diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index e69de29..b8d89d9 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+workspace(name = "rules_shell")
+
+load("//shell:repositories.bzl", "rules_shell_dependencies", "rules_shell_toolchains")
+
+rules_shell_dependencies()
+
+rules_shell_toolchains()
diff --git a/shell/private/root_symlinks.bzl b/shell/private/root_symlinks.bzl
index 44d1233..46f494a 100644
--- a/shell/private/root_symlinks.bzl
+++ b/shell/private/root_symlinks.bzl
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@
 
 """Helper rule to preserve the legacy runfiles path for the runfiles lib."""
 
+# Requires the private skip_conflict_checking parameter on ctx.runfiles, which
+# is only available as of Bazel 7, which also the version in which `attr`
+# objects started to have value equality.
+ROOT_SYMLINKS_SUPPORTED = attr.string() == attr.string()
+
 def _single_file_or_fail(target):
     files = target[DefaultInfo].files.to_list()
     if len(files) != 1:
diff --git a/shell/runfiles/BUILD b/shell/runfiles/BUILD
index 417af06..fb86e50 100644
--- a/shell/runfiles/BUILD
+++ b/shell/runfiles/BUILD
@@ -1,15 +1,22 @@
 load("//shell:sh_library.bzl", "sh_library")
-load("//shell/private:root_symlinks.bzl", "root_symlinks")
+load("//shell/private:root_symlinks.bzl", "ROOT_SYMLINKS_SUPPORTED", "root_symlinks")
 
-sh_library(
+alias(
     name = "runfiles",
-    data = [":runfiles_at_legacy_location"],
+    actual = ":runfiles_impl" if ROOT_SYMLINKS_SUPPORTED else "@bazel_tools//tools/bash/runfiles",
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
 )
 
+sh_library(
+    name = "runfiles_impl",
+    data = [":runfiles_at_legacy_location"],
+    tags = ["manual"],
+)
+
 root_symlinks(
     name = "runfiles_at_legacy_location",
     root_symlinks = {
         "runfiles.bash": "bazel_tools/tools/bash/runfiles/runfiles.bash",
     },
+    tags = ["manual"],
 )