diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index 1908f956f517b16e0808d23909fc3bfe1a206f07..83dcc15bcf144e758b8630f4a4c9057c1de0d05a 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@
 # nothing in a bazelrc will default to a monolithic build. The following line
 # opts in to modular op registration support by default.
 build --define framework_shared_object=true
-build --define tsl_link_protobuf=false
+build --define tsl_protobuf_header_only=true
 
 build --define=use_fast_cpp_protos=true
 build --define=allow_oversize_protos=true
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ build:ios_fat --ios_multi_cpus=armv7,arm64,i386,x86_64
 # By default, TensorFlow will build with a dependence on
 # //tensorflow:libtensorflow_framework.so.
 build:monolithic --define framework_shared_object=false
-build:monolithic --define tsl_link_protobuf=true
+build:monolithic --define tsl_protobuf_header_only=false
 build:monolithic --experimental_link_static_libraries_once=false  # b/229868128
 
 # Please note that MKL on MacOS or windows is still not supported.
diff --git a/tensorflow/tsl/BUILD b/tensorflow/tsl/BUILD
index 3e854579375daac46a61e3d940dfb429d096bbee..c1a33873a18624325e27aeaf219be295e645cfca 100644
--- a/tensorflow/tsl/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow/tsl/BUILD
@@ -48,8 +48,8 @@ config_setting(
 
 # This should be removed after Tensorflow moves to cc_shared_library
 config_setting(
-    name = "tsl_link_protobuf",
-    define_values = {"tsl_link_protobuf": "true"},
+    name = "tsl_protobuf_header_only",
+    define_values = {"tsl_protobuf_header_only": "true"},
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
 )
 
diff --git a/tensorflow/tsl/platform/default/build_config.bzl b/tensorflow/tsl/platform/default/build_config.bzl
index 7ecca9f99ad05c3d7f723152d024eecd07185cc9..7b2074f6fd39d47fc51de2e64e396cd1c65110b3 100644
--- a/tensorflow/tsl/platform/default/build_config.bzl
+++ b/tensorflow/tsl/platform/default/build_config.bzl
@@ -807,7 +807,7 @@ def tf_protobuf_deps():
 def tsl_protobuf_deps():
     return if_tsl_link_protobuf([clean_dep("@com_google_protobuf//:protobuf")], [clean_dep("@com_google_protobuf//:protobuf_headers")])
 
-# When tsl_link_protobuf is false, we need to add the protobuf library
+# When tsl_protobuf_header_only is true, we need to add the protobuf library
 # back into our binaries explicitly.
 def tsl_cc_test(
         name,
diff --git a/tensorflow/tsl/tsl.bzl b/tensorflow/tsl/tsl.bzl
index 198a31b4e5fd69697ae1ccaf4ff75c8a419f6219..ad5e098f914ef4bb111ad52d85af421bf39a2656 100644
--- a/tensorflow/tsl/tsl.bzl
+++ b/tensorflow/tsl/tsl.bzl
@@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ def if_google(google_value, oss_value = []):
 
 def if_tsl_link_protobuf(if_true, if_false = []):
     return select({
-        clean_dep("//tensorflow/tsl:tsl_link_protobuf"): if_true,
-        "//conditions:default": if_false,
+        "//conditions:default": if_true,
+        clean_dep("//tensorflow/tsl:tsl_protobuf_header_only"): if_false,
     })
 
 def if_libtpu(if_true, if_false = []):