diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationContext.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationContext.java
index 628a6f2..3c6f561 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationContext.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationContext.java
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
 
   private final CommandLineCcCompilationContext commandLineCcCompilationContext;
 
-  private final NestedSet<PathFragment> declaredIncludeDirs;
+  private final NestedSet<PathFragment> looseHdrsDirs;
   private final NestedSet<Artifact> declaredIncludeSrcs;
 
   /** Module maps from direct dependencies. */
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@
   CcCompilationContext(
       CommandLineCcCompilationContext commandLineCcCompilationContext,
       NestedSet<Artifact> compilationPrerequisites,
-      NestedSet<PathFragment> declaredIncludeDirs,
+      NestedSet<PathFragment> looseHdrsDirs,
       NestedSet<Artifact> declaredIncludeSrcs,
       NestedSet<Artifact> nonCodeInputs,
       HeaderInfo headerInfo,
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@
       NestedSet<Pair<String, String>> virtualToOriginalHeaders) {
     Preconditions.checkNotNull(commandLineCcCompilationContext);
     this.commandLineCcCompilationContext = commandLineCcCompilationContext;
-    this.declaredIncludeDirs = declaredIncludeDirs;
+    this.looseHdrsDirs = looseHdrsDirs;
     this.declaredIncludeSrcs = declaredIncludeSrcs;
     this.directModuleMaps = directModuleMaps;
     this.headerInfo = headerInfo;
@@ -278,8 +278,8 @@
    * Returns the immutable set of declared include directories, relative to a "-I" or "-iquote"
    * directory" (possibly empty but never null).
    */
-  public NestedSet<PathFragment> getDeclaredIncludeDirs() {
-    return declaredIncludeDirs;
+  public NestedSet<PathFragment> getLooseHdrsDirs() {
+    return looseHdrsDirs;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@
 
   /**
    * Returns a {@code CcCompilationContext} that is based on a given {@code CcCompilationContext}
-   * but returns empty sets for {@link #getDeclaredIncludeDirs()}.
+   * but returns empty sets for {@link #getLooseHdrsDirs()}.
    */
   public static CcCompilationContext disallowUndeclaredHeaders(
       CcCompilationContext ccCompilationContext) {
@@ -608,8 +608,7 @@
     private final Set<PathFragment> quoteIncludeDirs = new LinkedHashSet<>();
     private final Set<PathFragment> systemIncludeDirs = new LinkedHashSet<>();
     private final Set<PathFragment> frameworkIncludeDirs = new LinkedHashSet<>();
-    private final NestedSetBuilder<PathFragment> declaredIncludeDirs =
-        NestedSetBuilder.stableOrder();
+    private final NestedSetBuilder<PathFragment> looseHdrsDirs = NestedSetBuilder.stableOrder();
     private final NestedSetBuilder<Artifact> declaredIncludeSrcs =
         NestedSetBuilder.stableOrder();
     private final NestedSetBuilder<Artifact> nonCodeInputs = NestedSetBuilder.stableOrder();
@@ -676,7 +675,7 @@
       quoteIncludeDirs.addAll(otherCcCompilationContext.getQuoteIncludeDirs());
       systemIncludeDirs.addAll(otherCcCompilationContext.getSystemIncludeDirs());
       frameworkIncludeDirs.addAll(otherCcCompilationContext.getFrameworkIncludeDirs());
-      declaredIncludeDirs.addTransitive(otherCcCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs());
+      looseHdrsDirs.addTransitive(otherCcCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs());
       declaredIncludeSrcs.addTransitive(otherCcCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeSrcs());
       transitiveHeaderInfo.addTransitive(otherCcCompilationContext.transitiveHeaderInfos);
       transitiveModules.addTransitive(otherCcCompilationContext.transitiveModules);
@@ -766,8 +765,8 @@
     }
 
     /** Add a single declared include dir, relative to a "-I" or "-iquote" directory". */
-    public Builder addDeclaredIncludeDir(PathFragment dir) {
-      declaredIncludeDirs.add(dir);
+    public Builder addLooseHdrsDir(PathFragment dir) {
+      looseHdrsDirs.add(dir);
       return this;
     }
 
@@ -908,7 +907,7 @@
               defines.build(),
               ImmutableList.copyOf(localDefines)),
           constructedPrereq,
-          declaredIncludeDirs.build(),
+          looseHdrsDirs.build(),
           declaredIncludeSrcs.build(),
           nonCodeInputs.build(),
           headerInfo,
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationHelper.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationHelper.java
index a7c7d1b..9676696 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCompilationHelper.java
@@ -1001,9 +1001,9 @@
     // Add this package's dir to declaredIncludeDirs, & this rule's headers to declaredIncludeSrcs
     // Note: no include dir for STRICT mode.
     if (headersCheckingMode == HeadersCheckingMode.LOOSE) {
-      ccCompilationContextBuilder.addDeclaredIncludeDir(label.getPackageFragment());
+      ccCompilationContextBuilder.addLooseHdrsDir(label.getPackageFragment());
       for (PathFragment looseIncludeDir : looseIncludeDirs) {
-        ccCompilationContextBuilder.addDeclaredIncludeDir(looseIncludeDir);
+        ccCompilationContextBuilder.addLooseHdrsDir(looseIncludeDir);
       }
       ccCompilationContextBuilder.setHeadersCheckingMode(headersCheckingMode);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileAction.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileAction.java
index 08164e8..44964d8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileAction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileAction.java
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@
         continue;
       }
       if (declaredIncludeDirs == null) {
-        declaredIncludeDirs = ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs().toSet();
+        declaredIncludeDirs = ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs().toSet();
       }
       if (!isDeclaredIn(cppConfiguration, actionExecutionContext, header, declaredIncludeDirs)) {
         missing.add(header);
@@ -929,7 +929,7 @@
 
     // Copy the nested sets to hash sets for fast contains checking, but do so lazily.
     // Avoid immutable sets here to limit memory churn.
-    Set<PathFragment> declaredIncludeDirs = null;
+    Set<PathFragment> looseHdrsDirs = null;
     for (Artifact input : inputsForValidation.toList()) {
       // Only declared modules are added to an action and so they are always valid.
       if (input.isFileType(CppFileTypes.CPP_MODULE)) {
@@ -947,11 +947,10 @@
       if (FileSystemUtils.startsWithAny(input.getExecPath(), ignoreDirs)) {
         continue;
       }
-      if (declaredIncludeDirs == null) {
-        declaredIncludeDirs =
-            Sets.newHashSet(ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs().toList());
+      if (looseHdrsDirs == null) {
+        looseHdrsDirs = Sets.newHashSet(ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs().toList());
       }
-      if (!isDeclaredIn(cppConfiguration, actionExecutionContext, input, declaredIncludeDirs)) {
+      if (!isDeclaredIn(cppConfiguration, actionExecutionContext, input, looseHdrsDirs)) {
         errors.add(input.getExecPath().toString());
       }
     }
@@ -967,9 +966,8 @@
           for (Artifact a : ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeSrcs().toList()) {
             System.err.println("  '" + a.toDetailString() + "'");
           }
-          System.err.println(" or under declared dirs:");
-          for (PathFragment f :
-              Sets.newTreeSet(ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs().toList())) {
+          System.err.println(" or under loose headers dirs:");
+          for (PathFragment f : Sets.newTreeSet(ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs().toList())) {
             System.err.println("  '" + f + "'");
           }
           System.err.println(" with prefixes:");
@@ -1191,7 +1189,7 @@
    * listed in {@code declaredIncludeSrcs}).
    */
   public NestedSet<PathFragment> getDeclaredIncludeDirs() {
-    return ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs();
+    return ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs();
   }
 
   /** Return explicitly listed header files. */
@@ -1227,7 +1225,7 @@
         ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeSrcs(),
         getMandatoryInputs(),
         additionalPrunableHeaders,
-        ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs(),
+        ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs(),
         builtInIncludeDirectories,
         inputsForInvalidation,
         cppConfiguration.validateTopLevelHeaderInclusions());
@@ -1619,7 +1617,7 @@
       message.append('\n');
     }
 
-    for (PathFragment path : ccCompilationContext.getDeclaredIncludeDirs().toList()) {
+    for (PathFragment path : ccCompilationContext.getLooseHdrsDirs().toList()) {
       message.append("  Declared include directory: ");
       message.append(ShellEscaper.escapeString(path.getPathString()));
       message.append('\n');
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileActionTemplate.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileActionTemplate.java
index 1bc126e..5c51208 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileActionTemplate.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CppCompileActionTemplate.java
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@
         cppCompileActionBuilder.getCcCompilationContext().getDeclaredIncludeSrcs(),
         cppCompileActionBuilder.buildMandatoryInputs(),
         cppCompileActionBuilder.buildPrunableHeaders(),
-        cppCompileActionBuilder.getCcCompilationContext().getDeclaredIncludeDirs(),
+        cppCompileActionBuilder.getCcCompilationContext().getLooseHdrsDirs(),
         cppCompileActionBuilder.getBuiltinIncludeDirectories(),
         cppCompileActionBuilder.buildInputsForInvalidation(),
         toolchain