diff --git a/rust/private/rust.bzl b/rust/private/rust.bzl
index 6269b83915..cf9b700f6e 100644
--- a/rust/private/rust.bzl
+++ b/rust/private/rust.bzl
@@ -15,7 +15,14 @@
 # buildifier: disable=module-docstring
 load("//rust/private:common.bzl", "rust_common")
 load("//rust/private:rustc.bzl", "rustc_compile_action")
-load("//rust/private:utils.bzl", "crate_name_from_attr", "determine_output_hash", "expand_locations", "find_toolchain")
+load(
+    "//rust/private:utils.bzl",
+    "crate_name_from_attr",
+    "dedent",
+    "determine_output_hash",
+    "expand_locations",
+    "find_toolchain",
+)
 
 # TODO(marco): Separate each rule into its own file.
 
@@ -512,45 +519,16 @@ def _rust_benchmark_impl(ctx):
         ),
     ]
 
-def _tidy(doc_string):
-    """Tidy excess whitespace in docstrings to not break index.md
-
-    Args:
-        doc_string (str): A docstring style string
-
-    Returns:
-        str: A string optimized for stardoc rendering
-    """
-    lines = doc_string.splitlines()
-    if not lines:
-        return doc_string
-
-    # If the first line is empty, use the second line
-    first_line = lines[0]
-    if not first_line:
-        first_line = lines[1]
-
-    # Detect how much space prepends the first line and subtract that from all lines
-    space_count = len(first_line) - len(first_line.lstrip())
-
-    # If there are no leading spaces, do not alter the docstring
-    if space_count == 0:
-        return doc_string
-    else:
-        # Remove the leading block of spaces from the current line
-        block = " " * space_count
-        return "\n".join([line.replace(block, "", 1).rstrip() for line in lines])
-
 _common_attrs = {
     "aliases": attr.label_keyed_string_dict(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Remap crates to a new name or moniker for linkage to this target
 
             These are other `rust_library` targets and will be presented as the new name given.
         """),
     ),
     "compile_data": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of files used by this rule at compile time.
 
             This attribute can be used to specify any data files that are embedded into
@@ -561,7 +539,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         allow_files = True,
     ),
     "crate_features": attr.string_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of features to enable for this crate.
 
             Features are defined in the code using the `#[cfg(feature = "foo")]`
@@ -570,7 +548,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         """),
     ),
     "crate_name": attr.string(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Crate name to use for this target.
 
             This must be a valid Rust identifier, i.e. it may contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
@@ -578,7 +556,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         """),
     ),
     "crate_root": attr.label(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             The file that will be passed to `rustc` to be used for building this crate.
 
             If `crate_root` is not set, then this rule will look for a `lib.rs` file (or `main.rs` for rust_binary)
@@ -587,7 +565,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         allow_single_file = [".rs"],
     ),
     "data": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of files used by this rule at compile time and runtime.
 
             If including data at compile time with include_str!() and similar,
@@ -597,7 +575,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         allow_files = True,
     ),
     "deps": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of other libraries to be linked to this library target.
 
             These can be either other `rust_library` targets or `cc_library` targets if
@@ -612,14 +590,14 @@ _common_attrs = {
     # This fails for remote execution, which needs cfg="exec", and there isn't anything like
     # `@local_config_platform//:exec` exposed.
     "proc_macro_deps": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of `rust_library` targets with kind `proc-macro` used to help build this library target.
         """),
         cfg = "exec",
         providers = [rust_common.crate_info],
     ),
     "rustc_env": attr.string_dict(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Dictionary of additional `"key": "value"` environment variables to set for rustc.
 
             rust_test()/rust_binary() rules can use $(rootpath //package:target) to pass in the
@@ -630,7 +608,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
         """),
     ),
     "rustc_env_files": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Files containing additional environment variables to set for rustc.
 
             These files should  contain a single variable per line, of format
@@ -649,7 +627,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
     #     doc = "This name will also be used as the name of the crate built by this rule.",
     # `),
     "srcs": attr.label_list(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             List of Rust `.rs` source files used to build the library.
 
             If `srcs` contains more than one file, then there must be a file either
@@ -677,7 +655,7 @@ _common_attrs = {
 _rust_test_attrs = {
     "crate": attr.label(
         mandatory = False,
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Target inline tests declared in the given crate
 
             These tests are typically those that would be held out under
@@ -686,7 +664,7 @@ _rust_test_attrs = {
     ),
     "env": attr.string_dict(
         mandatory = False,
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Specifies additional environment variables to set when the test is executed by bazel test.
             Values are subject to `$(execpath)` and
             ["Make variable"](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/master/be/make-variables.html) substitution.
@@ -695,7 +673,7 @@ _rust_test_attrs = {
     "use_libtest_harness": attr.bool(
         mandatory = False,
         default = True,
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Whether to use libtest.
         """),
     ),
@@ -703,7 +681,7 @@ _rust_test_attrs = {
         executable = True,
         default = Label("//util/launcher:launcher"),
         cfg = "exec",
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             A launcher executable for loading environment and argument files passed in via the `env` attribute
             and ensuring the variables are set for the underlying test executable.
         """),
@@ -727,7 +705,7 @@ rust_library = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust library crate.
 
         Example:
@@ -804,7 +782,7 @@ rust_static_library = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust static library.
 
         This static library will contain all transitively reachable crates and native objects.
@@ -828,7 +806,7 @@ rust_shared_library = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust shared library.
 
         This shared library will contain all transitively reachable crates and native objects.
@@ -852,14 +830,14 @@ rust_proc_macro = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust proc-macro crate.
         """),
 )
 
 _rust_binary_attrs = {
     "crate_type": attr.string(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Crate type that will be passed to `rustc` to be used for building this crate.
 
             This option is a temporary workaround and should be used only when building
@@ -868,7 +846,7 @@ _rust_binary_attrs = {
         default = "bin",
     ),
     "linker_script": attr.label(
-        doc = _tidy("""\
+        doc = dedent("""\
             Link script to forward into linker via rustc options.
         """),
         cfg = "exec",
@@ -889,7 +867,7 @@ rust_binary = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust binary crate.
 
         Example:
@@ -989,7 +967,7 @@ rust_test = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust test crate.
 
         Examples:
@@ -1139,7 +1117,7 @@ rust_test_binary = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust test binary, without marking this rule as a Bazel test.
 
         **Warning**: This rule is currently experimental.
@@ -1238,7 +1216,7 @@ rust_benchmark = rule(
         "@bazel_tools//tools/cpp:toolchain_type",
     ],
     incompatible_use_toolchain_transition = True,
-    doc = _tidy("""\
+    doc = dedent("""\
         Builds a Rust benchmark test.
 
         **Warning**: This rule is currently experimental. [Rust Benchmark tests][rust-bench] \
diff --git a/rust/private/utils.bzl b/rust/private/utils.bzl
index ac455848a5..9a70c51416 100644
--- a/rust/private/utils.bzl
+++ b/rust/private/utils.bzl
@@ -241,3 +241,32 @@ def crate_name_from_attr(attr):
             "Consider adding a crate_name attribute to set a valid crate name",
         )
     return crate_name
+
+def dedent(doc_string):
+    """Tidy excess whitespace in docstrings to not break index.md
+
+    Args:
+        doc_string (str): A docstring style string
+
+    Returns:
+        str: A string optimized for stardoc rendering
+    """
+    lines = doc_string.splitlines()
+    if not lines:
+        return doc_string
+
+    # If the first line is empty, use the second line
+    first_line = lines[0]
+    if not first_line:
+        first_line = lines[1]
+
+    # Detect how much space prepends the first line and subtract that from all lines
+    space_count = len(first_line) - len(first_line.lstrip())
+
+    # If there are no leading spaces, do not alter the docstring
+    if space_count == 0:
+        return doc_string
+    else:
+        # Remove the leading block of spaces from the current line
+        block = " " * space_count
+        return "\n".join([line.replace(block, "", 1).rstrip() for line in lines])