diff --git a/.github/renovate.json b/.github/renovate.json
index 69151a9046b8..a0500e0f92b3 100644
--- a/.github/renovate.json
+++ b/.github/renovate.json
@@ -18,5 +18,14 @@
       "matchPackageNames": ["org.apache.spark:spark-sql_2.12"],
       "enabled": false
     }
+  ],
+    "regexManagers": [
+    {
+      "description": "Update USE_BAZEL_VERSION in GitHub Actions",
+      "fileMatch": ["^\\.github/workflows/.*\\.yml$"],
+      "matchStrings": ["USE_BAZEL_VERSION: \"(?<currentValue>.*?)\""],
+      "datasourceTemplate": "github-releases",
+      "depNameTemplate": "bazelbuild/bazel"
+    }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 6db7790bca91..397cbe8bee15 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ jobs:
         java_version: [21]
     env:
       JAVA_VERSION: ${{ matrix.java_version }}
+      USE_BAZEL_VERSION: "8.5.1"
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up JDK ${{ matrix.java_version }}
@@ -177,6 +178,7 @@ jobs:
 
     env:
       JAVA_VERSION: ${{ matrix.java.version }}
+      USE_BAZEL_VERSION: "8.5.1"
     continue-on-error: ${{ matrix.java.experimental }}
     steps:
     - name: Check out sources
diff --git a/docs/examples/BazelExample/BUILD b/docs/examples/BazelExample/BUILD
index adb5bfc4f273..fef40b03884c 100644
--- a/docs/examples/BazelExample/BUILD
+++ b/docs/examples/BazelExample/BUILD
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+load("@rules_java//java:defs.bzl", "java_binary", "java_plugin")
+
 java_binary(
     name = "example",
     srcs = ["BazelExample.java"],
diff --git a/docs/examples/BazelExample/MODULE.bazel b/docs/examples/BazelExample/MODULE.bazel
index ed9feeac17ca..2c94bd1e2ac6 100644
--- a/docs/examples/BazelExample/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/docs/examples/BazelExample/MODULE.bazel
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+bazel_dep(name = "rules_java", version = "8.6.1")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_jvm_external", version = "6.6")
 maven = use_extension("@rules_jvm_external//:extensions.bzl", "maven")
 maven.install(