diff --git a/e2e/smoke/MODULE.bazel b/e2e/smoke/MODULE.bazel
index d41d17aa88..12968458b3 100644
--- a/e2e/smoke/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/e2e/smoke/MODULE.bazel
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ module(
 
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_nodejs", dev_dependency = True, version = "0.0.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "bazel_skylib", dev_dependency = True, version = "1.3.0")
+bazel_dep(name = "aspect_bazel_lib", dev_dependency = True, version = "1.30.2")
 
 local_path_override(
     module_name = "rules_nodejs",
@@ -38,28 +39,3 @@ use_repo(
     "node16_darwin_amd64",
     "node16_windows_amd64",
 )
-
-http = use_extension("//:deps.bzl", "http")
-
-http.archive(
-    name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
-    build_file_content = """
-load("@rules_nodejs//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
-
-# Turn a source directory into a TreeArtifact for RBE-compat
-copy_file(
-    name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
-    src = "package",
-    # This attribute comes from rules_nodejs patch of
-    # https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/pull/323
-    is_directory = True,
-    # We must give this as the directory in order for it to appear on NODE_PATH
-    out = "acorn",
-    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
-)
-""",
-    sha256 = "d8f9d40c4656537a60bf0c6daae6f0553f54df5ff2518f86464b7c785f20376b",
-    urls = ["https://registry.npmjs.org/acorn/-/acorn-8.5.0.tgz"],
-)
-
-use_repo(http, "npm_acorn-8.5.0")
diff --git a/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bazel b/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bazel
index c3b2b245f0..a754bd4235 100644
--- a/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bazel
+++ b/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bazel
@@ -8,14 +8,26 @@ http_archive(
     urls = ["https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_nodejs/releases/download/5.8.2/rules_nodejs-core-5.8.2.tar.gz"],
 )
 
-# Note: skylib 1.1.1 has some bug on Windows with diff_test, which we use in this example
 http_archive(
     name = "bazel_skylib",
-    sha256 = "afbe4d9d033c007940acd24bb9becf1580a0280ae0b2ebbb5a7cb12912d2c115",
-    strip_prefix = "bazel-skylib-ffad33e9bfc60bdfa98292ca655a4e7035792046",
-    urls = ["https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/archive/ffad33e9bfc60bdfa98292ca655a4e7035792046.tar.gz"],
+    sha256 = "b8a1527901774180afc798aeb28c4634bdccf19c4d98e7bdd1ce79d1fe9aaad7",
+    urls = [
+        "https://mirror.bazel.build/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/1.4.1/bazel-skylib-1.4.1.tar.gz",
+        "https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/releases/download/1.4.1/bazel-skylib-1.4.1.tar.gz",
+    ],
 )
 
+http_archive(
+    name = "aspect_bazel_lib",
+    sha256 = "97fa63d95cc9af006c4c7b2123ddd2a91fb8d273012f17648e6423bae2c69470",
+    strip_prefix = "bazel-lib-1.30.2",
+    url = "https://github.com/aspect-build/bazel-lib/releases/download/v1.30.2/bazel-lib-v1.30.2.tar.gz",
+)
+
+load("@aspect_bazel_lib//lib:repositories.bzl", "aspect_bazel_lib_dependencies")
+
+aspect_bazel_lib_dependencies()
+
 load("@rules_nodejs//nodejs:repositories.bzl", "nodejs_register_toolchains")
 
 # The order matters because Bazel will provide the first registered toolchain when a rule asks Bazel to select it
@@ -32,21 +44,7 @@ nodejs_register_toolchains(
 
 http_archive(
     name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
-    build_file_content = """
-load("@rules_nodejs//third_party/github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib:rules/copy_file.bzl", "copy_file")
-
-# Turn a source directory into a TreeArtifact for RBE-compat
-copy_file(
-    name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
-    src = "package",
-    # This attribute comes from rules_nodejs patch of
-    # https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel-skylib/pull/323
-    is_directory = True,
-    # We must give this as the directory in order for it to appear on NODE_PATH
-    out = "acorn",
-    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
-)
-""",
+    build_file = "acorn.BUILD",
     sha256 = "d8f9d40c4656537a60bf0c6daae6f0553f54df5ff2518f86464b7c785f20376b",
     urls = ["https://registry.npmjs.org/acorn/-/acorn-8.5.0.tgz"],
 )
diff --git a/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bzlmod b/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
index 1839888b53..aede9808b5 100644
--- a/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
+++ b/e2e/smoke/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
@@ -1 +1,10 @@
 # Replaces WORKSPACE.bazel under --enable_bzlmod
+
+load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
+
+http_archive(
+    name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
+    build_file = "acorn.BUILD",
+    sha256 = "d8f9d40c4656537a60bf0c6daae6f0553f54df5ff2518f86464b7c785f20376b",
+    urls = ["https://registry.npmjs.org/acorn/-/acorn-8.5.0.tgz"],
+)
diff --git a/e2e/smoke/deps.bzl b/e2e/smoke/deps.bzl
deleted file mode 100644
index 2d65349dd4..0000000000
--- a/e2e/smoke/deps.bzl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-"""Module extension to fetch dependencies
-
-Most users are better served using aspect_rules_js to fetch dependencies.
-
-This is just http_archive wrapped, see
-https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/issues/17141
-"""
-
-load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
-
-def _http_impl(ctx):
-    for mod in ctx.modules:
-        for pkg in mod.tags.archive:
-            http_archive(
-                name = pkg.name,
-                build_file_content = pkg.build_file_content,
-                sha256 = pkg.sha256,
-                urls = pkg.urls,
-            )
-
-http = module_extension(
-    implementation = _http_impl,
-    tag_classes = {"archive": tag_class(attrs = {
-        "name": attr.string(),
-        "build_file_content": attr.string(),
-        "sha256": attr.string(),
-        "urls": attr.string_list(),
-    })},
-)
diff --git a/e2e/smoke/external/acorn.BUILD b/e2e/smoke/external/acorn.BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..caac6be637
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e/smoke/external/acorn.BUILD
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+load("@aspect_bazel_lib//lib:copy_directory.bzl", "copy_directory")
+
+# Turn a source directory into a TreeArtifact for RBE-compat
+copy_directory(
+    name = "npm_acorn-8.5.0",
+    src = "package",
+    # We must give this as the directory in order for it to appear on NODE_PATH
+    out = "acorn",
+    visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
+)
diff --git a/repositories.bzl b/repositories.bzl
index 3deb434ea0..69b3e0a594 100644
--- a/repositories.bzl
+++ b/repositories.bzl
@@ -60,14 +60,6 @@ def build_bazel_rules_nodejs_dev_dependencies():
         ],
     )
 
-    maybe(
-        http_archive,
-        name = "com_google_protobuf",
-        sha256 = "98e615d592d237f94db8bf033fba78cd404d979b0b70351a9e5aaff725398357",
-        strip_prefix = "protobuf-3.9.1",
-        urls = ["https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/archive/v3.9.1.tar.gz"],
-    )
-
     # Needed for com_google_protobuf
     maybe(
         http_archive,