Bamboo Specs: moving a UI-managed plan to repository-managed configuration

Direct answer

Bamboo does not guarantee that a detected Specs change is applied automatically. Whether Bamboo applies the change immediately or holds it for review depends on the edition and version, and on whether “Auto apply changes” is enabled for the plan. Once the plan is Specs-managed, the committed repository is the source of truth; settings that exist only in the UI and are not encoded in the Specs code are not carried forward. You can return to UI-only management, but pre-Specs UI customizations will not reappear unless you re-create them manually.

Settings: preserved, replaced, or lost

Setting	Typical outcome during transition
Build triggers	Replaced by trigger definitions in the Specs class; UI-only trigger adjustments are lost unless re-added in code.
Artifacts	Preserved only if declared in the Specs build plan; otherwise removed.
Deployment settings	Preserved only if the Specs project defines deployment environments and versions; otherwise not managed by Specs.
Plan description, tags, permissions	Often UI-only; may be lost after migration unless explicitly configured in Specs.

Auto-apply versus hold for review

Recent Bamboo Server releases and Bamboo Cloud typically apply detected Specs changes automatically after a short delay when auto-apply is enabled. Older Server versions may require a manual “Apply changes” action in the UI. Because behavior varies by version, treat automatic application as unverified until you confirm it in your instance.

Migration steps

1. Document the current plan’s triggers, artifacts, and deployment settings from the Bamboo UI.
2. Write a Bamboo Specs class that reproduces those settings.
3. Commit the Specs project to the linked repository.
4. Enable “Auto apply changes” on the plan if you want changes to apply without review.
5. Commit a trivial change, such as a comment, and observe whether Bamboo applies it automatically or holds it for approval.

Returning to UI-only management

Unlink or delete the Specs repository from the plan configuration. The plan becomes editable in the UI again, but settings that existed only in the pre-Specs UI and were never captured in Specs are gone. Re-create them manually if needed.

Verification

• Open the plan in Bamboo and confirm the “Auto apply changes” toggle.
• Run git log --oneline -5 in the Specs repository to confirm the spec file is committed.
• Make a minor Specs edit, commit it, and check the plan’s build history to see whether the change applies without a manual approval step.

Missing diagnostic detail

What is your exact Bamboo edition and version (for example, Bamboo Server 9.x or Bamboo Cloud)? This determines whether detected Specs changes are applied automatically or held for review, and it changes the rollback steps.