diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index dfe16a162028..858e98d197d8 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ workspace(name = "angular_material")
 # Add nodejs rules
 http_archive(
   name = "build_bazel_rules_nodejs",
-  url = "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_nodejs/archive/0.5.3.zip",
-  strip_prefix = "rules_nodejs-0.5.3",
-  sha256 = "17a5515f59777b00cb25dbc710017a14273f825029b2ec60e0969d28914870be",
+  url = "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_nodejs/archive/0.6.0.zip",
+  strip_prefix = "rules_nodejs-0.6.0",
+  sha256 = "e8a2bb5ca51fbafb244bc507bcebcae33a63d969f47413b319a8dcce032845bf",
 )
 
 # NOTE: this rule installs nodejs, npm, and yarn, but does NOT install
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 02a818170a38..c525a37412d2 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -57,9 +57,7 @@
       }
     },
     "@angular/bazel": {
-      "version": "6.0.0-rc.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@angular/bazel/-/bazel-6.0.0-rc.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-4K98Zx8TYE0QqY5wLtNS+aBje3pnu/HGkyaYWM6GNZckTfiDz3Z2e6dZcgxaGVI1CqJZAx+sUYcGZrkI0wjIhQ==",
+      "version": "github:angular/bazel-builds#2cc851b01b889a304b05ef46569f896b20f10705",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
         "@bazel/typescript": "0.11.1",
@@ -94,9 +92,7 @@
       }
     },
     "@angular/compiler-cli": {
-      "version": "6.0.0-rc.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@angular/compiler-cli/-/compiler-cli-6.0.0-rc.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-BTCZEAc/XSywiesuVS1mxRxryvngdG6hjNV396qas61+h/D9JItOTZ5nb0oHs81IPMUZg5Gv53uUG4GdrTuu0g==",
+      "version": "github:angular/compiler-cli-builds#024717fcdfebc2dc2854ab59da956d167fa3caeb",
       "dev": true,
       "requires": {
         "chokidar": "1.7.0",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1830e3741d3a..5457c7b4b113 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "@angular-devkit/core": "^0.4.5",
     "@angular-devkit/schematics": "^0.4.5",
-    "@angular/bazel": "6.0.0-rc.0",
-    "@angular/compiler-cli": "6.0.0-rc.0",
+    "@angular/bazel": "github:angular/bazel-builds#2cc851b01b889a304b05ef46569f896b20f10705",
+    "@angular/compiler-cli": "github:angular/compiler-cli-builds#024717fcdfebc2dc2854ab59da956d167fa3caeb",
     "@angular/http": "6.0.0-rc.0",
     "@angular/platform-browser-dynamic": "6.0.0-rc.0",
     "@angular/platform-server": "6.0.0-rc.0",
diff --git a/tools/bazel.rc b/tools/bazel.rc
index 7fb4fbd21612..85db0cbac829 100644
--- a/tools/bazel.rc
+++ b/tools/bazel.rc
@@ -45,3 +45,9 @@ build --symlink_prefix=dist/bazel/
 # Make TypeScript and Angular compilation fast, by keeping a few copies of the compiler
 # running as daemons, and cache SourceFile AST's to reduce parse time.
 build --strategy=TypeScriptCompile=worker --strategy=AngularTemplateCompile=worker
+
+########################
+# Building Releases    #
+# use --config=release #
+########################
+build:release --workspace_status_command=./tools/bazel_stamp_vars.sh
diff --git a/tools/bazel_stamp_vars.sh b/tools/bazel_stamp_vars.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..533eb9f93120
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/bazel_stamp_vars.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Generates the data used by the stamping feature in bazel.
+# See https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/master/docs/BAZEL.md for more explanation
+set -u -e -E -o pipefail
+
+echo "Running: $0" >&2
+
+function onError {
+  echo "Failed to execute: $0"
+  echo ""
+}
+
+# Setup crash trap
+trap 'onError' ERR
+
+
+echo BUILD_SCM_HASH $(git rev-parse HEAD)
+
+if [[ "$(git tag)" == "" ]]; then
+  echo "No git tags found, can't stamp the build."
+  echo "Either fetch the tags:"
+  echo "       git fetch git@github.com:angular/material2.git --tags"
+  echo "or build without stamping by giving an empty workspace_status_command:"
+  echo "       bazel build --workspace_status_command= ..."
+  echo ""
+fi
+
+BUILD_SCM_VERSION_RAW=$(git describe --abbrev=7 --tags HEAD)
+
+# Find out if there are any uncommitted local changes
+# TODO(igorminar): is it ok to use "--untracked-files=no" to ignore untracked files since they should not affect anything?
+if [[ $(git status --untracked-files=no --porcelain) ]]; then LOCAL_CHANGES="true"; else LOCAL_CHANGES="false"; fi
+echo BUILD_SCM_LOCAL_CHANGES ${LOCAL_CHANGES}
+
+# Reformat `git describe` version string into a more semver-ish string
+#   From:   5.2.0-rc.0-57-g757f886
+#   To:     5.2.0-rc.0+57.sha-757f886
+#   Or:     5.2.0-rc.0+57.sha-757f886.with-local-changes
+BUILD_SCM_VERSION="$(echo ${BUILD_SCM_VERSION_RAW} | sed -E 's/-([0-9]+)-g/+\1.sha-/g')""$( if [[ $LOCAL_CHANGES == "true" ]]; then echo ".with-local-changes"; fi)"
+echo BUILD_SCM_VERSION ${BUILD_SCM_VERSION}