diff --git a/BUILD b/BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 13f8c5e3..a68bf296 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -51,6 +51,26 @@ packages from that repository in order to generate code using this API. If you
 build the repository using the included `BUILD` files, Bazel will fetch the
 protobuf compiler and googleapis automatically.
 
+## Selecting language support
+
+The repository provides a rule that you can use in your `WORKSPACE` file to
+select which languages you are using. This allows you to depend on this
+repository without pulling in Go rules, for instance, if you aren't using Go
+rules.
+
+For instance, if you only use Java in your project, add the following to your
+`WORKSPACE` file:
+
+```
+load("@remoteapis//:repository_rules.bzl", "switched_rules_by_language")
+switched_rules_by_language(
+    name = "bazel_remote_apis_imports",
+    java = True,
+)
+```
+
+You can find the complete list of supported languages in `repository_rules.bzl`.
+
 ## Using the APIs
 
 The repository contains `BUILD` files to build the protobuf library with
diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index a7826081..af7e448a 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -2,6 +2,14 @@ workspace(name = "bazel_remote_apis")
 
 load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
 
+load("//:repository_rules.bzl", "switched_rules_by_language")
+switched_rules_by_language(
+    name = "bazel_remote_apis_imports",
+    go = True,
+    java = True,
+    cc = True,
+)
+
 # Needed for protobuf.
 http_archive(
     name = "bazel_skylib",
diff --git a/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/BUILD b/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/BUILD
index a29bb714..81027882 100644
--- a/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/BUILD
+++ b/build/bazel/remote/execution/v2/BUILD
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
-load("@com_github_grpc_grpc//bazel:cc_grpc_library.bzl", "cc_grpc_library")
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:def.bzl", "go_proto_library")
+load("@bazel_remote_apis_imports//:imports.bzl", "java_proto_library", "go_library", "go_proto_library", "cc_grpc_library")
 
 licenses(["notice"])
 
diff --git a/build/bazel/semver/BUILD b/build/bazel/semver/BUILD
index 1e6f9029..a404812d 100644
--- a/build/bazel/semver/BUILD
+++ b/build/bazel/semver/BUILD
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
-load("@com_github_grpc_grpc//bazel:cc_grpc_library.bzl", "cc_grpc_library")
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:def.bzl", "go_proto_library")
+load("@bazel_remote_apis_imports//:imports.bzl", "java_proto_library", "go_library", "go_proto_library", "cc_grpc_library")
 
 licenses(["notice"])
 
diff --git a/repository_rules.bzl b/repository_rules.bzl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6901d50e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repository_rules.bzl
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+"""Repository rules and macros which are expected to be called from WORKSPACE
+file of either bazel_remote_apis itself or any third_party repository which
+consumes bazel_remote_apis as its dependency.
+
+This is adapted from
+https://github.com/googleapis/googleapis/blob/master/repository_rules.bzl
+"""
+
+def _switched_rules_impl(ctx):
+    disabled_rule_script = """
+def {rule_name}(**kwargs):
+    print("Ignoring {rule_name}(name = %s)" % kwargs.get("name",  None))
+"""
+    enabled_native_rule_script = """
+{rule_name} = {native_rule_name}
+"""
+    enabled_rule_script = """
+load("{file_label}", _{rule_name} = "{rule_name}")
+"""
+    elabled_rule_scrip_alias = """
+{rule_name} = _{rule_name}
+"""
+    load_rules = []  # load() must go before everything else in .bzl files since Bazel 0.25.0
+    rules = []
+
+    for rule_name, value in ctx.attr.rules.items():
+        if not value:
+            rules.append(disabled_rule_script.format(rule_name = rule_name))
+        elif value.startswith("@"):
+            load_rules.append(enabled_rule_script.format(file_label = value, rule_name = rule_name))
+            rules.append(elabled_rule_scrip_alias.format(rule_name = rule_name))
+        elif value.startswith("native."):
+            rules.append(
+                enabled_native_rule_script.format(rule_name = rule_name, native_rule_name = value),
+            )
+        else:
+            rules.append(value)
+
+    ctx.file("BUILD.bazel", "")
+    ctx.file("imports.bzl", "".join(load_rules + rules))
+
+switched_rules = repository_rule(
+    implementation = _switched_rules_impl,
+    attrs = {
+        "rules": attr.string_dict(
+            allow_empty = True,
+            mandatory = False,
+            default = {},
+        ),
+    },
+)
+
+def switched_rules_by_language(
+        name,
+        java = False,
+        go = False,
+        cc = False,
+        rules_override = {}):
+    """Switches rules in the generated imports.bzl between no-op and the actual
+    implementation.
+
+    This defines which language-specific rules should be enabled during the
+    build. All non-enabled language-specific rules will default to no-op
+    implementations.
+
+    For example, to use this rule and enable Java and Go rules, add the
+    following in the external repository which imports bazel_remote_apis
+    repository and its corresponding dependencies:
+
+        load("@bazel_remote_apis//:repository_rules.bzl", "switched_rules_by_language")
+
+        switched_rules_by_language(
+            name = "bazel_remote_apis_imports",
+            go = True,
+            java = True,
+        )
+
+    Then import e.g. "go_library" from @bazel_remote_apis_imports in your BUILD files:
+
+        load("@bazel_remote_apis_imports//:imports.bzl", "go_library")
+
+    Note, for build to work you must also import the language-specific transitive dependencies.
+
+    Args:
+        name (str): name of a target, is expected to be "bazel_remote_apis_imports".
+        java (bool): Enable Java specific rules. False by default.
+        go (bool): Enable Go specific rules. False by default.
+        cc (bool): Enable C++ specific rules. False by default.
+        rules_override (dict): Custom rule overrides (for advanced usage).
+    """
+
+    rules = {}
+
+    rules["java_proto_library"] = _switch(
+        java,
+        "native.java_proto_library",
+    )
+
+    rules["go_proto_library"] = _switch(
+        go,
+        "@io_bazel_rules_go//proto:def.bzl",
+    )
+    rules["go_library"] = _switch(
+        go,
+        "@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl",
+    )
+
+    rules["cc_grpc_library"] = _switch(
+        cc,
+        "@com_github_grpc_grpc//bazel:cc_grpc_library.bzl",
+    )
+
+    rules.update(rules_override)
+
+    switched_rules(
+        name = name,
+        rules = rules,
+    )
+
+def _switch(enabled, enabled_value):
+    return enabled_value if enabled else ""