Error loading '@@rules_cc+//cc:extensions.bzl' for module extensions, requested by ...

[dsharlet]

We started seeing this issue recently, after updating to bazel 9 and fixing associated warnings (e.g. likely relevant google/XNNPACK#9480 PR description was overly optimistic about fixing this issue... :) )

https://github.com/google/XNNPACK/actions/runs/21690358119/job/62566256419

Error loading '@@rules_cc+//cc:extensions.bzl' for module extensions, requested by https://bcr.bazel.build/modules/rules_cc/0.2.14/MODULE.bazel:33:23: at /github/home/.cache/bazel/_bazel_xnnpack/7af42c7278a28d4a50c31513d31d4932/external/rules_cc+/cc/extensions.bzl:17:6: Every .bzl file must have a corresponding package, but '@@bazel_features+//private:util.bzl' does not have one. Please create a BUILD file in the same or any parent directory. Note that this BUILD file does not need to do anything except exist.: at /github/home/.cache/bazel/_bazel_xnnpack/7af42c7278a28d4a50c31513d31d4932/external/rules_cc+/cc/extensions.bzl:17:6: Every .bzl file must have a corresponding package, but '@@bazel_features+//private:util.bzl' does not have one. Please create a BUILD file in the same or any parent directory. Note that this BUILD file does not need to do anything except exist.

This seems like a bug internal to rules_cc. We still see the same issue even after removing the bazel_dep on bazel_features that attempted to fix this.

Is there a workaround available for this problem? Or are we doing something wrong to trigger it?