init

The init command initializes a Bazel project with the necessary configuration for Gazelle. It detects languages in your project and sets up the required dependencies.

Usage

bazelle init [flags] [path]

Flags

Flag	Description
-l, --languages	Languages to configure (auto-detected if not specified)
--name	Module name (defaults to directory name)
--check	Check if project is properly configured (exit 1 if not)
--dry-run	Show what would change without applying

What It Does

1. Detects languages used in your project by scanning file extensions

2. Creates MODULE.bazel with required dependencies:

   • bazel_skylib
   • rules_go and gazelle (always included)
   • Language-specific rules (rules_kotlin, rules_python, etc.)

3. Creates BUILD.bazel with a gazelle target

Examples

Basic Initialization

Initialize the current directory:

bazelle init

Example output:

Languages: go, kotlin, python
Created /path/to/project/MODULE.bazel
Created /path/to/project/BUILD.bazel

Next steps:
  1. Update the gazelle:prefix directive in BUILD.bazel
  2. Run 'bazelle update' to generate BUILD files

Specify Languages

Override auto-detection:

bazelle init --languages go,kotlin

Custom Module Name

Set a specific module name:

bazelle init --name myproject

Preview Changes

See what would be created:

bazelle init --dry-run

CI Check

Verify project is properly configured:

bazelle init --check

Generated Files

MODULE.bazel

module(
    name = "myproject",
    version = "0.1.0",
)

# Core dependencies
bazel_dep(name = "bazel_skylib", version = "1.9.0")

# Language support
bazel_dep(name = "gazelle", version = "0.47.0")
bazel_dep(name = "rules_go", version = "0.59.0")
bazel_dep(name = "rules_kotlin", version = "2.2.2")
bazel_dep(name = "rules_python", version = "1.8.0")
bazel_dep(name = "rules_python_gazelle_plugin", version = "1.6.3")

BUILD.bazel

load("@gazelle//:def.bzl", "gazelle")

# gazelle:prefix github.com/your-org/your-repo

gazelle(
    name = "gazelle",
)

Note

Remember to update the gazelle:prefix directive to match your actual import path!

Language Detection

init detects languages by scanning for common file extensions:

Extensions	Language
.go	Go
.kt, .kts	Kotlin
.py	Python
.c, .cc, .cpp, .h, .hpp	C/C++
.proto	Protocol Buffers
.groovy	Groovy

Existing Files

If MODULE.bazel or BUILD.bazel already exist, init will not overwrite them:

MODULE.bazel already exists (skipping)
BUILD.bazel already exists (skipping)

Use --check to verify existing configuration has required dependencies.

Exit Codes

Code	Mode	Meaning
0	Normal	Initialization completed
0	--check	Project is properly configured
1	--check	Configuration issues found
1	Any	Error occurred

After Initialization

1. Edit BUILD.bazel to set the correct gazelle:prefix:

   # gazelle:prefix github.com/your-org/your-repo

2. Run update to generate BUILD files:

   bazelle update

3. Build and test:

   bazel build //...
   bazel test //...