Gazelle build file generator

Gazelle is a build file generator for Bazel projects. It can create new BUILD.bazel files for a project that follows language conventions, and it can update existing build files to include new sources, dependencies, and options. Gazelle natively supports Go and protobuf, and it may be extended to support new languages and custom rule sets.

Gazelle may be run by Bazel using the gazelle rule, or it may be installed and run as a command line tool. Gazelle can also generate build files for external repositories as part of the go_repository rule.

Gazelle is under active development. Its interface and the rules it generates may change. Gazelle is not an official Google product.

Contents

Setup
- Running Gazelle with Bazel
- Running Gazelle with Go
Compatibility with Go
Compatibility with rules_go
Usage
Dependency resolution
Fix command transformations

See also:

Setup

Running Gazelle with Bazel

To use Gazelle in a new project, add the bazel_gazelle repository and its dependencies to your WORKSPACE file and call gazelle_dependencies. It should look like this:

load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")

http_archive(
    name = "io_bazel_rules_go",
    sha256 = "b725e6497741d7fc2d55fcc29a276627d10e43fa5d0bb692692890ae30d98d00",
    urls = [
        "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/rules_go/releases/download/v0.24.3/rules_go-v0.24.3.tar.gz",
        "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_go/releases/download/v0.24.3/rules_go-v0.24.3.tar.gz",
    ],
)

http_archive(
    name = "bazel_gazelle",
    sha256 = "b85f48fa105c4403326e9525ad2b2cc437babaa6e15a3fc0b1dbab0ab064bc7c",
    urls = [
        "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-gazelle/releases/download/v0.22.2/bazel-gazelle-v0.22.2.tar.gz",
        "https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-gazelle/releases/download/v0.22.2/bazel-gazelle-v0.22.2.tar.gz",
    ],
)

load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:deps.bzl", "go_register_toolchains", "go_rules_dependencies")
load("@bazel_gazelle//:deps.bzl", "gazelle_dependencies")

go_rules_dependencies()

go_register_toolchains()

gazelle_dependencies()

Add the code below to the BUILD or BUILD.bazel file in the root directory of your repository. For Go projects, replace the string after prefix with the portion of your import path that corresponds to your repository.

load("@bazel_gazelle//:def.bzl", "gazelle")

# gazelle:prefix github.com/example/project
gazelle(name = "gazelle")

After adding this code, you can run Gazelle with Bazel.

$ bazel run //:gazelle

This will generate new BUILD.bazel files for your project. You can run the same command in the future to update existing BUILD.bazel files to include new source files or options.

You can pass additional arguments to Gazelle after a -- argument. This can be used to run alternate commands like update-repos that the gazelle rule cannot run directly.

$ bazel run //:gazelle -- update-repos -from_file=go.mod -to_macro=deps.bzl%go_dependencies

Running Gazelle with Go

If you have a Go toolchain installed, you can install Gazelle with the command below:

go get github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-gazelle/cmd/gazelle

Make sure to re-run this command to upgrade Gazelle whenever you upgrade rules_go in your repository.

To generate BUILD.bazel files in a new project, run the command below, replacing the prefix with the portion of your import path that corresponds to your repository.

gazelle -go_prefix github.com/example/project

Most of Gazelle's command-line arguments can be expressed as special comments in build files. See Directives below. You may want to copy this line into your root build files to avoid having to type -go_prefix every time.

# gazelle:prefix github.com/example/project

Compatibility with Go

Gazelle is compatible with supported releases of Go, per the Go Release Policy. The Go Team officially supports the current and previous minor releases. Older releases are not supported and don't receive bug fixes or security updates.

Gazelle may use language and library features from the oldest supported release.

Compatibility with rules_go

Gazelle generates build files that use features in newer versions of rules_go. Newer versions of Gazelle may generate build files that work with older versions of rules_go, but check the table below to ensure you're using a compatible version.

Gazelle version	Minimum rules_go version	Maximum rules_go version
0.8	0.8	n/a
0.9	0.9	n/a
0.10	0.9	0.11
0.11	0.11	0.24
0.12	0.11	0.24
0.13	0.13	0.24
0.14	0.13	0.24
0.15	0.13	0.24
0.16	0.13	0.24
0.17	0.13	0.24
0.18	0.19	0.24
0.19	0.19	0.24
0.20	0.20	0.24
0.21	0.20	0.24
0.22	0.20	0.24

Usage

Command line

gazelle <command> [flags...] [package-dirs...]

The first argument to Gazelle may be one of the commands below. If no command is specified, update is assumed. The remaining arguments are specific to each command and are documented below.

update: Scans sources files, then generates and updates build files.
fix: Same as the update command, but it also fixes deprecated usage of rules.
update-repos: Adds and updates repository rules in the WORKSPACE file.

Bazel rule

Gazelle may be run via a rule. See Running Gazelle with Bazel for setup instructions. This rule builds Gazelle and generates a wrapper script that executes Gazelle with baked-in set of arguments. You can run this script with bazel run, or you can copy it into your workspace and run it directly.

The following attributes are available on the gazelle rule.

Name	Type	Default value
`gazelle`	label	`@bazel_gazelle//cmd/gazelle`
The gazelle_binary rule that builds Gazelle. You can substitute a modified version of Gazelle with this. See Extending Gazelle.
`external`	string	`external`
The method for resolving unknown imports to Bazel dependencies. May be `external` or `vendored`. See Dependency resolution.
`build_tags`	string_list	`[]`
The list of Go build tags that Gazelle should consider to always be true.
`prefix`	string	`""`
The import path that corresponds to the repository root directory. Note: It's usually better to write a directive like `# gazelle:prefix example.com/repo` in your build file instead of setting this attribute.
`extra_args`	string_list	`[]`
A list of extra command line arguments passed to Gazelle.
`command`	string	`update`
The Gazelle command to use. May be `fix` or `update`. To run a different command, e.g., `update-repos`, you'll need to copy the invoke the generated wrapper script directly with explicit arguments.

`fix` and `update`

The update command is the most common way of running Gazelle. Gazelle scans sources in directories throughout the repository, then creates and updates build files.

The fix command does everything update does, but it also fixes deprecated usage of rules, analogous to go fix. For example, cgo_library will be consolidated with go_library. This command may delete or rename rules, so it's not on by default. See Fix command transformations for details.

Both commands accept a list of directories to process as positional arguments. If no directories are specified, Gazelle will process the current directory. Subdirectories will be processed recursively.

The following flags are accepted:

Name	Default value
`-build_file_name file1,file2,...`	`BUILD.bazel,BUILD`
Comma-separated list of file names. Gazelle recognizes these files as Bazel build files. New files will use the first name in this list. Use this if your project contains non-Bazel files named `BUILD` (or `build` on case-insensitive file systems).
`-build_tags tag1,tag2`
List of Go build tags Gazelle will consider to be true. Gazelle applies constraints when generating Go rules. It assumes certain tags are true on certain platforms (for example, `amd64,linux`). It assumes all Go release tags are true (for example, `go1.8`). It considers other tags to be false (for example, `ignore`). This flag overrides that behavior. Bazel may still filter sources with these tags. Use `bazel build --define gotags=foo,bar` to set tags at build time.
`-exclude pattern`
Prevents Gazelle from processing a file or directory if the given doublestar.Match pattern matches. If the pattern refers to a source file, Gazelle won't include it in any rules. If the pattern refers to a directory, Gazelle won't recurse into it. This option may be repeated. Patterns must be slash-separated, relative to the repository root. This is equivalent to the `# gazelle:exclude pattern` directive.
`-external external\|vendored`	`external`
Determines how Gazelle resolves import paths that cannot be resolve in the current repository. May be `external` or `vendored`. See Dependency resolution.
`-index true\|false`	`true`
Determines whether Galleze should index the libraries in the current repository and whether it should use the index to resolve dependencies. If this is switched off, Galleze would rely on `# gazelle:prefix` directive or `-go_prefix` flag to resolve dependencies.
`-go_grpc_compiler`	`@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_grpc`
The protocol buffers compiler to use for building go bindings for gRPC. May be repeated. See Predefined plugins for available options; commonly used options include `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gofast_grpc` and `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gogofaster_grpc`.
`-go_naming_convention`
Controls the names of generated Go targets. Equivalent to the `# gazelle:go_naming_convention` directive.
`-go_naming_convention_external`
Controls the default naming convention used when resolving libraries in external repositories with unknown naming conventions. Equivalent to the `# gazelle:go_naming_convention_external` directive.
`-go_prefix example.com/repo`
A prefix of import paths for libraries in the repository that corresponds to the repository root. Gazelle infers this from the `go_prefix` rule in the root BUILD.bazel file, if it exists. If not, this option is mandatory. This prefix is used to determine whether an import path refers to a library in the current repository or an external dependency.
`-go_proto_compiler`	`@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_proto`
The protocol buffers compiler to use for building go bindings. May be repeated. See Predefined plugins for available options; commonly used options include `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gofast_proto` and `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gogofaster_proto`.
`-known_import example.com`
Skips import path resolution for a known domain. May be repeated. When Gazelle resolves an import path to an external dependency, it attempts to discover the remote repository root over HTTP. Gazelle skips this discovery step for a few well-known domains with predictable structure, like golang.org and github.com. This flag specifies additional domains to skip, which is useful in situations where the lookup would fail for some reason.
`-mode fix\|print\|diff`	`fix`
Method for emitting merged build files. In `fix` mode, Gazelle writes generated and merged files to disk. In `print` mode, it prints them to stdout. In `diff` mode, it prints a unified diff.
`-proto default\|package\|legacy\|disable\|disable_global`	`default`
Determines how Gazelle should generate rules for .proto files. See details in Directives below.
`-proto_group group`	`""`
Determines the proto option Gazelle uses to group .proto files into rules when in `package` mode. See details in Directives below.
`-proto_import_prefix repo`
Sets the import_prefix attribute of generated `proto_library` rules. This adds a prefix to the string used to import `.proto` files listed in the `srcs` attribute of generated rules.
`-repo_root dir`
The root directory of the repository. Gazelle normally infers this to be the directory containing the WORKSPACE file. Gazelle will not process packages outside this directory.
`-lang lang1,lang2,...`	`""`
Selects languages for which to compose and index rules. By default, all languages that this Gazelle was built with are processed.

`update-repos`

The update-repos command updates repository rules. It can write the rules to either the WORKSPACE (by default) or a .bzl file macro function. It can be used to add new repository rules or update existing rules to the specified version. It can also import repository rules from a go.mod file or a Gopkg.lock file.

# Add or update a repository to latest version by import path
$ gazelle update-repos example.com/new/repo

# Add or update a repository to specified version/commit by import path
$ gazelle update-repos example.com/new/repo@v1.3.1

# Import repositories from go.mod
$ gazelle update-repos -from_file=go.mod

# Import repositories from go.mod and update macro
$ gazelle update-repos -from_file=go.mod -to_macro=repositories.bzl%go_repositories

Note:

Note:	`update-repos` is not directly supported by the `gazelle` rule. You can run it through the `gazelle` rule by passing extra arguments after `--`. For example: $ bazel run //:gazelle -- update-repos example.com/new/repo

update-repos is not directly supported by the gazelle rule. You can run it through the gazelle rule by passing extra arguments after --. For example:

$ bazel run //:gazelle -- update-repos example.com/new/repo

The following flags are accepted:

Name	Default value
`-from_file lock-file`
Import repositories from a file as go_repository rules. These rules will be added to the bottom of the WORKSPACE file or merged with existing rules. The lock file format is inferred from the file name. `go.mod` and, `Gopkg.lock` (the dep lock format) are both supported.
`-repo_root dir`
The root directory of the repository. Gazelle normally infers this to be the directory containing the WORKSPACE file. Gazelle will not process packages outside this directory.
`-to_macro macroFile%defName`
Tells Gazelle to write new repository rules into a .bzl macro function rather than the WORKSPACE file. The `repository_macro` directive should be added to the WORKSPACE in order for future Gazelle calls to recognize the repos defined in the macro file.
`-prune true\|false`	`false`
When true, Gazelle will remove go_repository rules that no longer have equivalent repos in the `Gopkg.lock`/`go.mod` file. This flag can only be used with `-from_file`.
`-build_directives arg1,arg2,...`
Sets the `build_directives attribute` for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_external external\|vendored`
Sets the `build_external` attribute for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_extra_args arg1,arg2,...`
Sets the `build_extra_args attribute` for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_file_generation auto\|on\|off`
Sets the `build_file_generation` attribute for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_file_names file1,file2,...`
Sets the `build_file_name` attribute for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_file_proto_mode default\|package\|legacy\|disable\|disable_global`
Sets the `build_file_proto_mode` attribute for the generated go_repository rule(s).
`-build_tags tag1,tag2,...`
Sets the `build_tags` attribute for the generated go_repository rule(s).

Directives

Gazelle can be configured with directives, which are written as top-level comments in build files. Most options that can be set on the command line can also be set using directives. Some options can only be set with directives.

Directive comments have the form # gazelle:key value. For example:

load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")

# gazelle:prefix github.com/example/project
# gazelle:build_file_name BUILD,BUILD.bazel

go_library(
    name = "go_default_library",
    srcs = ["example.go"],
    importpath = "github.com/example/project",
    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
)

Directives apply in the directory where they are set and in subdirectories. This means, for example, if you set # gazelle:prefix in the build file in your project's root directory, it affects your whole project. If you set it in a subdirectory, it only affects rules in that subtree.

The following directives are recognized:

Directive	Default value
`# gazelle:build_file_name names`	`BUILD.bazel,BUILD`
Comma-separated list of file names. Gazelle recognizes these files as Bazel build files. New files will use the first name in this list. Use this if your project contains non-Bazel files named `BUILD` (or `build` on case-insensitive file systems).
`# gazelle:build_tags foo,bar`	none
List of Go build tags Gazelle will consider to be true. Gazelle applies constraints when generating Go rules. It assumes certain tags are true on certain platforms (for example, `amd64,linux`). It assumes all Go release tags are true (for example, `go1.8`). It considers other tags to be false (for example, `ignore`). This flag overrides that behavior. Bazel may still filter sources with these tags. Use `bazel build --define gotags=foo,bar` to set tags at build time.
`# gazelle:exclude pattern`	n/a
Prevents Gazelle from processing a file or directory if the given doublestar.Match pattern matches. If the pattern refers to a source file, Gazelle won't include it in any rules. If the pattern refers to a directory, Gazelle won't recurse into it. This directive may be repeated to exclude multiple patterns, one per line.
`# gazelle:follow path`	n/a
Instructs Gazelle to follow a symbolic link to a directory within the repository. Normally, Gazelle does not follow symbolic links unless they point outside of the repository root. Care must be taken to avoid visiting a directory more than once. The `# gazelle:exclude` directive may be used to prevent Gazelle from recursing into a directory.
`# gazelle:go_generate_proto`	`true`
Instructs Gazelle's Go extension whether to generate `go_proto_library` rules for `proto_library` rules generated by the Proto extension. When this directive is `true` Gazelle will generate `go_proto_library` and `go_library` according to `# gazelle:proto`. When this directive is `false`, the Go extension will ignore any `proto_library` rules. If there are any pre-generated Go files, they will be treated as regular Go files.
`# gazelle:go_grpc_compilers`	`@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_grpc`
The protocol buffers compiler(s) to use for building go bindings for gRPC. Multiple compilers, separated by commas, may be specified. Omit the directive value to reset `go_grpc_compilers` back to the default. See Predefined plugins for available options; commonly used options include `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gofast_grpc` and `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gogofaster_grpc`.
`# gazelle:go_naming_convention`	inferred automatically
Controls the names of generated Go targets. Valid values are: `go_default_library`: Library targets are named `go_default_library`, test targets are named `go_default_test`. `import`: Library and test targets are named after the last segment of their import path. For example, `example.repo/foo` is named `foo`, and the test target is `foo_test`. Major version suffixes like `/v2` are dropped. For a main package with a binary `foobin`, the names are instead `foobin_lib` and `foobin_test`. `import_alias`: Same as `import`, but an `alias` target is generated named `go_default_library` to ensure backwards compatibility. If no naming convention is set, Gazelle attempts to infer the convention in use by reading the root build file and build files in immediate subdirectories. If no Go targets are found, Gazelle defaults to `import`.
`# gazelle:go_naming_convention_external`	n/a
Controls the default naming convention used when resolving libraries in external repositories with unknown naming conventions. Accepts the same values as `go_naming_convention`.
`# gazelle:go_proto_compilers`	`@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_proto`
The protocol buffers compiler(s) to use for building go bindings. Multiple compilers, separated by commas, may be specified. Omit the directive value to reset `go_proto_compilers` back to the default. See Predefined plugins for available options; commonly used options include `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gofast_proto` and `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:gogofaster_proto`.
`# gazelle:ignore`	n/a
Prevents Gazelle from modifying the build file. Gazelle will still read rules in the build file and may modify build files in subdirectories.
`# gazelle:importmap_prefix path`	See below
A prefix for `importmap` attributes in library rules. Gazelle will set an `importmap` on a `go_library` or `go_proto_library` by concatenating this with the relative path from the directory where the prefix is set to the library. For example, if `importmap_prefix` is set to `"x/example.com/repo"` in the build file `//foo/bar:BUILD.bazel`, then a library in `foo/bar/baz` will have the `importmap` of `"x/example.com/repo/baz"`. `importmap` is not set when it matches `importpath`. As a special case, when Gazelle enters a directory named `vendor`, it sets `importmap_prefix` to a string based on the repository name and the location of the vendor directory. If you wish to override this, you'll need to set `importmap_prefix` explicitly in the vendor directory.
`# gazelle:map_kind from_kind to_kind to_kind_load`		n/a
Customizes the kind of rules generated by Gazelle. As a separate step after generating rules, any new rules of kind `from_kind` have their kind replaced with `to_kind`. This means that `to_kind` must accept the same parameters and behave similarly. Most commonly, this would be used to replace the rules provided by `rules_go` with custom macros. For example, `gazelle:map_kind go_binary go_deployable //tools/go:def.bzl` would configure Gazelle to produce rules of kind `go_deployable` as loaded from `//tools/go:def.bzl` instead of `go_binary`, for this directory or within. Existing rules of the old kind will be ignored. To switch your codebase from a builtin kind to a mapped kind, use buildozer.
`# gazelle:prefix path`	n/a
A prefix for `importpath` attributes on library rules. Gazelle will set an `importpath` on a `go_library` or `go_proto_library` by concatenating this with the relative path from the directory where the prefix is set to the library. Most commonly, `prefix` is set to the name of a repository in the root directory of a repository. For example, in this repository, `prefix` is set in `//:BUILD.bazel` to `github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-gazelle`. The `go_library` in `//cmd/gazelle` is assigned the `importpath` `"github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-gazelle/cmd/gazelle"`. As a special case, when Gazelle enters a directory named `vendor`, it sets `prefix` to the empty string. This automatically gives vendored libraries an intuitive `importpath`.
`# gazelle:proto mode`	`default`
Tells Gazelle how to generate rules for .proto files. Valid values are: `default`: `proto_library`, `go_proto_library`, and `go_library` rules are generated using `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:def.bzl`. Only one of each rule may be generated per directory. This is the default mode. `package`: multiple `proto_library` and `go_proto_library` rules may be generated in the same directory. .proto files are grouped into rules based on their package name or another option (see `proto_group`). `legacy`: `filegroup` rules are generated for use by `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_proto_library.bzl`. `go_proto_library` rules must be written by hand. Gazelle will run in this mode automatically if `go_proto_library.bzl` is loaded to avoid disrupting existing projects, but this can be overridden with a directive. `disable`: .proto files are ignored. Gazelle will run in this mode automatically if `go_proto_library` is loaded from any other source, but this can be overridden with a directive. `disable_global`: like `disable` mode, but also prevents Gazelle from using any special cases in dependency resolution for Well Known Types and Google APIs. Useful for avoiding build-time dependencies on protoc. This directive applies to the current directory and subdirectories. As a special case, when Gazelle enters a directory named `vendor`, if the proto mode isn't set explicitly in a parent directory or on the command line, Gazelle will run in `disable` mode. Additionally, if the file `@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_proto_library.bzl` is loaded, Gazelle will run in `legacy` mode.
`# gazelle:proto_group option`	`""`
This directive is only effective in `package` mode (see above). Specifies an option that Gazelle can use to group .proto files into rules. For example, when set to `go_package`, .proto files with the same `option go_package` will be grouped together. When this directive is set to the empty string, Gazelle will group packages by their proto package statement. Rule names are generated based on the last run of identifier characters in the package name. For example, if the package is `"foo/bar/baz"`, the `proto_library` rule will be named `baz_proto`.
`# gazelle:proto_import_prefix path`	n/a
Sets the import_prefix attribute of generated `proto_library` rules. This adds a prefix to the string used to import `.proto` files listed in the `srcs` attribute of generated rules. For example, if the target `//a:b_proto` has `srcs = ["b.proto"]` and `import_prefix = "github.com/x/y"`, then `b.proto` should be imported with the string `"github.com/x/y/a/b.proto"`.
`# gazelle:proto_strip_import_prefix path`	n/a
Sets the strip_import_prefix attribute of generated `proto_library` rules. This is a prefix to strip from the strings used to import `.proto` files. If the prefix starts with a slash, it's intepreted relative to the repository root. Otherwise, it's relative to the directory containing the build file. The package-relative form is only useful when a single build file covers `.proto` files in subdirectories. Gazelle doesn't generate build files like this, so only paths with a leading slash should be used. Gazelle will print a warning when the package-relative form is used. For example, if the target `//proto/a:b_proto` has `srcs = ["b.proto"]` and `strip_import_prefix = "/proto"`, then `b.proto` should be imported with the string `"a/b.proto"`.
`# gazelle:resolve ...`	n/a
Specifies an explicit mapping from an import string to a label for Dependency resolution. The format for a resolve directive is: `# gazelle:resolve source-lang import-lang import-string label` `source-lang` is the language of the source code being imported. `import-lang` is the language importing the library. This is usually the same as `source-lang` but may differ with generated code. For example, when resolving dependencies for a `go_proto_library`, `source-lang` would be `"proto"` and `import-lang` would be `"go"`. `import-lang` may be omitted if it is the same as `source-lang`. `import-string` is the string used in source code to import a library. `label` is the Bazel label that Gazelle should write in `deps`. For example: # gazelle:resolve go example.com/foo //foo:go_default_library # gazelle:resolve proto go foo/foo.proto //foo:foo_go_proto
`# gazelle:go_visibility label`	n/a
By default, internal packages are only visible to its siblings. This directive adds a label internal packages should be visible to additionally. This directive can be used several times, adding a list of labels.
`# gazelle:lang lang1,lang2,...`	n/a
Sets the language selection flag for this and descendent packages, which causes gazelle to index and generate rules for only the languages named in this directive.

Gazelle also reads directives from the WORKSPACE file. They may be used to discover custom repository names and known prefixes. The fix and update commands use these directives for dependency resolution. update-repos uses them to learn about repository rules defined in alternate locations.

WORKSPACE Directive	Default value
`# gazelle:repository_macro macroFile%defName`	n/a
Tells Gazelle to look for repository rules in a macro in a .bzl file. The directive can be repeated multiple times. The macro can be generated by calling `update-repos` with the `to_macro` flag.
`# gazelle:repository rule_kind attr1_name=attr1_value ...`	n/a
Specifies a repository rule that Gazelle should know about. The directive can be repeated multiple times, and can be declared from within a macro definition that Gazelle knows about. At the very least the directive must define a rule kind and a name attribute, but it can define extra attributes after that. This is useful for teaching Gazelle about repos declared in external macros. The directive can also be used to override an actual repository rule. For example, a `git_repository` rule for `org_golang_x_tools` could be overriden with the directive: # gazelle:repository go_repository name=org_golang_x_tools importpath=golang.org/x/tools Gazelle would then proceed as if `org_golang_x_tools` was declared as a `go_repository` rule.

Keep comments

In addition to directives, Gazelle supports # keep comments that protect parts of build files from being modified. # keep may be written before a rule, before an attribute, or after a string within a list.

Example

Suppose you have a library that includes a generated .go file. Gazelle won't know what imports to resolve, so you may need to add dependencies manually with # keep comments.

load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")
load("@com_github_example_gen//:gen.bzl", "gen_go_file")

gen_go_file(
    name = "magic",
    srcs = ["magic.go.in"],
    outs = ["magic.go"],
)

go_library(
    name = "go_default_library",
    srcs = ["magic.go"],
    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
    deps = [
        "@com_github_example_gen//:go_default_library",  # keep
    ],
)

Dependency resolution

One of Gazelle's most important jobs is resolving library import strings (like import "golang.org/x/sys/unix") to Bazel labels (like @org_golang_x_sys//unix:go_default_library). Gazelle follows the rules below to resolve dependencies:

If the import to be resolved is part of a standard library, no explicit dependency is written. For example, in Go, you don't need to declare that you depend on "fmt".
If a # gazelle:resolve directive matches the import to be resolved, the label at the end of the directive will be used.
If proto rule generation is enabled, special rules will be used when importing certain libraries. These rules may be disabled by adding # gazelle:proto disable_global to a build file (this will affect subdirectories, too) or by passing -proto disable_global on the command line.
1. Imports of Well Known Types are mapped to rules in @io_bazel_rules_go//proto/wkt.
2. Imports of Google APIs are mapped to @go_googleapis.
3. Imports of github.com/golang/protobuf/ptypes, descriptor, and jsonpb are mapped to special rules in @com_github_golang_protobuf. See Avoiding conflicts with proto rules.
If the import to be resolved is in the library index, the import will be resolved to that library. If -index=true, Gazelle builds an index of library rules in the current repository before starting dependency resolution, and this is how most dependencies are resolved.
1. For Go, the match is based on the importpath attribute.
2. For proto, the match is based on the srcs attribute.
If -index=false and a package is imported that has the current go_prefix as a prefix, Gazelle generates a label following a convention. For example, if the build file in //src set the prefix with # gazelle:prefix example.com/repo/foo, and you import the library "example.com/repo/foo/bar, the dependency will be "//src/foo/bar:go_default_library".
Otherwise, Gazelle will use the current external mode to resolve the dependency.
1. In external mode (the default), Gazelle will transform the import string into an external repository label. For example, "golang.org/x/sys/unix" would be resolved to "@org_golang_x_sys//unix:go_default_library". Gazelle does not confirm whether the external repository is actually declared in WORKSPACE, but if there is a go_repository in WORKSPACE with a matching importpath, Gazelle will use its name. Gazelle does not index rules in external repositories, so it's possible the resolved dependency does not exist.
2. In vendored mode, Gazelle will transform the import string into a label in the vendor directory. For example, "golang.org/x/sys/unix" would be resolved to "//vendor/golang.org/x/sys/unix:go_default_library". This mode is usually not necessary, since vendored libraries will be indexed and resolved using rule 4.

Fix command transformations

Gazelle will generate and update build files when invoked with either gazelle update or gazelle fix (update is the default). Both commands perform several transformations to fix deprecated usage of the Go rules. update performs a safe set of tranformations, while fix performs some additional transformations that may delete or rename rules.

The following transformations are performed:

Migrate library to embed (fix and update): Gazelle replaces library attributes with embed attributes.

Migrate gRPC compilers (fix and update): Gazelle converts go_grpc_library rules to go_proto_library rules with compilers = ["@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_grpc"].

Flatten srcs (fix and update): Gazelle converts srcs attributes that use OS and architecture-specific select expressions to flat lists. rules_go filters these sources anyway.

Squash cgo libraries (fix only): Gazelle will remove cgo_library rules named cgo_default_library and merge their attributes with a go_library rule in the same package named go_default_library. If no such go_library rule exists, a new one will be created. Other cgo_library rules will not be removed.

Squash external tests (fix only): Gazelle will squash go_test rules named go_default_xtest into go_default_test. Earlier versions of rules_go required internal and external tests to be built separately, but this is no longer needed.

Remove legacy protos (fix only): Gazelle will remove usage of go_proto_library rules loaded from @io_bazel_rules_go//proto:go_proto_library.bzl and filegroup rules named go_default_library_protos. Newly generated proto rules will take their place. Since filegroup isn't needed anymore and go_proto_library has different attributes and was always written by hand, Gazelle will not attempt to merge anything from these rules with the newly generated rules.

This transformation is only applied in the default proto mode. Since Gazelle will run in legacy proto mode if go_proto_library.bzl is loaded, this transformation is not usually applied. You can set the proto mode explicitly using the directive # gazelle:proto default.

Update loads of gazelle rule (fix and update): Gazelle will remove loads of gazelle from @io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl. It will automatically add a load from @bazel_gazelle//:def.bzl if gazelle is not loaded from another location.

ob / bazel-gazelle