diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 4f90f06d881..9b79d04cde6 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -33,26 +33,36 @@ bind(
     actual = "@submodule_gtest//:gtest",
 )
 
+bind(
+    name = "gflags",
+    actual = "@com_github_gflags_gflags//:gflags",
+)
+
 new_local_repository(
     name = "submodule_boringssl",
-    path = "third_party/boringssl-with-bazel",
     build_file = "third_party/boringssl-with-bazel/BUILD",
+    path = "third_party/boringssl-with-bazel",
 )
 
 new_local_repository(
     name = "submodule_zlib",
-    path = "third_party/zlib",
     build_file = "third_party/zlib.BUILD",
+    path = "third_party/zlib",
 )
 
 new_local_repository(
     name = "submodule_protobuf",
-    path = "third_party/protobuf",
     build_file = "third_party/protobuf/BUILD",
+    path = "third_party/protobuf",
 )
 
 new_local_repository(
     name = "submodule_gtest",
-    path = "third_party/googletest",
     build_file = "third_party/gtest.BUILD",
+    path = "third_party/googletest",
+)
+
+local_repository(
+    name = "com_github_gflags_gflags",
+    path = "third_party/gflags",
 )
diff --git a/test/cpp/util/BUILD b/test/cpp/util/BUILD
index 78eca8c3bd2..f3cdc58986a 100644
--- a/test/cpp/util/BUILD
+++ b/test/cpp/util/BUILD
@@ -37,14 +37,17 @@ cc_library(
     hdrs = [
         "test_config.h",
     ],
-    deps = ["//:gpr"],
     visibility = ["//test:__subpackages__"],
+    deps = [
+        "//:gpr",
+        "//external:gflags",
+    ],
 )
 
 cc_library(
     name = "test_util",
     srcs = [
-#        "test/cpp/end2end/test_service_impl.cc",
+        #        "test/cpp/end2end/test_service_impl.cc",
         "byte_buffer_proto_helper.cc",
         "create_test_channel.cc",
         "string_ref_helper.cc",
@@ -58,6 +61,10 @@ cc_library(
         "subprocess.h",
         "test_credentials_provider.h",
     ],
-    deps = ["//test/core/util:gpr_test_util", "//:grpc++", "//test/core/end2end:ssl_test_data"],
     visibility = ["//test:__subpackages__"],
+    deps = [
+        "//:grpc++",
+        "//test/core/end2end:ssl_test_data",
+        "//test/core/util:gpr_test_util",
+    ],
 )
diff --git a/third_party/gflags b/third_party/gflags
index f8a0efe03aa..30dbc81fb5f 160000
--- a/third_party/gflags
+++ b/third_party/gflags
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit f8a0efe03aa69b3336d8e228b37d4ccb17324b88
+Subproject commit 30dbc81fb5ffdc98ea9b14b1918bfe4e8779b26e
diff --git a/tools/run_tests/sanity/check_submodules.sh b/tools/run_tests/sanity/check_submodules.sh
index 0b68319d290..cfe4e2731c0 100755
--- a/tools/run_tests/sanity/check_submodules.sh
+++ b/tools/run_tests/sanity/check_submodules.sh
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ cat << EOF | awk '{ print $1 }' | sort > $want_submodules
  44c25c892a6229b20db7cd9dc05584ea865896de third_party/benchmark (v0.1.0-343-g44c25c8)
  78684e5b222645828ca302e56b40b9daff2b2d27 third_party/boringssl (78684e5)
  886e7d75368e3f4fab3f4d0d3584e4abfc557755 third_party/boringssl-with-bazel (version_for_cocoapods_7.0-857-g886e7d7)
- f8a0efe03aa69b3336d8e228b37d4ccb17324b88 third_party/gflags (v2.2.0)
+ 30dbc81fb5ffdc98ea9b14b1918bfe4e8779b26e third_party/gflags (v2.2.0)
  c99458533a9b4c743ed51537e25989ea55944908 third_party/googletest (release-1.7.0)
  a428e42072765993ff674fda72863c9f1aa2d268 third_party/protobuf (v3.1.0-alpha-1)
  bcad91771b7f0bff28a1cac1981d7ef2b9bcef3c third_party/thrift (bcad917)