Bitbucket Pipelines: the build passed before and fails now
The same bitbucket-pipelines.yml, no change you can see, and a step that used to pass now fails. Atlassian's article on this (Bitbucket Pipelines builds were successful earlier, but started failing recently) lists what can change: your code, the build image (a new image pushed under the same tag), workspace, repository or deployment variables, third-party dependencies or their outages, a Bitbucket outage, Pipelines infrastructure, and the host of a self-hosted runner.
1. Your code or something else
Build the last commit that passed once more. If it now fails as well, what changed is not in your code. Atlassian also suggests running the failing build outside Pipelines: in the same Docker image for steps on Atlassian's machines or a Linux Docker runner (Troubleshoot failed pipelines locally with Docker), or straight on the host for a Linux shell, macOS or Windows runner. If it fails there too, Atlassian says the cause is not in Pipelines' infrastructure or configuration. If it passes there and fails in Pipelines, Atlassian asks for a support ticket with the logs of your local build.
2. Compare the image
For steps on Atlassian's machines or a Linux Docker runner, open Build setup, the first section of the step's log, in a run that passed and in one that failed. It names each image with its digest, for example Images used: build : docker.io/atlassian/defaultimage@sha256:689e… (from Atlassian's article on a slow Build setup). A tag such as node:22, or no image at all (then atlassian/default-image:latest), can point to a newer image tomorrow. If the digests differ, pin the one from the run that passed (Atlassian's Use Docker images as build environments):
image: name: node@sha256:<digest>
Then move to a newer image on purpose, when you can test it. A step with services lists their images in Build setup too.
3. Pin the packages the step installs
Packages installed in the step with apt, yum or apk may be newer versions than last week. Atlassian's article says to pin their versions. The same goes for a dependency the project doesn't lock: commit the lock file and install from it.
4. Variables
A workspace, repository or deployment variable may have been changed or deleted. Workspace variables apply to every repository of the workspace, so a change there can break builds in a repository nobody touched.
5. Outages and infrastructure changes
- Bitbucket: bitbucket.status.atlassian.com. Run the build again once the incident is resolved.
- Where the step downloads from: Docker Hub, npm, Python, Maven, GitHub, AWS (the list in Atlassian's article).
- Pipelines itself: Atlassian lists its changes on Infrastructure changes in Bitbucket Pipelines. The latest entry when we checked: from June 30, 2026, a new kernel for some build environments, 6.1.79 to 6.18.35.
- A self-hosted runner: anything changed on its host, such as an update or a full disk ("No space left on device").
From IntelliJ IDEA
Pipeline Inbox for Bitbucket Pipelines, a plugin by Lesstep for JetBrains IDEs 2024.1 or later, lists the pipelines of all your Bitbucket Cloud repositories in an IDE tool window, with their status, so you can see the last run that passed and the first that failed. Each step's log, Build setup included, opens in the IDE and can be searched for Images used. With Pro, Run again on the run that passed builds that same commit once more, which is step 1 without leaving the IDE. The list, steps and logs are free; running, re-running and stopping pipelines are Pro (US$1.50 a month, with a 30-day trial).
Get it on JetBrains Marketplace
Atlassian, Bitbucket and Bitbucket Pipelines are trademarks of Atlassian; Docker is a trademark of Docker, Inc.; npm is a trademark of npm, Inc.; Python is a trademark of the Python Software Foundation; Maven is a trademark of the Apache Software Foundation; GitHub is a trademark of GitHub, Inc.; AWS is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates; Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies; macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc.; IntelliJ IDEA is a trademark of JetBrains s.r.o. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
More: "command not found" · The artifact is missing in the next step · "Step exceeded processing limits" · "Exceeded build time limit of 120 minutes" · "No space left on device" · "No online runner available" · "We couldn't clone the repository" · Submodules not cloned · "unexpected system error" · The cache is not used · Pipelines did not run after a push · "Container 'Build' exceeded memory limit." · "Container 'docker' exceeded memory limit." · Build setup takes too long · "You've run out of build minutes" · "Permission denied to update branch" · "You have reached your pull rate limit" (Docker Hub) · "There is an error in your bitbucket-pipelines.yml" · "This pipeline was paused" (deployments) · Bitbucket Pipelines plugins for IntelliJ IDEA, compared · 日本語