Better Bazel Flag Defaults

Bazel now has 776 command-line flags. Most users know maybe 5. In this episode, Markus Hofbauer from Zipline joins Alex to unpack the chaos of Bazel flags: why analysis cache discards still bite, how --noallow_analysis_cache_discard can save you time, and what the new bazelrc-preset.bzl project does to bring order to BazelRC files. From flag flipping at Google scale to community-driven bug bounties, they cover real-world strategies for better defaults and explain why it’s finally time to use common everywhere. If you’re still hand-tuning Bazel flags in the dark, this is your flashlight. Want more? Check out: bazelrc-preset.bzl

Jul 11, 2025 17:00 — 18:00