diff --git a/.bazelignore b/.bazelignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6e1e2bd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.bazelignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
+# See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+# Also available under a BSD-style license. See LICENSE.
+
+third_party/
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 7c15a388..1c5de2d2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
-/bazel-bin
-/bazel-out
-/bazel-mlir-tcp
-/bazel-testlogs
+# Licensed under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
+# See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+# Also available under a BSD-style license. See LICENSE.
+
+bazel-bin
+bazel-out
+bazel-mlir-tcp
+bazel-testlogs
+third_party/
diff --git a/deps.bzl b/deps.bzl
index 8e78fba5..8531c573 100644
--- a/deps.bzl
+++ b/deps.bzl
@@ -1,37 +1,71 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
+# See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+# Also available under a BSD-style license. See LICENSE.
+
 load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
+load(
+    ":local_repos.bzl",
+    "local_llvm_repo_path",
+    "local_stablehlo_repo_path",
+    "local_torch_mlir_repo_path",
+    "use_local_llvm_repo",
+    "use_local_stablehlo_repo",
+    "use_local_torch_mlir_repo",
+)
 
 def third_party_deps():
-    LLVM_COMMIT = "28b27c1b10ae8d1f5b4fb9df691e8cf0da9be3f6"
-    LLVM_SHA256 = "1f7a7ca5983801d671901644659c32d028e5e7316418fabcb6159454249aefa3"
-    http_archive(
-        name = "llvm-raw",
-        build_file_content = "# empty",
-        sha256 = LLVM_SHA256,
-        strip_prefix = "llvm-project-" + LLVM_COMMIT,
-        urls = ["https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = LLVM_COMMIT)],
-    )
+    if use_local_llvm_repo():
+        native.new_local_repository(
+            name = "llvm-raw",
+            build_file_content = "# empty",
+            path = local_llvm_repo_path(),
+        )
+    else:
+        LLVM_COMMIT = "28b27c1b10ae8d1f5b4fb9df691e8cf0da9be3f6"
+        LLVM_SHA256 = "1f7a7ca5983801d671901644659c32d028e5e7316418fabcb6159454249aefa3"
+        http_archive(
+            name = "llvm-raw",
+            build_file_content = "# empty",
+            sha256 = LLVM_SHA256,
+            strip_prefix = "llvm-project-" + LLVM_COMMIT,
+            urls = ["https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = LLVM_COMMIT)],
+        )
 
-    TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT = "52abae1526e51ae8c415ca98ce4a56b00782b68b"
-    TORCH_MLIR_SHA256 = "f9973f3519b4ba98475917eb700f447b65fee88e9dd60c61f174ce38335ccb3b"
-    http_archive(
-        name = "torch-mlir-raw",
-        sha256 = TORCH_MLIR_SHA256,
-        build_file_content = "# empty",
-        strip_prefix = "torch-mlir-" + TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT,
-        urls = ["https://github.com/llvm/torch-mlir/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT)],
-    )
+    if use_local_torch_mlir_repo():
+        native.new_local_repository(
+            name = "torch-mlir-raw",
+            build_file_content = "# empty",
+            path = local_torch_mlir_repo_path(),
+        )
+    else:
+        TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT = "52abae1526e51ae8c415ca98ce4a56b00782b68b"
+        TORCH_MLIR_SHA256 = "f9973f3519b4ba98475917eb700f447b65fee88e9dd60c61f174ce38335ccb3b"
+        http_archive(
+            name = "torch-mlir-raw",
+            sha256 = TORCH_MLIR_SHA256,
+            build_file_content = "# empty",
+            strip_prefix = "torch-mlir-" + TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT,
+            urls = ["https://github.com/llvm/torch-mlir/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = TORCH_MLIR_COMMIT)],
+        )
 
-    STABLEHLO_COMMIT = "5a8bb985f50a679721292b14f97f270344ac64a3"
-    STABLEHLO_SHA256 = "abda3e8e029c1409b53b1eea080e5cfb4c4ef6705064d7cd954d8272d059567a"
-    http_archive(
-        name = "stablehlo",
-        sha256 = STABLEHLO_SHA256,
-        strip_prefix = "stablehlo-" + STABLEHLO_COMMIT,
-        urls = ["https://github.com/openxla/stablehlo/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = STABLEHLO_COMMIT)],
-        # This patch allows testing stablehlo from mlir-tcp
-        patches = ["@//:stablehlo.patch"],
-        patch_args = ["-p1"],
-    )
+    if use_local_stablehlo_repo():
+        native.local_repository(
+            name = "stablehlo",
+            path = local_stablehlo_repo_path(),
+        )
+    else:
+        STABLEHLO_COMMIT = "5a8bb985f50a679721292b14f97f270344ac64a3"
+        STABLEHLO_SHA256 = "abda3e8e029c1409b53b1eea080e5cfb4c4ef6705064d7cd954d8272d059567a"
+        http_archive(
+            name = "stablehlo",
+            sha256 = STABLEHLO_SHA256,
+            strip_prefix = "stablehlo-" + STABLEHLO_COMMIT,
+            urls = ["https://github.com/openxla/stablehlo/archive/{commit}.tar.gz".format(commit = STABLEHLO_COMMIT)],
+            # This patch allows testing stablehlo from mlir-tcp
+            patches = ["@//:stablehlo.patch"],
+            patch_args = ["-p1"],
+        )
 
     SKYLIB_VERSION = "1.3.0"
 
diff --git a/local_repos.bzl b/local_repos.bzl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..31b25847
--- /dev/null
+++ b/local_repos.bzl
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Licensed under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
+# See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+# Also available under a BSD-style license. See LICENSE.
+
+# Modify this file to get bazel to use a local source checkout for the 3p deps
+# (e.g. to quickly test out local changes).
+#
+# To avoid accidentally checking in modifications to this file, you can ask git
+# to ignore changes to this file by running the following:
+#
+# $ git update-index --assume-unchanged local_repos.bzl
+
+def use_local_llvm_repo():
+    # Change this to return True to have mlir-tcp use the source tree at
+    # `local_llvm_repo_path()`
+    return False
+
+def use_local_torch_mlir_repo():
+    # Change this to return True to have mlir-tcp use the source tree at
+    # `local_torch_mlir_repo_path()`
+    return False
+
+def use_local_stablehlo_repo():
+    # Change this to return True to have mlir-tcp use the source tree at
+    # `local_stablehlo_repo_path()`
+    return False
+
+def local_llvm_repo_path():
+    return "./third_party/llvm-project"
+
+def local_torch_mlir_repo_path():
+    return "./third_party/torch-mlir"
+
+def local_stablehlo_repo_path():
+    return "./third_party/stablehlo"