diff --git a/src/main/starlark/builtins_bzl/common/python/py_runtime_rule.bzl b/src/main/starlark/builtins_bzl/common/python/py_runtime_rule.bzl
index 01148f594e7950..3b15dedc3f5549 100644
--- a/src/main/starlark/builtins_bzl/common/python/py_runtime_rule.bzl
+++ b/src/main/starlark/builtins_bzl/common/python/py_runtime_rule.bzl
@@ -13,6 +13,107 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 """Implementation of py_runtime rule."""
 
+def _py_runtime_impl(ctx):
+    _ = ctx  # @unused
+    fail("not implemented")
+
 # Bind to the name "py_runtime" to preserve the kind/rule_class it shows up
 # as elsewhere.
-py_runtime = _builtins.native.py_runtime
+py_runtime = rule(
+    implementation = _py_runtime_impl,
+    doc = """
+Represents a Python runtime used to execute Python code.
+
+A `py_runtime` target can represent either a *platform runtime* or an *in-build
+runtime*. A platform runtime accesses a system-installed interpreter at a known
+path, whereas an in-build runtime points to an executable target that acts as
+the interpreter. In both cases, an "interpreter" means any executable binary or
+wrapper script that is capable of running a Python script passed on the command
+line, following the same conventions as the standard CPython interpreter.
+
+A platform runtime is by its nature non-hermetic. It imposes a requirement on
+the target platform to have an interpreter located at a specific path. An
+in-build runtime may or may not be hermetic, depending on whether it points to
+a checked-in interpreter or a wrapper script that accesses the system
+interpreter.
+
+# Example
+
+```
+py_runtime(
+    name = "python-2.7.12",
+    files = glob(["python-2.7.12/**"]),
+    interpreter = "python-2.7.12/bin/python",
+)
+
+py_runtime(
+    name = "python-3.6.0",
+    interpreter_path = "/opt/pyenv/versions/3.6.0/bin/python",
+)
+```
+""",
+    fragments = ["py"],
+    attrs = {
+        "files": attr.label_list(
+            allow_files = True,
+            doc = """
+For an in-build runtime, this is the set of files comprising this runtime.
+These files will be added to the runfiles of Python binaries that use this
+runtime. For a platform runtime this attribute must not be set.
+""",
+        ),
+        "interpreter": attr.label(
+            allow_single_file = True,
+            doc = """
+For an in-build runtime, this is the target to invoke as the interpreter. For a
+platform runtime this attribute must not be set.
+""",
+        ),
+        "interpreter_path": attr.string(doc = """
+For a platform runtime, this is the absolute path of a Python interpreter on
+the target platform. For an in-build runtime this attribute must not be set.
+"""),
+        "coverage_tool": attr.label(
+            allow_files = False,
+            doc = """
+This is a target to use for collecting code coverage information from `py_binary`
+and `py_test` targets.
+
+If set, the target must either produce a single file or be an executable target.
+The path to the single file, or the executable if the target is executable,
+determines the entry point for the python coverage tool.  The target and its
+runfiles will be added to the runfiles when coverage is enabled.
+
+The entry point for the tool must be loadable by a Python interpreter (e.g. a
+`.py` or `.pyc` file).  It must accept the command line arguments
+of coverage.py (https://coverage.readthedocs.io), at least including
+the `run` and `lcov` subcommands.
+""",
+        ),
+        "python_version": attr.string(
+            values = ["PY2", "PY3", "_INTERNAL_SENTINEL"],
+            doc = """
+Whether this runtime is for Python major version 2 or 3. Valid values are `"PY2"`
+and `"PY3"`.
+
+The default value is controlled by the `--incompatible_py3_is_default` flag.
+However, in the future this attribute will be mandatory and have no default
+value.
+            """,
+        ),
+        "stub_shebang": attr.string(
+            # TODO(b/254866025): Have PyRuntimeInfo and this use a shared
+            # constant
+            default = "#!/usr/bin/env python3",
+            doc = """
+"Shebang" expression prepended to the bootstrapping Python stub script
+used when executing `py_binary` targets.
+
+See https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/issues/8685 for
+motivation.
+
+Does not apply to Windows.
+""",
+        ),
+    },
+)