspace-level enforcement of checks planned for future updates.
What happened
Atlassian announced the rollout of Custom Merge Checks in Bitbucket Cloud, marking a major enhancement toward transforming the service into a comprehensive DevOps Automation Platform. Unlike standard merge checks, which are limited to preset configurations, this new feature allows developers to craft bespoke validation logic that runs throughout the pull request lifecycle.
These custom checks are powered by Forge, Atlassian’s cloud app development environment, providing developers with tools such as UI components, secure authentication, and storage capabilities. Importantly, because Forge operates as a Function-as-a-Service platform, developers can deploy and iterate on these checks without managing underlying infrastructure.
Why it matters
As organizations grow increasingly complex, off-the-shelf software solutions can struggle to meet unique process and compliance requirements. Previously, Bitbucket's native merge checks have been too generic for many teams with specialized needs, forcing workarounds or external checks.
By enabling custom merge checks, Bitbucket Cloud offers teams the flexibility to directly enforce their own policies, ensuring code quality and regulatory compliance without sacrificing ease of use or platform simplicity. This approach helps avoid the typical 'feature bloat' problem seen in enterprise software, by allowing selective, targeted customization instead of bloating core functionality.
What to watch next
Atlassian plans to extend the hierarchical enforcement of Custom Merge Checks across workspaces and project scopes, allowing broader administrative control of repository policies. This evolution will simplify governance for larger teams managing multiple repositories under centralized compliance standards.
The success of this feature will depend on how quickly organizations embrace and develop custom logic, as well as Atlassian’s ongoing enhancements to developer experience and tooling around Forge. Future updates are likely to include improved app lifecycle management and expanded API capabilities to support even more complex automation scenarios.