diff --git a/metropolis/cli/pkg/datafile/datafile.go b/metropolis/cli/pkg/datafile/datafile.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a65780d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/metropolis/cli/pkg/datafile/datafile.go
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// datafile provides an abstraction for accessing files passed through the data
+// attribute in a Bazel build rule.
+//
+// It thinly wraps around the Bazel/Go runfile library (to allow running from
+// outside `bazel run`).
+package datafile
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"fmt"
+	"log"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/bazelbuild/rules_go/go/tools/bazel"
+)
+
+// parseManifest takes a bazel runfile MANIFEST and parses it into a map from
+// workspace-relative path to absolute path, flattening all workspaces into a
+// single tree.
+func parseManifest(path string) (map[string]string, error) {
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not open MANIFEST: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	manifest := make(map[string]string)
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(f)
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		parts := strings.Split(scanner.Text(), " ")
+		if len(parts) != 2 {
+			continue
+		}
+		fpathParts := strings.Split(parts[0], string(os.PathSeparator))
+		fpath := strings.Join(fpathParts[1:], string(os.PathSeparator))
+		manifest[fpath] = parts[1]
+	}
+	return manifest, nil
+}
+
+// resolveRunfile tries to resolve a workspace-relative file path into an
+// absolute path with the use of bazel runfiles, through either the original
+// Bazel/Go runfile integration or a wrapper that also supports running from
+// outside `bazel run`.
+func resolveRunfile(path string) (string, error) {
+	var errEx error
+	ep, err := os.Executable()
+	if err == nil {
+		rfdir := ep + ".runfiles"
+		mfpath := filepath.Join(rfdir, "MANIFEST")
+		if stat, err := os.Stat(rfdir); err == nil && stat.IsDir() {
+			// We have a runfiles directory, parse MANIFEST and resolve files this way.
+			manifest, err := parseManifest(mfpath)
+			if err == nil {
+				tpath := manifest[path]
+				if tpath == "" {
+					errEx = fmt.Errorf("not in MANIFEST")
+				} else {
+					return tpath, err
+				}
+			} else {
+				errEx = err
+			}
+		} else {
+			errEx = err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Try runfiles just in case.
+	rf, errRF := bazel.Runfile(path)
+	if errRF == nil {
+		return rf, nil
+	}
+	return "", fmt.Errorf("could not resolve via executable location (%v) and runfile resolution failed: %v", errEx, errRF)
+}
+
+// Get tries to read a workspace-relative file path through the use of Bazel
+// runfiles, including for cases when executables are running outside `bazel
+// run`.
+func Get(path string) ([]byte, error) {
+	rfpath, err := resolveRunfile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return os.ReadFile(rfpath)
+}
+
+// MustGet either successfully resolves a file through Get() or logs an error
+// (through the stdlib log library) and stops execution. This should thus only
+// be used in binaries which use the log library.
+func MustGet(path string) []byte {
+	res, err := Get(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Fatalf("Could not get datafile %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+	return res
+}