diff --git a/base/cvd/MODULE.bazel b/base/cvd/MODULE.bazel
index e9b70504a19..5adc72e1770 100644
--- a/base/cvd/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/base/cvd/MODULE.bazel
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ bazel_dep(name = "toolchains_llvm", version = "1.4.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "sandboxed_api")
 bazel_dep(name = "zlib", version = "1.3.1.bcr.7")
 
+include("//build_external:build_external.MODULE.bazel")
+
 # this needs to be at parity with with build_external/crosvm/crosvm.config.toml
 CROSVM_REMOTE = "https://chromium.googlesource.com/crosvm/crosvm"
 CROSVM_REV = "bc84c8bd6ce078e251594aa1af9e84932c5d0d81"
@@ -410,21 +412,6 @@ casimir_crates.from_cargo(
 )
 use_repo(casimir_crates, "casimir_crates")
 
-http_archive = use_repo_rule("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
-
-# Upstream mtools is in subversion, which bazel doesn't support
-http_archive(
-    name = "mtools",
-    build_file = "@//:BUILD.mtools.bazel",
-    urls = [
-       "https://mirrors.ibiblio.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
-       "https://ftp.halifax.rwth-aachen.de/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
-       "http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
-    ],
-    sha256 = "03c29aac8735dd7154a989fbc29eaf2b506121ae1c3a35cd0bf2a02e94d271a9",
-    strip_prefix = "mtools-4.0.48",
-)
-
 git_repository = use_repo_rule("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:git.bzl", "git_repository")
 git_repository(
     name = "fruit",
@@ -712,17 +699,6 @@ git_repository(
     remote = "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/jaegeuk/f2fs-tools",
 )
 
-git_repository(
-    name = "dosfstools",
-    build_file = "@//:BUILD.dosfstools.bazel",
-    commit = "289a48b9cb5b3c589391d28aa2515c325c932c7a",
-    remote = "https://github.com/dosfstools/dosfstools",
-    patch_strip = 1,
-    patches = [
-        "@//build_external/dosfstools:PATCH.vasprintf.patch",
-    ],
-)
-
 git_repository(
     name = "android_system_core",
     build_file = "@//:BUILD.android_system_core.bazel",
diff --git a/base/cvd/build_external/build_external.MODULE.bazel b/base/cvd/build_external/build_external.MODULE.bazel
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..753297d6360
--- /dev/null
+++ b/base/cvd/build_external/build_external.MODULE.bazel
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+include("//build_external/dosfstools:dosfstools.MODULE.bazel")
+include("//build_external/mtools:mtools.MODULE.bazel")
diff --git a/base/cvd/BUILD.dosfstools.bazel b/base/cvd/build_external/dosfstools/BUILD.dosfstools.bazel
similarity index 100%
rename from base/cvd/BUILD.dosfstools.bazel
rename to base/cvd/build_external/dosfstools/BUILD.dosfstools.bazel
diff --git a/base/cvd/build_external/dosfstools/dosfstools.MODULE.bazel b/base/cvd/build_external/dosfstools/dosfstools.MODULE.bazel
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..5196b7fe445
--- /dev/null
+++ b/base/cvd/build_external/dosfstools/dosfstools.MODULE.bazel
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+git_repository = use_repo_rule("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:git.bzl", "git_repository")
+
+git_repository(
+    name = "dosfstools",
+    build_file = "@//build_external/dosfstools:BUILD.dosfstools.bazel",
+    commit = "289a48b9cb5b3c589391d28aa2515c325c932c7a",
+    remote = "https://github.com/dosfstools/dosfstools",
+    patch_strip = 1,
+    patches = [
+        "@//build_external/dosfstools:PATCH.vasprintf.patch",
+    ],
+)
diff --git a/base/cvd/BUILD.mtools.bazel b/base/cvd/build_external/mtools/BUILD.mtools.bazel
similarity index 100%
rename from base/cvd/BUILD.mtools.bazel
rename to base/cvd/build_external/mtools/BUILD.mtools.bazel
diff --git a/base/cvd/build_external/mtools/mtools.MODULE.bazel b/base/cvd/build_external/mtools/mtools.MODULE.bazel
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6ff55d4c146
--- /dev/null
+++ b/base/cvd/build_external/mtools/mtools.MODULE.bazel
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+http_archive = use_repo_rule("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
+
+# Upstream mtools is in subversion, which bazel doesn't support
+http_archive(
+    name = "mtools",
+    build_file = "//build_external/mtools:BUILD.mtools.bazel",
+    urls = [
+       "https://mirrors.ibiblio.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
+       "https://ftp.halifax.rwth-aachen.de/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
+       "http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.48.tar.bz2",
+    ],
+    sha256 = "03c29aac8735dd7154a989fbc29eaf2b506121ae1c3a35cd0bf2a02e94d271a9",
+    strip_prefix = "mtools-4.0.48",
+)