bazel-build-optimization Skill for Claude: What It Does and How to Install It

Makes Claude set up and tune Bazel builds for large monorepos: BUILD files, .bazelrc, remote caching and build profiling.

Installs: 10.5K; on skills.sh
Stars: 42.1K; on GitHub
Files: 1; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

This is a Bazel guide from wshobson's agents collection. SKILL.md lists the core ideas (target, package, label, rule, aspect), a sample workspace layout, and a short list of do's and don'ts.

The templates are in references/details.md: seven in all, from a WORKSPACE file to remote execution, plus a section on profiling builds. The skill loads when you set up Bazel for a monorepo, configure remote caching or execution, write custom rules, debug builds or migrate to Bazel. The commands in the templates call bazel, so you need Bazel in your own project to run them.

Good for

Teams running or adopting Bazel in a monorepo
Build and platform engineers tuning build times
Developers writing custom Bazel rules
CI maintainers setting up remote caching or execution

Install bazel-build-optimization

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the bazel-build-optimization skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin marketplace add wshobson/agents
/plugin install developer-essentials@claude-code-workflows

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Pick one route. The plugin routes install the whole developer-essentials plugin: 1 agent, 0 commands and 11 skills (counted from the plugin folder in the repo tree, which has no hooks or MCP config files). The skills-only routes install just this skill, with no agents or commands.

Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Optimize Bazel builds for large-scale monorepos. Use when configuring Bazel, implementing remote execution, or optimizing build performance for enterprise codebases.

Sections in SKILL.md

When to Use This Skill
Core Concepts
1. Bazel Architecture
2. Key Concepts
Templates and detailed worked examples
Best Practices
Do's
Don'ts

Key facts

Author: wshobson (repo owner)
License: MIT
Installs on skills.sh: 10,477 (Nov 2, 2026)
GitHub stars: 42,081 for the whole wshobson/agents repo (Nov 2, 2026)
Last repo commit: Oct 30, 2026
What it includes: 2 files including SKILL.md: references/details.md (templates and worked examples). No scripts
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub: pass; Socket: pass; Snyk: pass (Nov 2, 2026)
Part of: The developer-essentials plugin (version 1.0.5) in wshobson/agents. Counted from the plugin folder: 1 agent, 0 commands and 11 skills
Works in: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, Antigravity CLI, GitHub Copilot and Pi, per the README. Skills-only installers ask which tool you use

What it includes

Target, package, label, rule and aspect, plus a sample workspace layout
Explained in SKILL.md with a table and a folder tree.
Core concepts
5 do's and 4 don'ts, such as fine-grained targets and no glob for deps
Also says to pin dependencies and not to commit bazel-* folders.
Best practices
Template 1: WORKSPACE.bazel with JavaScript/TypeScript and Python rules
Write · WORKSPACE configuration
Template 2: build, caching, remote cache, remote execution, CI, test and coverage settings
Write · .bazelrc configuration
Templates 3 and 4: BUILD.bazel for a TypeScript library and a Python library
Write · TypeScript and Python BUILD files
Template 5: a rule in tools/bazel/rules/docker.bzl
Write · Custom Docker rule
Template 6: bazel query commands for deps, reverse deps and changed targets
Runs code · Query and dependency analysis
Template 7: platforms/BUILD.bazel and toolchains/BUILD.bazel
Write · Remote execution setup
Profile a build, find slow actions, profile memory and skip the analysis cache
Uses bazel build with --profile, --execution_log_json_file, --memory_profile and --notrack_incremental_state.
Runs code · Performance optimization

From the official docs

Permissions

Low risk

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

Remote cache lines are placeholders
The .bazelrc template points remote caching and execution at cache.example.com and remote.example.com. Replace them with servers you control before you turn them on. github.com
The WORKSPACE template downloads rules
It fetches rules_js from a GitHub release URL and leaves the sha256 as "...". Fill in the real checksum before you build. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only mode. Use version control.
Talks to	github.com release downloads for aspect_rules_js and rules_python in the WORKSPACE template. The remote cache, remote execution and build-event addresses you configure (the template uses example.com placeholders)
Sign-in and keys	SKILL.md and details.md do not mention any account or key.
Scopes	Claude can write WORKSPACE.bazel, .bazelrc, BUILD.bazel and .bzl files in your repo when you ask for Bazel setup The profiling section runs bazel build with profile and log flags

Questions

How do I install bazel-build-optimization?

Use the install box at the top of this page. It offers the developer-essentials plugin and two skills-only commands. Pick a skills-only command if you want just this skill without the plugin's other parts.

What does the bazel-build-optimization skill do?

It gives Claude a Bazel playbook for large monorepos. Claude uses it to write WORKSPACE, .bazelrc and BUILD files, set up remote caching or execution, write custom rules and profile slow builds.

Should I install the whole developer-essentials plugin?

Only if you want the rest. The plugin folder holds 1 agent, 0 commands and 11 skills, counted from the repo tree, and the tree shows no hooks or MCP config files in it. Its other skills include code-review-excellence, debugging-strategies and monorepo-management.

Does it help me migrate to Bazel?

It lists migrating to Bazel as a use case, and the templates cover a WORKSPACE file and BUILD files for TypeScript and Python. SKILL.md has no step-by-step migration plan.

Is bazel-build-optimization safe to install?

The folder holds SKILL.md and one reference file, with no scripts. Claude writes Bazel config files in your repo and may run the bazel commands from the templates, so read each command before you approve it. The .bazelrc template's remote cache and execution lines use placeholder addresses that you replace.

Does bazel-build-optimization work in Codex, Cursor or the Claude app?

The README documents Claude Code and Codex CLI plugin routes, and skills-only installs for the tools it lists: Cursor, OpenCode, Antigravity CLI, GitHub Copilot and Pi. We left the Claude app upload out of the install box because this skill's commands run in a terminal.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: wshobson/agents
Folder: plugins/developer-essentials/skills/bazel-build-optimization

wshobson/agents skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 3

bazel-build-optimization SKILL.md · github.com
bazel-build-optimization references/details.md · github.com
wshobson/agents README · github.com