5.0.0

Breaking changes

• Removed WORKSPACE support
• Removed bazel 7.x support
• Requires rules_swift 4.0.1 or later.

New features

• Add opt-in support for explicit modules, see the docs for usage.
• feat: Add support for ios_kernel_extension() bazel rule by @YungRaj in #2911
• Adopt symbolic macros for public-facing API by @aaronsky in #2933

Other notable changes

• Fix SDK->simruntime mapping assumptions in test runners by @aaronsky in #2889
• remove WORKSPACE support by @aaronsky in #2814
• Fix *_build_test rules with bazel 9.x by @keith in #2890
• Add exports_files for docs by @keith in #2894
• Remove 7.x support by @keith in #2891
• Remove unnecessary exported API by @keith in #2896
• Pass runner PID to simulator create/clean up actions by @brentleyjones in #2899
• Fix rules_apple device runner crash on Rapid Security Response versions by @lelandjansen in #2898
• Update README for 7.x versions by @keith in #2903
• Fix comment about Xdock hack by @keith in #2904
• Revert "Support multiple modules on app_intents for applications (#2879)" by @kntkymt in #2906
• Improve test coverage for metadata output of AppShortcutsProvider in AppIntent tests by @kntkymt in #2907
• Cherry-pick linking refactor from upstream (batch 1) by @luispadron in #2912
• Bump Swift stdlib presence thresholds for Span compatibility by @jpsim in #2915
• feat: Add support for ios_kernel_extension() bazel rule by @YungRaj in #2911
• Improve performance of test filter creation by @john-flanagan in #2917
• Add @loader_path/../Frameworks rpath for macOS extensions and ExtensionKit by @adincebic in #2895
• Add Swift deterministic hashing to the environment variables passed to all actions generated by the Apple rules. by @adincebic in #2918
• Support macOS tree-artifact bundling for imported versioned frameworks by @adincebic in #2920
• Add support for launching watchOS apps by @rockbruno in #2875
• Register apple_xplat_toolchain and use exec_groups everywhere by @adincebic in #2854
• Provide default Info.plist for *_application rules by @ssarad in #2919
• Ensure kernel extension rules don't produce entitlements sections if entitlements is None by @YungRaj in #2924
• fix framework imports with private swiftinterface by @adincebic in #2921
• Do not require a provisioning profile when building an iOS kernel extension for a device by @YungRaj in #2926
• Add support for user.bazelrc by @keith in #2930
• Remove old rules_swift API by @keith in #2928
• Manually compile from swiftinterface files by default by @keith in #2927
• Remove armv7k watchOS support by @keith in #2934
• Remove CI workarounds by @keith in #2936
• Add support for importing frameworks with ObjC modules by @keith in #2931
• Convert ios_imessage_test to starlark by @keith in #2948
• Convert tvos_application_swift_test to starlark by @keith in #2946
• Convert smart_resource_deduplication_test to starlark by @keith in #2945
• Convert apple_metal_library_test to starlark by @keith in #2943
• Move apple_core_ml_resource_test to starlark by @keith in #2941
• Convert apple_bundle_version_test to starlark by @keith in #2938
• Convert ios_application_swift_test to starlark by @keith in #2947
• Move apple_core_ml_library_package_test to starlark by @keith in #2939
• Convert docc_archive_test.sh to starlark by @keith in #2944
• Replace ios_extension_tests with starlark tests by @keith in #2937
• Convert apple_intent_library_test to starlark by @keith in #2942
• Fix smart resource dedup test by @keith in #2949
• Fix implicit module building swiftinterfaces by @keith in #2950
• Convert macos_bundle_test to starlark by @keith in #2952
• Remove objc_library archive from runfiles by @keith in #2955
• Convert macos_application_resources_test to starlark by @keith in #2951
• Fix macOS test runner env propagation and add missing features by @kirillyakimovich in #2953
• Use the xcframework's inner name for modules by @keith in #2956
• Adopt symbolic macros for public-facing API by @aaronsky in #2933
• Convert ios_application_test to starlark by @keith in #2963
• Convert tvos_extension_test to starlark by @keith in #2959
• Convert macos_application_test to starlark by @keith in #2962
• Convert macos_quick_look_plugin_test to starlark by @keith in #2960
• Convert watchos_application_test to starlark by @keith in #2965
• Share configs with build and test on CI by @keith in #2968
• Convert tvos_application_test to starlark by @keith in #2964
• Convert ios_application_resources_test to starlark by @keith in #2961
• Add app run modes to Apple application runners by @brentleyjones in #2974
• Convert ios_coverage_test to starlark by @keith in #2967
• Fix removal of signing_certificate_name by @keith in #2970
• Remove the extra coverage file support. by @keith in #2973
• Add ios arm64e archs to watchOS mappings by @keith in #2972
• Remove incompatible_enable_apple_toolchain_resolution by @keith in #2969
• Update the API of swift_common.compile_module_interface. by @keith in #2929
• Use the newer swift toolchain apis by @keith in #2940
• Fix removal of ios_simulator_device and ios_simulator_version by @keith in #2971
• Correctly handle module.private.modulemap files by @keith in #2977
• Make some coverage tests exclusive by @keith in #2978
• Update buildifier by @keith in #2981
• Only enable swiftinterface compiles for explicit modules by @keith in #2980
• Stop using repo_name and remove bazel_build_ prefix by @adincebic in #2979
• Prevent runfiles env leakage into ipa_post_processor by @adincebic in #2982
• Fix runner attr erroneously inherited by test suite macro by @aaronsky in #2983
• Fix modules being strings by @keith in #2984
• Fix the attr runners of apple test-suite macros by @congt in #2988
• Update to new GA release workflow by @keith in #2990
• Update to rules_swift RC by @keith in #2991
• Update README example some more by @keith in #2993
• Remove _allowlist_function_transition by @keith in #2989
• Fix Swift module synthesis for imported static XCFrameworks without modulemaps by @adincebic in #2992
• Remove pre rules_swift 3.0 API branch by @keith in #2994
• Resolve rules_swift <4.0 TODOs by @keith in #2996
• Add docs to bcr releases by @keith in #2998
• Fix swiftmodule embedding from frameworks by @keith in #2999
• Remove most of AppleTestInfo by @keith in #2987
• Remove apple_common.Objc provider linking by @keith in #1872
• Switch default iOS test runner to xctestrun runner by @keith in #2997
• Handle smartcard certs with no expiry date in codesigningtool by @jpsim in #3000
• Create ready for review PR on BCR by @adincebic in #3003
• Make swift_interop_info_with_dependencies non-optional by @keith in #3004
• Bump rules_swift to latest RC by @keith in #3007
• Handle smartcard certs with no embedded certificate data in codesigningtool by @nac5504 in #3009
• Separate devicectl app args from options by @brentleyjones in #3014
• Convert ios_test_runner_ui_test to starlark by @keith in #2966
• Remove @mattrobmattrob from CODEOWNERS by @mattrobmattrob in #3017
• Add support for newer [Skip|Only]TestingIdentifiers xctestplan format to test runner template by @john-flanagan in #3016
• Remove bazel_features extension_metadata use by @keith in #3018
• Add an app clip example by @manojmahapatra in #3020
• Default to darwin_arm64 when building macOS targets with a minimum_os_version of 27.0 or higher by @adincebic in #3001
• Verify framework signatures before skipping re-sign (#1953) by @vakhidbetrakhmadov in #3023
• fix: minor typos by @manojmahapatra in #3025
• Silence dependency warnings with bazel query by @keith in #3029
• fix(docc_archive): Pass transitive symbol graphs to 'docc' commands by @amorde in #3034
• Add support for app thinning via build settings by @adincebic in #3047
• Add test_environment to ios_xctestrun_runner by @john-flanagan in #3045
• Support DeviceHub.app location in Xcode 27 by @erikkerber in #3013
• Unbundle xctestrunner as a Bazel module by @bc-lee in #3048
• Add screen_capture_format attribute to ios_xctestrun_runner by @erneestoc in #3021
• Contain xcodebuild's derived data in the test's temp dir by @erneestoc in #3050
• Fix generated Info.plist segments in macos_command_line_application by @keith in #3042
• fix macos_test_runner for swift-testing only targets by @aaronsky in #3052
• Allow auto selection of simruntime with patch version by @adincebic in #3049
• Bump rules_swift to latest rc by @keith in #3055
• Fix codesign warning silencing for resource-rules by @gabriellanata in #3056
• Remove legacy _cc_toolchain use by @keith in #3057

New Contributors

• @lelandjansen made their first contribution in #2898
• @YungRaj made their first contribution in #2911
• @john-flanagan made their first contribution in #2917
• @kirillyakimovich made their first contribution in #2953
• @congt made their first contribution in #2988
• @nac5504 made their first contribution in #3009
• @manojmahapatra made their first contribution in #3020
• @bc-lee made their first contribution in #3048
• @erneestoc made their first contribution in #3021
• @gabriellanata made their first contribution in #3056

Full Changelog: 4.5.0...5.0.0

This release is compatible with Bazel 8.x LTS, 9.x LTS, and rolling releases.

MODULE.bazel Snippet

bazel_dep(name = "rules_apple", version = "5.0.0")