> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bazel-pr-30012.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# runfiles

A container of information regarding a set of files required at runtime by an executable. This object should be passed via [`DefaultInfo`](../providers/DefaultInfo) in order to tell the build system about the runfiles needed by the outputs produced by the rule.

See [runfiles guide](https://bazel.build/extending/rules#runfiles) for details.

## Members

* [empty\_filenames](#empty_filenames)
* [files](#files)
* [merge](#merge)
* [merge\_all](#merge_all)
* [root\_symlinks](#root_symlinks)
* [symlinks](#symlinks)

## empty\_filenames

```
depset runfiles.empty_filenames
```

Returns names of empty files to create.

## files

```
depset runfiles.files
```

Returns the set of runfiles as files.

## merge

```
runfiles runfiles.merge(other)
```

Returns a new runfiles object that includes all the contents of this one and the argument.

*Note:* When you have many runfiles objects to merge, use [`merge_all()`](#merge_all) rather than calling `merge` in a loop. This avoids constructing deep depset structures which can cause build failures.

### Parameters

| Parameter | Description                                                                         |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `other`   | [runfiles](../builtins/runfiles); required  The runfiles object to merge into this. |

## merge\_all

```
runfiles runfiles.merge_all(other)
```

Returns a new runfiles object that includes all the contents of this one and of the runfiles objects in the argument.

### Parameters

| Parameter | Description                                                                                                                   |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `other`   | [sequence](../core/list) of [runfiles](../builtins/runfiles)s; required  The sequence of runfiles objects to merge into this. |

## root\_symlinks

```
depset runfiles.root_symlinks
```

Returns the set of root symlinks.

## symlinks

```
depset runfiles.symlinks
```

Returns the set of symlinks.