Summary

rules_android@0.7.1 triggers large live Coursier resolution (no lock file), causing slow, fragile builds and frequent timeouts:

Error while fetching artifact with coursier: Timed out

Repro

Repo: https://github.com/bc-lee/rules-android-maven-live-resolution-repro

Run:

RJE_VERBOSE=true USE_BAZEL_VERSION=9.0.2 bazelisk build \
 @rules_android//src/tools/java/com/google/devtools/build/android/r8:r8

(RJE_VERBOSE=true to expose Coursier behavior)

• 60be301: fails with timeout
• c445ef1: success with lock file

Root Cause

rules_android_maven defines a large maven.install(...) (50+ artifacts) but does not enable its lock file, forcing:

• large live coursier fetch
• duplicate resolution (rules_android_maven, bazel_worker_maven)
• heavy network traffic before actual build

Impact

• slow builds
• network-sensitive / flaky (timeouts)
• problematic in CI or restricted environments

Suggested Fix

Enable the existing lock file:

maven.install(
 name = "rules_android_maven",
 lock_file = "//:rules_android_maven_install.json",
 ...
)

Evidence

With only this change:

- # lock_file = "//:rules_android_maven_install.json",
+ lock_file = "//:rules_android_maven_install.json",

the same build succeeds reliably.

Workaround

Downstream patch:

+ lock_file = "//:rules_android_maven_install.json",

(Optionally resolver = "gradle")