1.8.0-rc0

For more detailed setup instructions, see https://rules-python.readthedocs.io/en/latest/getting-started.html

For the user-facing changelog see here

Using Bzlmod

Add to your MODULE.bazel file:

bazel_dep(name = "rules_python", version = "1.8.0-rc0")

python = use_extension("@rules_python//python/extensions:python.bzl", "python")
python.toolchain(
    python_version = "3.13",
)

pip = use_extension("@rules_python//python/extensions:pip.bzl", "pip")
pip.parse(
    hub_name = "pypi",
    python_version = "3.13",
    requirements_lock = "//:requirements_lock.txt",
)

use_repo(pip, "pypi")

Using WORKSPACE

Paste this snippet into your WORKSPACE file:

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

http_archive(
    name = "rules_python",
    sha256 = "7cd5bab76de50f35e2050b6171f3ea8a341d80a562f7b47ef549f6c174cee0af",
    strip_prefix = "rules_python-1.8.0-rc0",
    url = "https://github.com/bazel-contrib/rules_python/releases/download/1.8.0-rc0/rules_python-1.8.0-rc0.tar.gz",
)

load("@rules_python//python:repositories.bzl", "py_repositories")

py_repositories()

Gazelle plugin

Paste this snippet into your WORKSPACE file:

load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
http_archive(
    name = "rules_python_gazelle_plugin",
    sha256 = "7cd5bab76de50f35e2050b6171f3ea8a341d80a562f7b47ef549f6c174cee0af",
    strip_prefix = "rules_python-1.8.0-rc0/gazelle",
    url = "https://github.com/bazel-contrib/rules_python/releases/download/1.8.0-rc0/rules_python-1.8.0-rc0.tar.gz",
)

# To compile the rules_python gazelle extension from source,
# we must fetch some third-party go dependencies that it uses.

load("@rules_python_gazelle_plugin//:deps.bzl", _py_gazelle_deps = "gazelle_deps")

_py_gazelle_deps()

What's Changed

• fix(bootstrap): handle when runfiles env vars don't point to current binary's runfiles by @rickeylev in #3192
• docs: fix a couple typos in the changelog by @rickeylev in #3208
• chore: release helper tool by @rickeylev in #3206
• docs: fix changelog header anchors by @rickeylev in #3207
• fix(gazelle): Do not build proto targets with default Gazelle by @dougthor42 in #3216
• chore: create workflow to check the do-not-merge label by @rickeylev in #3213
• docs: Add 1.5.4 release notes to changelog by @rickeylev in #3221
• build(deps): bump requests from 2.32.4 to 2.32.5 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3214
• docs: tell how to push one tag; that rc start with n=0 by @rickeylev in #3222
• build(deps): bump typing-extensions from 4.14.1 to 4.15.0 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3212
• build(deps): bump requests from 2.32.4 to 2.32.5 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3211
• cleanup: remove support for extra actions by @comius in #3210
• build(deps): bump docutils from 0.21.2 to 0.22 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3166
• chore: add AGENTS.md to help AI agents work with rules_python by @rickeylev in #3227
• build(deps): bump rich from 13.9.4 to 14.1.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3230
• build(deps): bump charset-normalizer from 3.4.2 to 3.4.3 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3231
• chore: allow release workflow to be manually run and skip pypi upload by @rickeylev in #3232
• chore: make release tool auto detect next version by @rickeylev in #3219
• build(deps): bump cryptography from 44.0.1 to 45.0.7 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3235
• build(deps): bump jeepney from 0.8.0 to 0.9.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3234
• build(deps): bump keyring from 25.5.0 to 25.6.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3236
• build(deps): bump importlib-metadata from 8.5.0 to 8.7.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3237
• refactor(gazelle): report missing BUILD_WORKSPACE_DIRECTORY key more directly by @ctcjab in #3240
• chore(deps): bump rules_cc to 0.1.5 by @aignas in #3238
• fix(sphinxdocs): add retry logic when exit code 2 occurs by @rickeylev in #3241
• fix(system_python): write import paths to generated file instead of using PYTHONPATH by @rickeylev in #3242
• refactor(pypi): split out a hub_builder helper from the extension code by @aignas in #3243
• chore: add GEMINI.md, have it load AGENTS.md by @rickeylev in #3246
• docs: fix pr doc builds by removing external_version_warning plugin by @rickeylev in #3244
• refactor: migrate tests to use hub_builder instead of full integration by @aignas in #3247
• build(deps): bump zipp from 3.20.2 to 3.23.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3253
• build(deps): bump more-itertools from 10.7.0 to 10.8.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3254
• feat: allow registering arbitrary settings for py_binary transitions by @rickeylev in #3248
• fix: ensure the stage1 bootstrap is executable by @EdSchouten in #3258
• fix: don't call Args.add() with an integer by @EdSchouten in #3259
• docs: update changelog for config_settings attribute by @rickeylev in #3257
• chore: add agents guidance for creating bzl_library targets by @rickeylev in #3264
• docs: improve whl_library documentation by @baxelrod-bdai in #3266
• refactor: use common_labels.bzl for labels used across files by @rickeylev in #3263
• fix(pypi): select the lowest available libc version by default by @aignas in #3255
• tests: add non-blocking ci config for bazel rolling by @rickeylev in #3272
• fix: venv site packages with pkgutil packages by @rickeylev in #3268
• build(deps): bump pycparser from 2.22 to 2.23 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3271
• build(deps): bump cffi from 1.17.1 to 2.0.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3270
• build: remove no-op _native_rules_allowlist by @mai93 in #3275
• build(deps): bump pkginfo from 1.10.0 to 1.12.1.2 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3229
• tests: make py_cc_toolchain test of headers/includes work with Bazel 9 by @rickeylev in #3276
• chore(docs): remove duplicate bzlmod guidance by @alexeagle in #3278
• chore: remove non-toolchain runtime resolution logic. by @gregestren in #3280
• feat(toolchains): ABI3 Python headers target by @nicholasjng in #3274
• docs: move 1.6.3 related changelog by @aignas in #3284
• refactor: read migrated native flags through a centralized accessor function by @gregestren in #3290
• build(deps): bump docutils from 0.21.2 to 0.22.2 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3287
• build(deps): bump jaraco-functools from 4.1.0 to 4.3.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3288
• docs: add example for a complex multi-platform pypi configuration by @rickeylev in #3292
• feat(runfiles): support for --incompatible_compact_repo_mapping_manifest by @jklukas in #3277
• chore: cleanup bazel flags related to bazel 6 or below by @aignas in #3282
• refactor: rename symbols in re-exports by @aignas in #3300
• chore: use python.defaults to set rules_python default python version by @rickeylev in #3301
• docs: fix spelling of venvs_site_packages flag in changelog by @rickeylev in #3302
• fix(uv): make uv lock rule work with platform python runtime by @rickeylev in #3303
• docs: add config bzlmod extension to docs by @rickeylev in #3305
• fix: handle urls without release id format by @rickeylev in #3306
• build(deps): bump markupsafe from 3.0.2 to 3.0.3 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3307
• build(deps): bump pyyaml from 6.0.2 to 6.0.3 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3308
• build(deps): bump docutils from 0.22 to 0.22.2 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3289
• feat(toolchains): let local toolchains point to a label by @rickeylev in #3304
• fix(toolchains): add musl list of freethreaded runtimes (workspace) by @rickeylev in #3310
• tests: add tests to verify toolchain registration by @rickeylev in #3313
• refactor: remove Google-specific stubs by @oprypin in #3316
• fix: wrong value of has_py3_only_sources in the PyInfo constructor by @oprypin in #3315
• fix(pip): do not use experimental_index_url for publish_deps by @aignas in #3311
• fix(toolchains): correctly register musl/freethreaded toolchains for workspace by @rickeylev in #3314
• chore: reject py2 runtimes and remove usages of ctx.fragments.py.disable_py2 by @mai93 in #3319
• feat(pypi): enable pipstar by default by @aignas in #3225
• docs(pipstar): add more docs to make it ready for release by @aignas in #3323
• build(deps): bump markdown-it-py from 3.0.0 to 4.0.0 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3326
• build(deps): bump certifi from 2025.8.3 to 2025.10.5 in /docs by @dependabot[bot] in #3327
• build(deps): bump certifi from 2025.8.3 to 2025.10.5 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3328
• build(deps): bump markdown-it-py from 3.0.0 to 4.0.0 in /tools/publish by @dependabot[bot] in #3329
• feat(toolchains): Add 3.14.0 by @Ahajha in #3330
• fix(venv): group venv prefixes by path component, not raw path by @rickeylev in #3333
• feat(pypi): support aarch64 windows on pipstar by @aignas in #3226
• feat(toolchains): Add latest Python versions by @Ahajha in #3336
• fix(rules): make py_console_script_binary compatible with symbolic macros by @janwinkler1 in #3195
• fix(venv): symlink shared libraries directly by @rickeylev in #3331
• fix(venv): include pth files at the root of the site-packages folder by @aignas in #3340
• internal: make release to chdir before looking for version markers by @rickeylev in #3342
• chore: release 1.7 prep by @rickeylev in #3341
• test(venv): functional test for pth files by @aignas in #3343
• docs: Fix GitHub PR links by @thejcannon in #3346
• build: Starlarkify python flags by @mai93 in #3334
• doc: Fix pip.default arguments in multi-platform example by @hartikainen in #3358
• chore(toolchain): use the last build and add 3.15.0a1 by @aignas in #3357
• fix(doc): fix the release notes for the starlarkification of the flags by @aignas in #3361
• chore: switch to use publish-to-bcr workflow by @rickeylev in #3359
• chore: fix create_archive_and_notes to ignore release tool markers by @rickeylev in #3355
• chore: make gazelle bcr tests compatible with bcr presubmit environment by @rickeylev in #3365
• chore: fix release workflow by @rickeylev in #3366
• chore: remove bcr app settings by @rickeylev in #3370
• chore: make pypi release workflow perform checkout by @rickeylev in #3371
• fix(gazelle) Delete python targets with invalid srcs by @yushan26 in #3046
• revert(pypi): revert the default for pipstar by @aignas in #3373
• fix: Add linux_riscv64 to _pip_repository_impl by @kxxt in #3350
• feat: Add libpython QNX platform support by @lalten in #3372
• build: change gazelle rules_python override to use bazelrc by @rickeylev in #3382
• gazelle: set min rules_python version as 1.4 by @rickeylev in #3383
• chore(toolchain): drop all but the latest 3.9 toolchain by @aignas in #3377
• fix: make CI pass with the next version of Bazel (9.0.0rc1) by @jsing-canva in #3393
• Add batch_commands to presubmit.yml by @meteorcloudy in #3389
• fix(runfiles): correct Python runfiles path assumption by @jsing-canva in #3086
• chore: Bazel 9 is rc now by @alexeagle in #3394
• chore: update to latest buildifier by @aignas in #3386
• chore: switch bcr to 8.x instead of last_rc by @aignas in #3395
• fix(local): Fix local_runtime use with free-threaded python by @laramiel in #3399
• refactor: defer zip manifest building to execution phase to improve analysis phase performance by @tobyh-canva in #3381
• fix(pip): allow for different extras for different target platforms by @aignas in #3385
• chore: make doc building use bootstrap script and venv site packages by @rickeylev in #3403
• fix: use runfiles symlinks for venv symlink creation to reduce action count by @rickeylev in #3402
• fix(gazelle): correct runfiles path handling in gazelle_python_manifest test by @timfallmk in #3398
• tests: set --windows_enable_symlinks in bzlmod example by @rickeylev in #3409
• docs: Explain why the lock rule has no implicit test target by @martis42 in #3411
• refactor(gazelle): Generate a modules map per wheel, then merge by @thejcannon in #3415
• docs: fix markdown by @dizzy57 in #3417
• feat(toolchain): drop 3.8 and print info level messages about it by @aignas in #3387
• fix: Avoid C++ toolchain requirement if possible by @fmeum in #2919
• doc: add documentation to the changelog about the removal of 3.8 by @aignas in #3418
• fix: make python_headers targets compatible with layering checks by @keith in #3420
• fix(local) Add api3 targets and additional defines. by @laramiel in #3408
• chore: start cleaning up 3.9 usage from examples by @aignas in #3419
• chore: enable disk cache for faster local builds by @rickeylev in #3424
• chore(bazelrc): fix the update-deleted-packages script by @aignas in #3425
• chore(toolchain): remove chmod and disable ignore_root_error by @aignas in #3421
• ci: switch our jobs to mac arm64 by @aignas in #3426
• docs: enable pipstar for doc building by @rickeylev in #3427
• fix: add runfiles root for system_python bootstrap by @rickeylev in #3423
• refactor(pypi): parse entry_points without Python by @aignas in #3429
• chore: enable pipstar for experimental_index_url users by @aignas in #3428
• fix(pip): do not add a pip-fallback when there is no sdist by @aignas in #3432
• build(deps): bump actions/checkout from 5 to 6 by @dependabot[bot] in #3433
• refactor(pypi): extract the wheel without python by @aignas in #3430
• chore: remove extraneous dep from sys_path_order test by @rickeylev in #3435
• refactor: remove gazelle plugin as dev dependency by @rickeylev in #3436
• ci: add ci config to test 7 and 8 for bcr like setup by @aignas in #3404
• feat(pip.parse): limit the target platforms we parse requirements for by @aignas in #3441
• refactor(core): get_zip_runfiles_path should call startswith less by @aignas in #3442
• ci: start testing BCR tests with bazel 9 by @aignas in #3443
• doc: target_platforms by @aignas in #3445
• chore(bzlmod): assume that we can always mark the extension as reproducible by @aignas in #3444
• refactor: avoid conflict merging when shared libraries are present by @rickeylev in #3448
• refactor: add mnemonics to some gazelle and sphinxdocs actions by @tyler-french in #3449
• fix(pip): Only directly extract .whl files in Bazel >9 by @armandomontanez in #3452
• feat(toolchains): Add 3.13.10, 3.13.11, 3.14.1, 3.14.2, 3.15.0a2 by @pjjw in #3451
• chore(pip): Check for whl extract compatibility in internal_config_repo.bzl by @armandomontanez in #3456
• fix(pip): set better defaults for the new target_platforms attr by @aignas in #3447
• fix: correctly merge conflicting paths when files (instead of dirs) are being linked by @rickeylev in #3458
• refactor(repo_utils): create a helper for extracting files by @aignas in #3459
• refactor: optimize venv building for namespace packages by @rickeylev in #3454
• chore: add missing py_internal dep to venv_runfiles by @rickeylev in #3462
• fix: allow pypi packages with empty data attribute by @rickeylev in #3463
• docs: Fix broken links to bzlmod build_file_generation example by @willstranton in #3464
• docs: fix link to releases page by @willstranton in #3467
• refactor: optimize venv creation for nvidia and pkgutil style namespace packages by @rickeylev in #3460
• fix(pipstar): actually pass the extras down the call stack by @aignas in #3468
• fix(pipstar): fix whl extraction and flip pipstar=true by @aignas in #3461
• build(deps): bump bazel-contrib/publish-to-bcr/.github/workflows/publish.yaml from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0 by @dependabot[bot] in #3465
• chore: update version markers for 1.8 release by @rickeylev in #3472

New Contributors

• @ctcjab made their first contribution in #3240
• @baxelrod-bdai made their first contribution in #3266
• @mai93 made their first contribution in #3275
• @gregestren made their first contribution in #3280
• @Ahajha made their first contribution in #3330
• @janwinkler1 made their first contribution in #3195
• @thejcannon made their first contribution in #3346
• @hartikainen made their first contribution in #3358
• @jsing-canva made their first contribution in #3393
• @tobyh-canva made their first contribution in #3381
• @timfallmk made their first contribution in #3398
• @tyler-french made their first contribution in #3449
• @pjjw made their first contribution in #3451
• @willstranton made their first contribution in #3464

Full Changelog: 1.6.0-rc0...1.8.0-rc0