bazelbuild/bazel

local_repository() pointing into workspace is not invalidated when external repo file checking is disabled.

Open

#27365 opened on Oct 20, 2025

View on GitHub
 (4 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Java (25,384 stars) (4,465 forks)batch import
P2help wantedteam-ExternalDepstype: bug

Description

Description of the bug:

Hi!

I noticed that our warm Bazel implementation started complaining about inconsistent file sizes in @@+local_repository+blah//, when someone edited //third_party/blah/BUILD. It turns out that this repo was configured as

local_repository(
    name = "blah",
    path = "third_party/blah",
)

We are running with --watchfs --experimental_check_external_repository_files=false.

I am 99% sure that this problem is caused by --noexperimental_check_output_files not specially treating external repositories that point back into the source tree.

My gut feeling is that making this work will be hard, and I wonder if we could instead forbid this?

Which category does this issue belong to?

No response

What's the simplest, easiest way to reproduce this bug? Please provide a minimal example if possible.

No response

Which operating system are you running Bazel on?

No response

What is the output of bazel info release?

No response

If bazel info release returns development version or (@non-git), tell us how you built Bazel.

No response

What's the output of git remote get-url origin; git rev-parse HEAD ?

If this is a regression, please try to identify the Bazel commit where the bug was introduced with bazelisk --bisect.

No response

Have you found anything relevant by searching the web?

No response

Any other information, logs, or outputs that you want to share?

No response

Contributor guide

Tech stack
java
Domain
build system
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Bazel workspace rulesFile system watchingJava
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
15
Research direction
Investigate the interaction between experimental check external repository files=false and local repository pointing into the source tree. Examine the Bazel source code for file invalidation logic, particularly in the handling of external repositories. Look at the implementation of noexperimental check output files to understand why it does not invalidate these external repos. Consider whether forbidding such configurations is a viable alternative fix.