bazel_rules_detekt

The Detekt (a Kotlin static analysis tool) integration for the Bazel build system.

• configuration and baseline files;
• HTML, text, XML, Markdown, and SARIF reports;
• plugins;
• customizable Detekt version and JVM flags;
• persistent workers support;
• baseline generation via detekt_create_baseline;
• configuration options via attributes.

For detailed per-Detekt-version Kotlin and JDK compatibility, see the Detekt compatibility table.

Note: The Kotlin compiler bundled with Detekt determines which language_version values are valid — setting it higher than what the bundled compiler supports will cause Detekt to fail. The default Detekt version can always be overridden — see Detekt Version.

Note: Detekt 2.x is currently in alpha (targeting Kotlin 2.2+) and is not yet recommended for production use.

Note: JDK 25 and above are not supported with Detekt 1.23.x. The bundled Kotlin compiler performs a hard version check that fails on JDK 25+. This is resolved in the Detekt 2.x series.

The project is developed and tested against Bazel 9. Older versions may work but are not actively tested.

Refer to GitHub releases for the version and the SHA-256 hashsum.

bazel_dep(name = "rules_detekt", version = "...")

load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")

rules_detekt_version = "see-github-releases-page"
rules_detekt_sha = "see-github-releases-page"

http_archive(
    name = "rules_detekt",
    sha256 = rules_detekt_sha,
    strip_prefix = "bazel_rules_detekt-{v}".format(v = rules_detekt_version),
    url = "https://github.com/buildfoundation/bazel_rules_detekt/archive/v{v}.tar.gz".format(v = rules_detekt_version),
)

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:dependencies.bzl", "rules_detekt_dependencies")
rules_detekt_dependencies()

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:toolchains.bzl", "rules_detekt_toolchains")
rules_detekt_toolchains()

Once declared in the WORKSPACE or MODULE.bazel file, the rules can be loaded in the BUILD file.

detekt is a regular Bazel build rule. When Detekt finds violations, the build action itself fails, stopping bazel build immediately with an error. This makes it behave like a compiler error — violations block the build.

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:defs.bzl", "detekt")

detekt(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
)

$ bazel build //mypackage:my_detekt

detekt_test is a Bazel test rule. The build action always succeeds (even when violations are found), and Bazel then runs a test script that reads the real Detekt exit code and prints findings to the test output. Violations cause the test to fail rather than the build action.

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:defs.bzl", "detekt_test")

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
)

$ bazel test //mypackage:my_detekt

Because it is a test target, it is included in bazel test //... alongside your unit tests, and it supports standard Bazel test flags such as --test_output=all.

Use detekt when you want violations to block builds the same way a compiler error does. Use detekt_test when you want Detekt to run alongside your test suite and report results through the test framework.

detekt_create_baseline is an executable rule that generates or updates a Detekt baseline file. The baseline suppresses existing findings so that only new violations fail the build going forward.

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:defs.bzl", "detekt_create_baseline")

detekt_create_baseline(
    name = "my_detekt_baseline",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    baseline = "detekt/baseline.xml",  # path where the baseline will be written
)

$ bazel run //mypackage:my_detekt_baseline

Running this target writes the baseline XML file into your source tree under $BUILD_WORKING_DIRECTORY. If baseline is not specified, the output path defaults to {package}/default_baseline.xml.

Once the baseline file exists, reference it in your analysis target:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    baseline = "detekt-baseline.xml",
)

All three rules share the same configuration options. In addition to srcs, cfgs, baseline, plugins, and report options, most attributes correspond directly to Detekt CLI flags and pass them through when explicitly set.

More information can be found in the attributes.

A plain-text report ({name}_detekt_report.txt) is always generated. Other report formats are available for opt-in via configuration options..

The default bundled version is 1.23.8. To override it:

detekt = use_extension("@rules_detekt//detekt:extensions.bzl", "detekt")
detekt.detekt_version(
    version = "...",
    sha256 = "...",
)

use_repo(detekt, "detekt_cli_all")

To download Detekt from a custom location (e.g. an internal mirror), use the url_templates parameter:

detekt = use_extension("@rules_detekt//detekt:extensions.bzl", "detekt")
detekt.detekt_version(
    version = "...",
    sha256 = "...",
    url_templates = [
        "https://my-mirror.example.com/detekt/detekt-cli-{version}-all.jar",
    ],
)

use_repo(detekt, "detekt_cli_all")

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:versions.bzl", "detekt_version")
load("@rules_detekt//detekt:dependencies.bzl", "rules_detekt_dependencies")

rules_detekt_dependencies(
    detekt_version = detekt_version(
        version = "...",
        sha256 = "...",
    )
)

To download Detekt from a custom location (e.g., an internal mirror), use the url_templates parameter:

rules_detekt_dependencies(
    detekt_version = detekt_version(
        version = "...",
        sha256 = "...",
        url_templates = [
            "https://my-mirror.example.com/detekt/detekt-cli-{version}-all.jar",
        ],
    )
)

Each template may contain {version} which will be replaced with the version string.

The default toolchain uses -Xms16m -Xmx128m. To customize JVM flags, define your own toolchain in a BUILD file:

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:toolchain.bzl", "detekt_toolchain")

detekt_toolchain(
    name = "my_detekt_toolchain_impl",
    jvm_flags = ["-Xms16m", "-Xmx512m"],
)

toolchain(
    name = "my_detekt_toolchain",
    toolchain = ":my_detekt_toolchain_impl",
    toolchain_type = "@rules_detekt//detekt:toolchain_type",
)

Then register it in WORKSPACE:

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:toolchains.bzl", "rules_detekt_toolchains")

rules_detekt_toolchains(toolchain = "//mypackage:my_detekt_toolchain")

Or MODULE.bazel:

register_toolchains("//mypackage:my_detekt_toolchain")

The plugins attribute accepts any Bazel label that provides JavaInfo. This covers both published Maven artifacts and locally built JARs.

Maven artifact (e.g., the formatting rule set):

maven = use_extension("@rules_jvm_external//:extensions.bzl", "maven")
maven.install(
    artifacts = [
        "io.gitlab.arturbosch.detekt:detekt-formatting:1.23.8",
    ],
)
use_repo(maven, "maven")

load("@rules_detekt//detekt:defs.bzl", "detekt_test")

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    plugins = ["@maven//:io_gitlab_arturbosch_detekt_detekt_formatting"],
)

Custom local plugin built with rules_kotlin:

load("@rules_kotlin//kotlin:jvm.bzl", "kt_jvm_library")
load("@rules_detekt//detekt:defs.bzl", "detekt_test")

kt_jvm_library(
    name = "my_custom_rules",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
)

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    plugins = [":my_custom_rules"],
)

Pass one or more Detekt YAML configuration files via cfgs. Files must use the .yml extension. You may pass raw file labels or filegroup targets:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    cfgs = [":detekt.yml"],
)

To extend Detekt's built-in defaults rather than replace them, also set build_upon_default_config = True:

detekt_test(
    ...
    build_upon_default_config = True,
    ...
)

Use jvm_target to set the JVM bytecode target version that matches what was used during compilation. This defaults to 1.8 if not explicitly set:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    jvm_target = "11",
)

Detekt will report errors for any language features introduced after the specified version if language_version is specified. When unset, no compatibility restriction is applied:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    language_version = "2.0",
)

Type resolution enables more advanced static analysis by giving Detekt access to the full compilation classpath, including return types, nullability, and symbol information — capabilities that match those of the Kotlin compiler itself. Rules requiring it are annotated with @RequiresFullAnalysis in Detekt's source.

Use jvm_target and language_version to match the compilation settings of your project:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    jvm_target = "11",
    language_version = "2.0",
)

By default, Detekt generates a text report internally (used for console output). To export reports as build outputs, enable them explicitly:

detekt_test(
    name = "my_detekt",
    srcs = glob(["src/main/kotlin/**/*.kt"]),
    txt_report = True,   # {target_name}_detekt_report.txt
    html_report = True,  # {target_name}_detekt_report.html
    xml_report = True,   # {target_name}_detekt_report.xml  (Checkstyle format, compatible with SonarQube)
    md_report = True,    # {target_name}_detekt_report.md
    sarif_report = True, # {target_name}_detekt_report.sarif
)

Any combination of reports may be enabled.