diff --git a/.changeset/honest-students-clean.md b/.changeset/honest-students-clean.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ca8db28343
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/honest-students-clean.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/integration': minor
+'@backstage/backend-common': patch
+'@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend': patch
+---
+
+ensure `apiBaseUrl` being set for Bitbucket integrations, replace hardcoded defaults
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.test.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.test.ts
index ea8e4626be..371e11b364 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.test.ts
@@ -270,22 +270,6 @@ describe('BitbucketUrlReader', () => {
 
       expect(response.etag).toBe('12ab34cd56ef');
     });
-
-    it('should throw error when apiBaseUrl is missing', () => {
-      expect(() => {
-        /* eslint-disable no-new */
-        new BitbucketUrlReader(
-          new BitbucketIntegration(
-            readBitbucketIntegrationConfig(
-              new ConfigReader({
-                host: 'bitbucket.mycompany.net',
-              }),
-            ),
-          ),
-          { treeResponseFactory },
-        );
-      }).toThrowError('must configure an explicit apiBaseUrl');
-    });
   });
 
   describe('search hosted', () => {
diff --git a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.ts b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.ts
index 2006637545..e22137ea69 100644
--- a/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-common/src/reading/BitbucketUrlReader.ts
@@ -62,14 +62,9 @@ export class BitbucketUrlReader implements UrlReader {
     private readonly integration: BitbucketIntegration,
     private readonly deps: { treeResponseFactory: ReadTreeResponseFactory },
   ) {
-    const { host, apiBaseUrl, token, username, appPassword } =
-      integration.config;
+    const { host, token, username, appPassword } = integration.config;
 
-    if (!apiBaseUrl) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Bitbucket integration for '${host}' must configure an explicit apiBaseUrl`,
-      );
-    } else if (!token && username && !appPassword) {
+    if (!token && username && !appPassword) {
       throw new Error(
         `Bitbucket integration for '${host}' has configured a username but is missing a required appPassword.`,
       );
diff --git a/packages/integration/api-report.md b/packages/integration/api-report.md
index 10da05784c..9a6ba03f8e 100644
--- a/packages/integration/api-report.md
+++ b/packages/integration/api-report.md
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ export class BitbucketIntegration implements ScmIntegration {
 // @public
 export type BitbucketIntegrationConfig = {
   host: string;
-  apiBaseUrl?: string;
+  apiBaseUrl: string;
   token?: string;
   username?: string;
   appPassword?: string;
diff --git a/packages/integration/src/bitbucket/config.ts b/packages/integration/src/bitbucket/config.ts
index 1cd911aad3..44a2f0cc1f 100644
--- a/packages/integration/src/bitbucket/config.ts
+++ b/packages/integration/src/bitbucket/config.ts
@@ -36,12 +36,10 @@ export type BitbucketIntegrationConfig = {
    * The base URL of the API of this provider, e.g. "https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0",
    * with no trailing slash.
    *
-   * May be omitted specifically for Bitbucket Cloud; then it will be deduced.
-   *
-   * The API will always be preferred if both its base URL and a token are
-   * present.
+   * Values omitted at the optional property at the app-config will be deduced
+   * from the "host" value.
    */
-  apiBaseUrl?: string;
+  apiBaseUrl: string;
 
   /**
    * The authorization token to use for requests to a Bitbucket Server provider.
@@ -90,6 +88,8 @@ export function readBitbucketIntegrationConfig(
     apiBaseUrl = trimEnd(apiBaseUrl, '/');
   } else if (host === BITBUCKET_HOST) {
     apiBaseUrl = BITBUCKET_API_BASE_URL;
+  } else {
+    apiBaseUrl = `https://${host}/rest/api/1.0`;
   }
 
   return {
diff --git a/packages/integration/src/helpers.test.ts b/packages/integration/src/helpers.test.ts
index a69c7faec9..60a2789f05 100644
--- a/packages/integration/src/helpers.test.ts
+++ b/packages/integration/src/helpers.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,10 @@ import {
 describe('basicIntegrations', () => {
   describe('byUrl', () => {
     it('handles hosts without a port', () => {
-      const integration = new BitbucketIntegration({ host: 'host.com' });
+      const integration = new BitbucketIntegration({
+        host: 'host.com',
+        apiBaseUrl: 'a',
+      });
       const integrations = basicIntegrations<BitbucketIntegration>(
         [integration],
         i => i.config.host,
@@ -33,7 +36,10 @@ describe('basicIntegrations', () => {
       expect(integrations.byUrl('https://host.com:8080/a')).toBeUndefined();
     });
     it('handles hosts with a port', () => {
-      const integration = new BitbucketIntegration({ host: 'host.com:8080' });
+      const integration = new BitbucketIntegration({
+        host: 'host.com:8080',
+        apiBaseUrl: 'a',
+      });
       const integrations = basicIntegrations<BitbucketIntegration>(
         [integration],
         i => i.config.host,
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/bitbucket.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/bitbucket.ts
index 47ebce0550..494fca1af9 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/bitbucket.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/publish/bitbucket.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ const createBitbucketCloudRepository = async (opts: {
   description?: string;
   repoVisibility: 'private' | 'public';
   authorization: string;
+  apiBaseUrl: string;
 }) => {
   const {
     workspace,
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ const createBitbucketCloudRepository = async (opts: {
     description,
     repoVisibility,
     authorization,
+    apiBaseUrl,
   } = opts;
 
   const options: RequestInit = {
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ const createBitbucketCloudRepository = async (opts: {
   let response: Response;
   try {
     response = await fetch(
-      `https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0/repositories/${workspace}/${repo}`,
+      `${apiBaseUrl}/repositories/${workspace}/${repo}`,
       options,
     );
   } catch (e) {
@@ -88,16 +90,14 @@ const createBitbucketCloudRepository = async (opts: {
 };
 
 const createBitbucketServerRepository = async (opts: {
-  host: string;
   project: string;
   repo: string;
   description?: string;
   repoVisibility: 'private' | 'public';
   authorization: string;
-  apiBaseUrl?: string;
+  apiBaseUrl: string;
 }) => {
   const {
-    host,
     project,
     repo,
     description,
@@ -121,8 +121,7 @@ const createBitbucketServerRepository = async (opts: {
   };
 
   try {
-    const baseUrl = apiBaseUrl ? apiBaseUrl : `https://${host}/rest/api/1.0`;
-    response = await fetch(`${baseUrl}/projects/${project}/repos`, options);
+    response = await fetch(`${apiBaseUrl}/projects/${project}/repos`, options);
   } catch (e) {
     throw new Error(`Unable to create repository, ${e}`);
   }
@@ -306,7 +305,11 @@ export function createPublishBitbucketAction(options: {
 
       const authorization = getAuthorizationHeader(
         ctx.input.token
-          ? { host: integrationConfig.config.host, token: ctx.input.token }
+          ? {
+              host: integrationConfig.config.host,
+              apiBaseUrl: integrationConfig.config.apiBaseUrl,
+              token: ctx.input.token,
+            }
           : integrationConfig.config,
       );
 
@@ -319,7 +322,6 @@ export function createPublishBitbucketAction(options: {
 
       const { remoteUrl, repoContentsUrl } = await createMethod({
         authorization,
-        host,
         workspace: workspace || '',
         project,
         repo,