framework: suppress autotools reruns when timestamps are skewed

examples/third_party/autotools/BUILD.autoconf.bazel

@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ filegroup(
 
 configure_make(
     name = "autoconf",
+    # Suppress help2man regeneration; it's not available in the sandbox and
+    # the tarball ships pre-built man pages.
+    args = ["HELP2MAN=true"],
     build_data = [
         "@m4//:m4_exe",
     ],

examples/third_party/autotools/BUILD.m4.bazel

@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ filegroup(
 
 configure_make(
     name = "m4",
+    # gnulib's iconv_open-*.h regeneration rules are unconditional (not
+    # guarded by maintainer-mode) and invoke gperf, which isn't available
+    # in the sandbox.  configure_in_place gives us a writable source tree,
+    # and GPERF=true makes the regeneration a no-op (the generated headers
+    # are only #include'd on AIX/HP-UX/IRIX/OSF/Solaris/z/OS).
+    args = ["GPERF=true"],
+    configure_in_place = True,
     env = select({
         "@platforms//os:macos": {"AR": ""},
         "//conditions:default": {},
@@ -20,6 +27,7 @@ configure_make(
     out_binaries = [
         "m4",
     ],
+    out_include_dir = "",
     target_compatible_with = select({
         "@platforms//os:windows": ["@platforms//:incompatible"],
         "//conditions:default": [],

examples/third_party/bison/BUILD.bison.bazel

@@ -13,9 +13,18 @@ filegroup(
 # I tested and this builds for me on macOS and Linux, did not check Windows
 configure_make(
     name = "bison",
+    # gnulib's iconv_open-*.h regeneration rules invoke gperf unconditionally,
+    # and timestamp skew can trigger help2man and yacc/bison regeneration.
+    # configure_in_place gives us a writable copy with flattened (equal)
+    # timestamps, which prevents make from seeing stale outputs.
+    args = [
+        "GPERF=true",
+        "HELP2MAN=true",
+    ],
     build_data = [
         "@m4//:m4_exe",
     ],
+    configure_in_place = True,
     env = {
         "M4": "$$EXT_BUILD_ROOT/$(location @m4//:m4_exe)",
         "PERL": "$$EXT_BUILD_ROOT/$(PERL)",

foreign_cc/private/configure_script.bzl

@@ -42,6 +42,20 @@ def create_configure_script(
         configure_path = "{}/{}".format(root_path, configure_command)
 
     script.append("##export_var## MAKE {}".format(make_path))
+
+    # When the user has not requested autotools regeneration, prevent make from
+    # re-running aclocal/autoconf/autoheader/automake/makeinfo if timestamps
+    # are skewed (common under RBE, where the CAS strips per-file mtimes).
+    # Setting each tool to "true" makes any accidental rerun a silent no-op —
+    # the standard technique used by Debian, Yocto, and rpmbuild.
+    if not autoconf and not autoreconf and not autogen:
+        script.append("##export_var## AUTOCONF true")
+        script.append("##export_var## AUTOHEADER true")
+        script.append("##export_var## AUTOMAKE true")
+        script.append("##export_var## ACLOCAL true")
+        script.append("##export_var## MAKEINFO true")
+        script.append("##export_var## HELP2MAN true")
+
     script.append("##enable_tracing##")
 
     if autogen: