diff --git a/examples/kotlin/BUILD.bazel b/examples/kotlin/BUILD.bazel
index dcf78d3f0f..4c26be4134 100644
--- a/examples/kotlin/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/examples/kotlin/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Add rules here to build your software
 # See https://docs.bazel.build/versions/master/build-ref.html#BUILD_files
 
-load("@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:index.bzl", "pkg_web")
+load("@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:index.bzl", "copy_to_bin", "pkg_web")
 load("@io_bazel_rules_kotlin//kotlin:kotlin.bzl", "kt_js_import", "kt_js_library")
 load("@npm//http-server:index.bzl", "http_server")
 load("@npm_bazel_jasmine//:index.bzl", "jasmine_node_test")
@@ -22,20 +22,19 @@ kt_js_library(
     deps = [":kotlinx-html-js"],
 )
 
-# Copy bootstrap.js to the bin folder as _bootstrap.js
-# so that relative import to `./hello.js` is valid
-genrule(
+# Copy bootstrap.js to the output folder, so all files are next to each other at runtime
+# Allows the `./hello.js` relative import to work while referencing an output file
+copy_to_bin(
     name = "bootstrap",
     srcs = ["bootstrap.js"],
-    outs = ["_bootstrap.js"],
-    cmd = "cp $< $@",
 )
 
 rollup_bundle(
     name = "bundle",
     srcs = ["hello.js"],
     config_file = "rollup.config.js",
-    entry_point = "_bootstrap.js",
+    # Reference the copy of bootstrap.js in the output folder
+    entry_point = "bootstrap",
     # TODO: make this example work with format = "esm"
     format = "cjs",
     output_dir = True,
diff --git a/packages/create/BUILD.bazel b/packages/create/BUILD.bazel
index 82468d0644..c0d126cf3a 100644
--- a/packages/create/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/packages/create/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 load("@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:tools/defaults.bzl", "nodejs_test", "npm_package")
+load("//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
 
 # Copy common bazelrc file to be included in this package
-genrule(
+copy_file(
     name = "copy_bazelrc",
-    srcs = ["//:common.bazelrc"],
-    outs = ["common.bazelrc"],
-    cmd = "cp $< $@",
+    src = "//:common.bazelrc",
+    out = "common.bazelrc",
 )
 
 npm_package(
diff --git a/packages/rollup/test/integration/foo/BUILD.bazel b/packages/rollup/test/integration/foo/BUILD.bazel
index 4fb9dbee90..14b86b648f 100644
--- a/packages/rollup/test/integration/foo/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/packages/rollup/test/integration/foo/BUILD.bazel
@@ -1,16 +1,12 @@
 load("@npm_bazel_typescript//:index.from_src.bzl", "ts_library")
+load("//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
 
 package(default_visibility = ["//packages/rollup:__subpackages__"])
 
-genrule(
+copy_file(
     name = "copy_user",
-    srcs = [
-        ":user.mjs",
-    ],
-    outs = [
-        ":user.js",
-    ],
-    cmd = "cp $< $@",
+    src = ":user.mjs",
+    out = ":user.js",
 )
 
 ts_library(
diff --git a/packages/worker/BUILD.bazel b/packages/worker/BUILD.bazel
index 448356a675..0a8676324f 100644
--- a/packages/worker/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/packages/worker/BUILD.bazel
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 load("@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:tools/defaults.bzl", "npm_package")
+load("//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
 
 # We reach inside the @bazel/typescript npm package to grab this one .js file
 # This avoids a complex refactoring where we extract that .ts file from tsc_wrapped to a common library
@@ -22,6 +23,8 @@ _worker_path = "external/build_bazel_rules_typescript/internal/tsc_wrapped/worke
 # so the runtime require() statements still work
 _worker_proto_dir = "third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/src/main/protobuf"
 
+# because the package is a tree artifact, there's no label to address the files we want
+# and so we must use a custom cp command, not the copy_file rule
 genrule(
     name = "copy_worker_js",
     srcs = ["@build_bazel_rules_typescript//:npm_bazel_typescript_package"],
@@ -36,11 +39,10 @@ genrule(
     cmd = "cp $(location @build_bazel_rules_typescript//:npm_bazel_typescript_package)/%s.d.ts $@" % _worker_path,
 )
 
-genrule(
+copy_file(
     name = "copy_worker_proto",
-    srcs = ["@build_bazel_rules_typescript//%s:worker_protocol.proto" % _worker_proto_dir],
-    outs = ["%s/worker_protocol.proto" % _worker_proto_dir],
-    cmd = "cp $< $@",
+    src = "@build_bazel_rules_typescript//%s:worker_protocol.proto" % _worker_proto_dir,
+    out = "%s/worker_protocol.proto" % _worker_proto_dir,
 )
 
 npm_package(
diff --git a/tools/defaults.bzl b/tools/defaults.bzl
index 66488f9305..feed4843d7 100644
--- a/tools/defaults.bzl
+++ b/tools/defaults.bzl
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ load(
     _npm_package = "npm_package",
 )
 load("@rules_codeowners//tools:codeowners.bzl", _codeowners = "codeowners")
+load("//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
 
 nodejs_test = _nodejs_test
 
@@ -17,11 +18,10 @@ def npm_package(**kwargs):
     "Set some defaults for the npm_package rule"
 
     # Every package should have a copy of the root LICENSE file
-    native.genrule(
+    copy_file(
         name = "copy_LICENSE",
-        srcs = ["@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:LICENSE"],
-        outs = ["LICENSE"],
-        cmd = "cp $< $@",
+        src = "@build_bazel_rules_nodejs//:LICENSE",
+        out = "LICENSE",
     )
 
     deps = [":copy_LICENSE"] + kwargs.pop("deps", [])