fix

The fix command runs Gazelle in fix mode, which may make breaking changes such as deleting obsolete rules or renaming targets.

Caution

Unlike update, the fix command may delete or rename existing rules. Use --dry-run to preview changes before applying.

Usage

bazelle fix [flags] [path...]

Flags

Flag	Description
--check	Check if BUILD files need fixing (exit 1 if changes needed)
--dry-run	Show what would change without applying
--verbose	Show detailed output

Examples

Basic Fix

Fix all BUILD files in the workspace:

bazelle fix

Fix a specific directory:

bazelle fix ./src/mypackage

Preview Changes

See what would change without applying:

bazelle fix --dry-run

Example output:

--- src/old/BUILD.bazel
+++ src/old/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,10 +1,3 @@
 load("@rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")

-go_library(
-    name = "deleted_package",
-    srcs = ["deleted.go"],
-    importpath = "github.com/org/repo/src/old",
-    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
-)
-
 go_library(
     name = "old",

CI Integration

Check if BUILD files need fixing:

bazelle fix --check

Verbose Mode

Show detailed information about changes:

bazelle fix --verbose

When to Use fix vs update

Scenario	Command
Added new source files	update
Modified existing files	update
Renamed source files	fix
Deleted source files	fix
Changed package structure	fix
Migrating rule types	fix

What fix Does

The fix command may:

1. Delete obsolete rules: Removes targets for deleted source files
2. Rename targets: Updates target names to match new file names
3. Update load statements: Removes unused loads, adds missing ones
4. Reorganize rules: Consolidates split rules when appropriate

Passthrough Flags

Like update, unrecognized flags are passed to Gazelle:

bazelle fix -go_prefix=github.com/org/repo

Exit Codes

Code	Mode	Meaning
0	Normal	Fix completed successfully
0	--check	BUILD files are up to date
1	--check	BUILD files need fixing
1	Any	Error occurred

Safe Workflow

When making significant changes to your codebase:

# 1. Preview what fix would do
bazelle fix --dry-run

# 2. Review the changes
# 3. Apply if they look correct
bazelle fix

# 4. Build to verify
bazel build //...

# 5. Run tests
bazel test //...