here is what I found: pants.backend.experimental.cc https://www.pantsbuild.org/dev/docs/using-pants/key-concepts/backends#available-experimental-backends ”But experimental does NOT mean that a backend is "lesser" in some way. It doesn't designate "alpha" or "beta" quality - we use alpha and rc releases for that. It doesn't mean that you should expect errors. It just means that the API —such as BUILD file definitions and output paths — might change without a deprecation cycle (there will still be warnings in the changelog).” https://www.pantsbuild.org/blog/2022/11/21/quick-feedback-on-new-features-via-experimental-backends#dont-fear-the-experiment however there is not much activity, it seems: https://github.com/pantsbuild/pants/discussions/15499

Is there any support for using bazel rules within pants?

A complete-r version of the CC backend, more precisely. So, super tailored to my workflows (embedded and as a core lib for other languages)