diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
index d240b9e..c5685bc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/BazelRepositoryModule.java
@@ -350,6 +350,9 @@
         // Nevertheless, we need to provide a default value for other commands.
         PrecomputedValue.injected(
             RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_FETCHING,
+            RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DONT_FETCH_UNCONDITIONALLY),
+        PrecomputedValue.injected(
+            RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_CONFIGURING,
             RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DONT_FETCH_UNCONDITIONALLY));
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncCommand.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncCommand.java
index ecfa9b8..d942050 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncCommand.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncCommand.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.NoBuildEvent;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.NoBuildRequestFinishedEvent;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.bazel.repository.RepositoryOrderEvent;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.bazel.repository.skylark.SkylarkRepositoryFunction;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.cmdline.LabelConstants;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.cmdline.LabelSyntaxException;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.cmdline.RepositoryName;
@@ -57,7 +58,12 @@
 /** Syncs all repositories specified in the workspace file */
 @Command(
     name = SyncCommand.NAME,
-    options = {PackageCacheOptions.class, KeepGoingOption.class, LoadingPhaseThreadsOption.class},
+    options = {
+      PackageCacheOptions.class,
+      KeepGoingOption.class,
+      LoadingPhaseThreadsOption.class,
+      SyncOptions.class
+    },
     help = "resource:sync.txt",
     shortDescription = "Syncs all repositories specified in the workspace file",
     allowResidue = false)
@@ -93,11 +99,21 @@
                   env.getCommandId().toString()));
       env.setupPackageCache(options);
       SkyframeExecutor skyframeExecutor = env.getSkyframeExecutor();
-      skyframeExecutor.injectExtraPrecomputedValues(
-          ImmutableList.of(
-              PrecomputedValue.injected(
-                  RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_FETCHING,
-                  env.getCommandId().toString())));
+
+      SyncOptions syncOptions = options.getOptions(SyncOptions.class);
+      if (syncOptions.configure) {
+        skyframeExecutor.injectExtraPrecomputedValues(
+            ImmutableList.of(
+                PrecomputedValue.injected(
+                    RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_CONFIGURING,
+                    env.getCommandId().toString())));
+      } else {
+        skyframeExecutor.injectExtraPrecomputedValues(
+            ImmutableList.of(
+                PrecomputedValue.injected(
+                    RepositoryDelegatorFunction.DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_FETCHING,
+                    env.getCommandId().toString())));
+      }
 
       // Obtain the key for the top-level WORKSPACE file
       SkyKey packageLookupKey = PackageLookupValue.key(LabelConstants.EXTERNAL_PACKAGE_IDENTIFIER);
@@ -167,7 +183,7 @@
           // fetch anyway. So the only task remaining is to record the use of "bind" for whoever
           // collects resolved information.
           env.getReporter().post(resolveBind(rule));
-        } else if (shouldSync(rule)) {
+        } else if (shouldSync(rule, syncOptions.configure)) {
           // TODO(aehlig): avoid the detour of serializing and then parsing the repository name
           try {
             repositoriesToFetch.add(
@@ -208,11 +224,16 @@
     return BlazeCommandResult.exitCode(exitCode);
   }
 
-  private static boolean shouldSync(Rule rule) {
+  private static boolean shouldSync(Rule rule, boolean configure) {
     if (!rule.getRuleClassObject().getWorkspaceOnly()) {
       // We should only sync workspace rules
       return false;
     }
+    if (configure) {
+      // If this is only a configure run, only sync Starlark rules that
+      // declare themselves as configure-like.
+      return SkylarkRepositoryFunction.isConfigureRule(rule);
+    }
     if (rule.getRuleClassObject().isSkylark()) {
       // Skylark rules are all whitelisted
       return true;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncOptions.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncOptions.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0397921
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/commands/SyncOptions.java
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+// Copyright 2019 The Bazel Authors. All rights reserved.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+package com.google.devtools.build.lib.bazel.commands;
+
+import com.google.devtools.common.options.Option;
+import com.google.devtools.common.options.OptionDocumentationCategory;
+import com.google.devtools.common.options.OptionEffectTag;
+import com.google.devtools.common.options.OptionsBase;
+
+/** Defines the options specific to Bazel's sync command */
+public class SyncOptions extends OptionsBase {
+  @Option(
+      name = "configure",
+      defaultValue = "False",
+      documentationCategory = OptionDocumentationCategory.EXECUTION_STRATEGY,
+      effectTags = {OptionEffectTag.CHANGES_INPUTS},
+      help = "Only sync repositories marked as 'configure' for system-configuration purpose.")
+  public boolean configure;
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/repository/skylark/SkylarkRepositoryFunction.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/repository/skylark/SkylarkRepositoryFunction.java
index 38f2a9c..4edfa05 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/repository/skylark/SkylarkRepositoryFunction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/bazel/repository/skylark/SkylarkRepositoryFunction.java
@@ -249,7 +249,13 @@
     return (Boolean) rule.getAttributeContainer().getAttr("$configure");
   }
 
-  public static boolean isConfigurelikeRule(Rule rule) {
+  /**
+   * Static method to determine if for a starlark repository rule {@code isConfigure} holds true. It
+   * also checks that the rule is indeed a Starlark rule so that this class is the appropriate
+   * handler for the given rule. As, however, only Starklark rules can be configure rules, this
+   * method can also be used as a universal check.
+   */
+  public static boolean isConfigureRule(Rule rule) {
     return rule.getRuleClassObject().isSkylark()
         && ((Boolean) rule.getAttributeContainer().getAttr("$configure"));
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/repository/RepositoryDelegatorFunction.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/repository/RepositoryDelegatorFunction.java
index 8e77200..cb4bbce 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/repository/RepositoryDelegatorFunction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/repository/RepositoryDelegatorFunction.java
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@
       new Precomputed<>(
           PrecomputedValue.Key.create("dependency_for_unconditional_repository_fetching"));
 
+  public static final Precomputed<String> DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_CONFIGURING =
+      new Precomputed<>(PrecomputedValue.Key.create("dependency_for_unconditional_configuring"));
+
   public static final Precomputed<Optional<RootedPath>> RESOLVED_FILE_FOR_VERIFICATION =
       new Precomputed<>(
           PrecomputedValue.Key.create("resolved_file_for_external_repository_verification"));
@@ -139,6 +142,7 @@
     Map<RepositoryName, PathFragment> overrides = REPOSITORY_OVERRIDES.get(env);
     boolean doNotFetchUnconditionally =
         DONT_FETCH_UNCONDITIONALLY.equals(DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_FETCHING.get(env));
+    boolean needsConfiguring = false;
 
     Path repoRoot = RepositoryFunction.getExternalRepositoryDirectory(directories)
         .getRelative(repositoryName.strippedName());
@@ -163,6 +167,11 @@
       return RepositoryDirectoryValue.NO_SUCH_REPOSITORY_VALUE;
     }
 
+    if (handler.isConfigure(rule)) {
+      needsConfiguring =
+          !DONT_FETCH_UNCONDITIONALLY.equals(DEPENDENCY_FOR_UNCONDITIONAL_CONFIGURING.get(env));
+    }
+
     byte[] ruleSpecificData = handler.getRuleSpecificMarkerData(rule, env);
     if (env.valuesMissing()) {
       return null;
@@ -185,10 +194,11 @@
         && managedDirectoriesExist(directories.getWorkspace(), managedDirectories)) {
       // For the non-local repositories, check if they are already up-to-date:
       // 1) unconditional fetching is not enabled, AND
-      // 2) repository directory exists, AND
-      // 3) marker file correctly describes the current repository state, AND
-      // 4) managed directories, mapped to the repository, exist
-      if (doNotFetchUnconditionally && repoRoot.exists()) {
+      // 2) unconditional syncing is not enabled or the rule is not a configure rule, AND
+      // 3) repository directory exists, AND
+      // 4) marker file correctly describes the current repository state, AND
+      // 5) managed directories, mapped to the repository, exist
+      if (!needsConfiguring && doNotFetchUnconditionally && repoRoot.exists()) {
         byte[] markerHash = digestWriter.areRepositoryAndMarkerFileConsistent(handler, env);
         if (env.valuesMissing()) {
           return null;
diff --git a/src/test/shell/bazel/skylark_repository_test.sh b/src/test/shell/bazel/skylark_repository_test.sh
index 84629e1..ce3d635 100755
--- a/src/test/shell/bazel/skylark_repository_test.sh
+++ b/src/test/shell/bazel/skylark_repository_test.sh
@@ -1233,6 +1233,67 @@
   expect_log "non_existing = False,False"
 }
 
+function test_configure_like_repos() {
+  cat > repos.bzl <<'EOF'
+def _impl(ctx):
+  print("Executing %s" % (ctx.attr.name,))
+  ref = ctx.path(ctx.attr.reference)
+  # Here we explicitly copy a file where we constructed the name
+  # completely outside any build interfaces, so it is not registered
+  # as a dependency of the external repository.
+  ctx.execute(["cp", "%s.shadow" % (ref,), ctx.path("it.txt")])
+  ctx.file("BUILD", "exports_files(['it.txt'])")
+
+source = repository_rule(
+ implementation = _impl,
+ attrs = {"reference" : attr.label()},
+)
+
+configure = repository_rule(
+ implementation = _impl,
+ attrs = {"reference" : attr.label()},
+ configure = True,
+)
+
+EOF
+  cat > WORKSPACE <<'EOF'
+load("//:repos.bzl", "configure", "source")
+
+configure(name="configure", reference="@//:reference.txt")
+source(name="source", reference="@//:reference.txt")
+EOF
+  cat > BUILD <<'EOF'
+[ genrule(
+    name = name,
+    srcs = ["@%s//:it.txt" % (name,)],
+    outs = ["%s.txt" % (name,)],
+    cmd = "cp $< $@",
+  ) for name in ["source", "configure"] ]
+EOF
+  echo "Just to get the path" > reference.txt
+  echo "initial" > reference.txt.shadow
+
+  bazel build //:source //:configure
+  grep 'initial' `bazel info bazel-genfiles`/source.txt \
+       || fail '//:source not generated properly'
+  grep 'initial' `bazel info bazel-genfiles`/configure.txt \
+       || fail '//:configure not generated properly'
+
+  echo "new value" > reference.txt.shadow
+  bazel sync --configure --experimental_repository_resolved_file=resolved.bzl \
+        2>&1 || fail "Expected sync --configure to succeed"
+  grep -q 'name.*configure' resolved.bzl \
+      || fail "Expected 'configure' to be synced"
+  grep -q 'name.*source' resolved.bzl \
+      && fail "Expected 'source' not to be synced" || :
+
+  bazel build //:source //:configure
+  grep -q 'initial' `bazel info bazel-genfiles`/source.txt \
+       || fail '//:source did not keep its old value'
+  grep -q 'new value' `bazel info bazel-genfiles`/configure.txt \
+       || fail '//:configure not synced properly'
+}
+
 
 function test_timeout_tunable() {
   cat >> $(create_workspace_with_default_repos WORKSPACE) <<'EOF'