diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index da85fd9e157..14edaddeae4 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ build --workspace_status_command=./tools/workspace_status.sh
 # TODO(b/315853820): Needed for Bazel 7.0, until migrated to bzlmod
 build --noenable_bzlmod
 
+# TODO(b/315853820): Needed for Bazel 8.0, until migrated to bzlmod
+build --enable_workspace
+
 # Use the following C++ standard
 build --cxxopt -std=c++17
 
diff --git a/.bazelversion b/.bazelversion
index 66ce77b7ead..e7fdef7e2e6 100644
--- a/.bazelversion
+++ b/.bazelversion
@@ -1 +1 @@
-7.0.0
+8.4.2
diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 998e040c2f0..3769ea6bb0f 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ load("//tensorflow:workspace.bzl", "workspace")
 
 workspace()
 
+# init for bazel_skylib
+load("@bazel_skylib//:workspace.bzl", "bazel_skylib_workspace")
+
+bazel_skylib_workspace()
+
 # init for rules_shell
 load("@rules_shell//shell:repositories.bzl", "rules_shell_dependencies", "rules_shell_toolchains")
 
@@ -40,13 +45,11 @@ load("@hedron_compile_commands//:workspace_setup.bzl", "hedron_compile_commands_
 
 hedron_compile_commands_setup()
 
-_rules_python_version = "0.26.0"
-
 http_archive(
     name = "rules_python",
-    sha256 = "9d04041ac92a0985e344235f5d946f71ac543f1b1565f2cdbc9a2aaee8adf55b",
-    strip_prefix = "rules_python-{}".format(_rules_python_version),
-    url = "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_python/archive/refs/tags/{}.tar.gz".format(_rules_python_version),
+    sha256 = "2f5c284fbb4e86045c2632d3573fc006facbca5d1fa02976e89dc0cd5488b590",
+    strip_prefix = "rules_python-1.6.3",
+    url = "https://github.com/bazel-contrib/rules_python/releases/download/1.6.3/rules_python-1.6.3.tar.gz",
 )
 
 load("@rules_python//python:repositories.bzl", "py_repositories")
diff --git a/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/BUILD b/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/BUILD
index 8b368a677f4..b630f30b622 100644
--- a/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/BUILD
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ tflm_cc_library(
     ],
 )
 
+filegroup(
+    name = "testdata_files",
+    srcs = glob(["testdata/**"]),
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
+
+
 generate_cc_arrays(
     name = "generated_no_person_bmp_cc",
     src = "testdata/no_person.bmp",
diff --git a/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/utils/BUILD b/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/utils/BUILD
index bd279ae30ce..ca33f6e699f 100644
--- a/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/utils/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection/utils/BUILD
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ py_library(
 py_test(
     name = "raw_to_bitmap_test",
     srcs = ["raw_to_bitmap_test.py"],
-    data = glob(["testdata/**"]),
+    data = ["//tensorflow/lite/micro/examples/person_detection:testdata_files"],
     tags = [
         "nomicro_static",  # TF dep incompatible w/ TF_LITE_STATIC_MEMORY.
         "notap",  # TODO(b/186679612)
diff --git a/tensorflow/workspace.bzl b/tensorflow/workspace.bzl
index 2fdff77067b..e22b1aed3ce 100644
--- a/tensorflow/workspace.bzl
+++ b/tensorflow/workspace.bzl
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ def tf_repositories(path_prefix = "", tf_repo_name = ""):
     # https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases
     tf_http_archive(
         name = "bazel_skylib",
-        sha256 = "1dde365491125a3db70731e25658dfdd3bc5dbdfd11b840b3e987ecf043c7ca0",
+        sha256 = "6e78f0e57de26801f6f564fa7c4a48dc8b36873e416257a92bbb0937eeac8446",
         urls = [
-            "https://storage.googleapis.com/mirror.tensorflow.org/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/0.9.0/bazel_skylib-0.9.0.tar.gz",
-            "https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/0.9.0/bazel_skylib-0.9.0.tar.gz",
+            "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/1.8.2/bazel-skylib-1.8.2.tar.gz",
+            "https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/1.8.2/bazel-skylib-1.8.2.tar.gz",
         ],
     )