diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 7f25e7e0e..4b7e8cbaf 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 # ============================================================================
+
 *.pickle
-*.txt
 *.bak
 
 # ignore compiled python files
@@ -34,10 +34,13 @@
 # Ignore testing trash
 *.qmod
 
-# Bazel files
-/bazel-*
-# custom bazelrc for the TF op, created in configure.sh
+# Files generated by configure.sh
 .bazelrc
+.tf_configure.bazelrc
+third_party/python_legacy
+
+# Bazel directories & files created at run time.
+/bazel-*
 
 # Local TF Copy
 tensorflow/*
diff --git a/BUILD b/BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1cc330ea4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/BUILD
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Top-level Bazel BUILD file for TensorFlow Quantum.
+# This file is intentionally empty.
diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 4b3e8970e..2011af012 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -1,14 +1,41 @@
 # This file includes external dependencies that are required to compile the
 # TensorFlow op.
 
+load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
 
+# TensorFlow's .bzl files, loaded later in this file, also load rules_python
+# but we need a slightly newer version that is still compatible with TF's.
+http_archive(
+    name = "rules_python",
+    sha256 = "c68bdc4fbec25de5b5493b8819cfc877c4ea299c0dcb15c244c5a00208cde311",
+    strip_prefix = "rules_python-0.31.0",
+    url = "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_python/releases/download/0.31.0/rules_python-0.31.0.tar.gz",
+)
 
-load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
+load("@rules_python//python:repositories.bzl", "py_repositories")
 
+py_repositories()
 
+local_repository(
+    name = "python",
+    path = "third_party/python_legacy",
+)
 
-EIGEN_COMMIT = "aa6964bf3a34fd607837dd8123bc42465185c4f8"
+load("@python//:defs.bzl", "interpreter")
 
+load("@rules_python//python:pip.bzl", "pip_parse")
+
+pip_parse(
+    name = "pypi",
+    requirements_lock = "//:requirements.txt",
+    python_interpreter = interpreter,
+)
+
+load("@pypi//:requirements.bzl", "install_deps")
+
+install_deps()
+
+EIGEN_COMMIT = "aa6964bf3a34fd607837dd8123bc42465185c4f8"
 
 http_archive(
     name = "eigen",
@@ -37,16 +64,13 @@ http_archive(
     urls = ["https://github.com/quantumlib/qsim/archive/refs/tags/v0.13.3.zip"],
 )
 
+
 http_archive(
     name = "org_tensorflow",
-    patches = [
-        "//third_party/tf:tf.patch",
-    ],
-    sha256 = "f771db8d96ca13c72f73c85c9cfb6f5358e2de3dd62a97a9ae4b672fe4c6d094",
-    strip_prefix = "tensorflow-2.15.0",
-    urls = [
-        "https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/archive/refs/tags/v2.15.0.zip",
-    ],
+    patches = ["//third_party/tf:tf.patch"],
+    sha256 = "c8c8936e7b6156e669e08b3c388452bb973c1f41538149fce7ed4a4849c7a012",
+    strip_prefix = "tensorflow-2.16.2",
+    urls = ["https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/archive/refs/tags/v2.16.2.zip"],
 )
 
 
diff --git a/configure.sh b/configure.sh
index 0ca428c85..967bdf62c 100755
--- a/configure.sh
+++ b/configure.sh
@@ -13,23 +13,24 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
 PLATFORM="$(uname -s | tr 'A-Z' 'a-z')"
 
-function write_to_bazelrc() {
-  echo "$1" >> .bazelrc
-}
 
-function write_action_env_to_bazelrc() {
-  write_to_bazelrc "build --action_env $1=\"$2\""
+# --- helpers ---------------------------------------------------------------
+function write_bazelrc() {
+  echo "${1}" >> .bazelrc
 }
 
-function write_linkopt_dir_to_bazelrc() {
-  write_to_bazelrc "build --linkopt -Wl,-rpath,$1" >> .bazelrc
+function write_tf_rc() {
+  echo "${1}" >> .tf_configure.bazelrc
 }
 
-
-function is_linux() {
-  [[ "${PLATFORM}" == "linux" ]]
+function die() {
+  echo "ERROR: $*" >&2
+  exit 1
 }
 
 function is_macos() {
@@ -37,143 +38,226 @@ function is_macos() {
 }
 
 function is_windows() {
-  # On windows, the shell script is actually running in msys
   [[ "${PLATFORM}" =~ msys_nt*|mingw*|cygwin*|uwin* ]]
 }
 
-function is_ppc64le() {
-  [[ "$(uname -m)" == "ppc64le" ]]
-}
+function write_legacy_python_repo() {
+  mkdir -p third_party/python_legacy
 
+  # empty WORKSPACE
+  cat > third_party/python_legacy/WORKSPACE <<'EOF'
+# AUTOGENERATED by configure.sh.
+# This file is intentionally empty.
+EOF
+
+  # simple BUILD that exports defs.bzl
+  cat > third_party/python_legacy/BUILD <<'EOF'
+# AUTOGENERATED by configure.sh.
+
+package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
+exports_files(["defs.bzl"])
+EOF
+
+  # defs.bzl MUST define 'interpreter' as a string, not a function.
+  # We also export py_runtime to satisfy older loads.
+  cat > third_party/python_legacy/defs.bzl <<EOF
+# AUTOGENERATED by configure.sh.
+load("@bazel_tools//tools/python:toolchain.bzl", "py_runtime_pair")
+# Absolute path to the python interpreter Bazel/TF should use:
+interpreter = "${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+py_runtime = native.py_runtime
+EOF
+
+  echo
+  echo "Created third_party/python_legacy."
+  echo "Python interpreter = ${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+}
 
-# Remove .bazelrc if it already exist
-[ -e .bazelrc ] && rm .bazelrc
+# --- start fresh -----------------------------------------------------------
+rm -f .bazelrc .tf_configure.bazelrc
 
-# Check if we are building GPU or CPU ops, default CPU
-while [[ "$TF_NEED_CUDA" == "" ]]; do
-  read -p "Do you want to build ops again TensorFlow CPU pip package?"\
-" Y or enter for CPU (tensorflow-cpu), N for GPU (tensorflow). [Y/n] " INPUT
-  case $INPUT in
-    [Yy]* ) echo "Build with CPU pip package."; TF_NEED_CUDA=0;;
-    [Nn]* ) echo "Build with GPU pip package."; TF_NEED_CUDA=1;;
-    "" ) echo "Build with CPU pip package."; TF_NEED_CUDA=0;;
-    * ) echo "Invalid selection: " $INPUT;;
+# --- parse args ------------------------------------------------------------
+USER_PY=""
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  case "$arg" in
+    --python=*) USER_PY="${arg#--python=}" ;;
+    *) echo "Unknown arg: $arg" ;;
   esac
 done
 
-while [[ "$TF_CUDA_VERSION" == "" ]]; do
-  read -p "Are you building against TensorFlow 2.1(including RCs) or newer?[Y/n] " INPUT
-  case $INPUT in
-    [Yy]* ) echo "Build against TensorFlow 2.1 or newer."; TF_CUDA_VERSION=11;;
-    [Nn]* ) echo "Build against TensorFlow <2.1."; TF_CUDA_VERSION=10.0;;
-    "" ) echo "Build against TensorFlow 2.1 or newer."; TF_CUDA_VERSION=11;;
-    * ) echo "Invalid selection: " $INPUT;;
+# --- choose interpreter (venv/conda/system) --------------------------------
+if [[ -n "${USER_PY}" ]]; then
+  # 1) Explicit --python=... flag
+  PY="${USER_PY}"
+elif [[ -n "${PYTHON_BIN_PATH:-}" ]]; then
+  # 2) Explicit environment override
+  PY="${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+elif [[ -n "${CONDA_PREFIX:-}" && -x "${CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/python" ]]; then
+  # 3) Conda environment python, if available
+  PY="${CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/python"
+else
+  # 4) Fallback: system python3, but require >= 3.10
+  if ! command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    die "python3 not found. Pass --python=/path/to/python3.10+ or set PYTHON_BIN_PATH."
+  fi
+
+  if ! python3 - <<'PY'
+import sys
+raise SystemExit(0 if sys.version_info[:2] >= (3, 10) else 1)
+PY
+  then
+    die "Python 3.10+ required for TensorFlow Quantum, but found " \
+      "$(python3 -V 2>&1). Pass --python=/path/to/python3.10+ or set PYTHON_BIN_PATH."
+  fi
+
+  PY="$(command -v python3)"
+fi
+
+# Normalize to an absolute path. Use Python to print sys.executable because
+# tools like pyenv use shim scripts that readlink would resolve to the script
+# itself, not the actual interpreter binary.
+PY_ABS="$("${PY}" -c 'import os,sys; print(os.path.abspath(sys.executable))')"
+PYTHON_BIN_PATH="${PY_ABS}"
+
+
+# --- choose CPU/GPU like upstream script (default CPU) ---------------------
+TF_NEED_CUDA=""
+y_for_cpu='Build against TensorFlow CPU backend? (Type n to use GPU) [Y/n] '
+while [[ -z "${TF_NEED_CUDA}" ]]; do
+  read -p "${y_for_cpu}" INPUT || true
+  case "${INPUT:-Y}" in
+    [Yy]* ) echo "CPU build selected."; TF_NEED_CUDA=0;;
+    [Nn]* ) echo "GPU build selected."; TF_NEED_CUDA=1;;
+    * ) echo "Please answer y or n.";;
   esac
 done
 
+# For TF >= 2.1 this value isn’t actually consulted by TFQ,
+# but we keep a compatible prompt/flag.
+TF_CUDA_VERSION="12"
 
-# Check if it's installed
-# if [[ $(pip show tensorflow) == *tensorflow* ]] || [[ $(pip show tf-nightly) == *tf-nightly* ]]; then
-#   echo 'Using installed tensorflow'
-# else
-#   # Uninstall CPU version if it is installed.
-#   if [[ $(pip show tensorflow-cpu) == *tensorflow-cpu* ]]; then
-#     echo 'Already have tensorflow non-gpu installed. Uninstalling......\n'
-#     pip uninstall tensorflow
-#   elif [[ $(pip show tf-nightly-cpu) == *tf-nightly-cpu* ]]; then
-#     echo 'Already have tensorflow non-gpu installed. Uninstalling......\n'
-#     pip uninstall tf-nightly
-#   fi
-#   # Install GPU version
-#   echo 'Installing tensorflow .....\n'
-#   pip install tensorflow
-# fi
-
-
-
-TF_CFLAGS=( $(python -c 'import tensorflow as tf; print(" ".join(tf.sysconfig.get_compile_flags()))') )
-TF_LFLAGS="$(python -c 'import tensorflow as tf; print(" ".join(tf.sysconfig.get_link_flags()))')"
-
-
-write_to_bazelrc "build --experimental_repo_remote_exec"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --spawn_strategy=standalone"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --strategy=Genrule=standalone"
-write_to_bazelrc "build -c opt"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --cxxopt=\"-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1\""
-write_to_bazelrc "build --cxxopt=\"-std=c++17\""
-
-# The transitive inclusion of build rules from TensorFlow ends up including
-# and building two copies of zlib (one from bazel_rules, one from the TF code
-# baase itself). The version of zlib you get (at least in TF 2.15.0) ends up
-# producing many compiler warnings that "a function declaration without a
-# prototype is deprecated". It's difficult to patch the particular build rules
-# involved, so the approach taken here is to silence those warnings for stuff
-# in external/. TODO: figure out how to patch the BUILD files and put it there.
-write_to_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/.*@-Wno-deprecated-non-prototype"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/.*@-Wno-deprecated-non-prototype"
-
-# Similarly, these are other harmless warnings about unused functions coming
-# from things pulled in by the TF bazel config rules.
-write_to_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-unused-function"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-unused-function"
-
-# The following supress warnings coming from qsim.
-# TODO: fix the code in qsim & update TFQ to use the updated version.
-write_to_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/noise/tfq_.*@-Wno-unused-but-set-variable"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/noise/tfq_.*@-Wno-unused-but-set-variable"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/math_ops/tfq_.*@-Wno-deprecated-declarations"
-write_to_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/math_ops/tfq_.*@-Wno-deprecated-declarations"
+# --- sanity: python is importable and has TF -------------------------------
+if [[ ! -x "${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}" ]]; then
+  die "${PYTHON_BIN_PATH} not found/executable."
+fi
 
+# Ensure TF is importable from system python (user should have installed it).
+echo "Next, you may see warnings printed by loading TensorFlow packages."
+echo "Do not be alarmed unless there are errors."
+tf_output=$("${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}" - <<'PY'
+import sys
+import os
+import glob
 
-if is_windows; then
-  # Use pywrap_tensorflow instead of tensorflow_framework on Windows
-  SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR=${TF_CFLAGS:2:-7}"python"
-else
-  SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR=${TF_LFLAGS:2}
-fi
-SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME=$(echo $TF_LFLAGS | rev | cut -d":" -f1 | rev)
-if ! [[ $TF_LFLAGS =~ .*:.* ]]; then
-  if is_macos; then
-    SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME="libtensorflow_framework.dylib"
-  elif is_windows; then
-    # Use pywrap_tensorflow's import library on Windows. It is in the same dir as the dll/pyd.
-    SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME="_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.lib"
-  else
-    SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME="libtensorflow_framework.so"
-  fi
-fi
+try:
+    import tensorflow as tf
+    import tensorflow.sysconfig as sc
+except ImportError:
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+print(sc.get_include())
+
+lib_path = sc.get_lib()
+lib_dir = lib_path if os.path.isdir(lib_path) else os.path.dirname(lib_path)
+print(lib_dir)
 
-HEADER_DIR=${TF_CFLAGS:2}
-if is_windows; then
-  SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR=${SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR//\\//}
-  SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME=${SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME//\\//}
-  HEADER_DIR=${HEADER_DIR//\\//}
+cands = (glob.glob(os.path.join(lib_dir, 'libtensorflow_framework.so*')) or
+         glob.glob(os.path.join(lib_dir, 'libtensorflow.so*')) or
+         glob.glob(os.path.join(lib_dir, '_pywrap_tensorflow_internal.*')))
+print(os.path.basename(cands[0]) if cands else 'libtensorflow_framework.so.2')
+PY
+)
+
+if [[ $? -ne 0 ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: tensorflow not importable by Python (${PYTHON_BIN_PATH})" >&2
+  exit 1
 fi
-write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_HEADER_DIR" ${HEADER_DIR}
-write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR" ${SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR}
-write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME" ${SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME}
-write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_NEED_CUDA" ${TF_NEED_CUDA}
 
+{
+  read -r HDR
+  read -r LIBDIR
+  read -r LIBNAME
+} <<< "${tf_output}"
+
+echo
+echo "Configuration values detected:"
+echo "  PYTHON_BIN_PATH=${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+echo "  TF_HEADER_DIR=${HDR}"
+echo "  TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR=${LIBDIR}"
+echo "  TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME=${LIBNAME}"
+
+# --- write .tf_configure.bazelrc (repo_env for repository rules) -----------
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=PYTHON_BIN_PATH=${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=TF_HEADER_DIR=${HDR}"
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR=${LIBDIR}"
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME=${LIBNAME}"
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=TF_NEED_CUDA=${TF_NEED_CUDA}"
+
+# Make sure repo rules and sub-config see legacy Keras (keras 2 instead of Keras 3)
+write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=TF_USE_LEGACY_KERAS=1"
+
+# --- write third_party/python_legacy/ with interpreter --------------------
+write_legacy_python_repo
+
+# --- write .bazelrc (imports TF config  usual flags) -----------------
+write_bazelrc "# WARNING: this file (.bazelrc) is AUTOGENERATED and overwritten"
+write_bazelrc "# when configure.sh runs. Put customizations in .bazelrc.user."
+write_bazelrc ""
+write_bazelrc "try-import %workspace%/.tf_configure.bazelrc"
+write_bazelrc "common --experimental_repo_remote_exec"
+write_bazelrc "build --spawn_strategy=standalone"
+write_bazelrc "build --strategy=Genrule=standalone"
+write_bazelrc "build -c opt"
+write_bazelrc "build --cxxopt=-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1"
+write_bazelrc "build --cxxopt=-std=c++17"
+write_bazelrc "build --action_env=TF_USE_LEGACY_KERAS=1"
+write_bazelrc "build --action_env=PYTHON_BIN_PATH=${PYTHON_BIN_PATH}"
+
+# rpath so the dynamic linker finds TF’s shared lib
 if ! is_windows; then
-  write_linkopt_dir_to_bazelrc ${SHARED_LIBRARY_DIR}
+  write_bazelrc "build --linkopt=-Wl,-rpath,${LIBDIR}"
 fi
 
-# TODO(yifeif): do not hardcode path
-if [[ "$TF_NEED_CUDA" == "1" ]]; then
-  write_to_bazelrc "build:cuda --define=using_cuda=true --define=using_cuda_nvcc=true"
-  write_to_bazelrc "build:cuda --@local_config_cuda//:enable_cuda"
-  write_to_bazelrc "build:cuda --crosstool_top=@local_config_cuda//crosstool:toolchain"
+# The following supressions are for warnings coming from external dependencies.
+# They're most likely inconsequential or false positives. Since we can't fix
+# them, we suppress the warnings to reduce noise during builds.
 
-  write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_CUDA_VERSION" ${TF_CUDA_VERSION}
-  write_action_env_to_bazelrc "TF_CUDNN_VERSION" "8"
+write_bazelrc ""
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/.*@-Wno-deprecated-non-prototype"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/.*@-Wno-deprecated-non-prototype"
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-unused-function"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-unused-function"
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-stringop-overflow"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/com_google_protobuf/.*@-Wno-stringop-overflow"
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=external/eigen/.*@-Wno-maybe-uninitialized"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=external/eigen/.*@-Wno-maybe-uninitialized"
+
+# The following warnings come from qsim.
+# TODO: fix the code in qsim & update TFQ to use the updated version.
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/noise/tfq_.*@-Wno-unused-but-set-variable"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/noise/tfq_.*@-Wno-unused-but-set-variable"
+write_bazelrc "build --per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/math_ops/tfq_.*@-Wno-deprecated-declarations"
+write_bazelrc "build --host_per_file_copt=tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/math_ops/tfq_.*@-Wno-deprecated-declarations"
+
+# CUDA toggle
+if [[ "${TF_NEED_CUDA}" == "1" ]]; then
+  write_bazelrc ""
+  write_bazelrc "build:cuda --define=using_cuda=true --define=using_cuda_nvcc=true"
+  write_bazelrc "build:cuda --@local_config_cuda//:enable_cuda"
+  write_bazelrc "build:cuda --crosstool_top=@local_config_cuda//crosstool:toolchain"
   if is_windows; then
-    write_action_env_to_bazelrc "CUDNN_INSTALL_PATH" "C:/Program Files/NVIDIA GPU Computing Toolkit/CUDA/v${TF_CUDA_VERSION}"
-    write_action_env_to_bazelrc "CUDA_TOOLKIT_PATH" "C:/Program Files/NVIDIA GPU Computing Toolkit/CUDA/v${TF_CUDA_VERSION}"
+    write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=CUDNN_INSTALL_PATH=C:/Program Files/NVIDIA GPU Computing Toolkit/CUDA/v${TF_CUDA_VERSION}"
+    write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=CUDA_TOOLKIT_PATH=C:/Program Files/NVIDIA GPU Computing Toolkit/CUDA/v${TF_CUDA_VERSION}"
   else
-    write_action_env_to_bazelrc "CUDNN_INSTALL_PATH" "/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu"
-    write_action_env_to_bazelrc "CUDA_TOOLKIT_PATH" "/usr/local/cuda"
+    write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=CUDNN_INSTALL_PATH=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu"
+    write_tf_rc "build --repo_env=CUDA_TOOLKIT_PATH=/usr/local/cuda"
   fi
-  write_to_bazelrc "build --config=cuda"
-  write_to_bazelrc "test --config=cuda"
+  write_bazelrc "build --config=cuda"
+  write_bazelrc "test --config=cuda"
 fi
 
+# Follow TensorFlow's approach and load an optional user bazelrc file.
+write_bazelrc ""
+write_bazelrc "try-import %workspace%/.bazelrc.user"
+
+echo "Wrote .tf_configure.bazelrc and .bazelrc successfully."
diff --git a/release/build_pip_package.sh b/release/build_pip_package.sh
index 8bed5b909..a35929c99 100755
--- a/release/build_pip_package.sh
+++ b/release/build_pip_package.sh
@@ -1,59 +1,79 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
+
 set -e
-set -x
+
+# Pick the Python that TFQ/TensorFlow used during configure/build.
+# Order: explicit env -> python3 (>= 3.10)
+PY="${PYTHON_BIN_PATH:-}"
+if [[ -z "${PY}" ]]; then
+  if ! command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "ERROR: python3 not found. Set PYTHON_BIN_PATH to a Python 3.10+ interpreter." >&2
+    exit 2
+  fi
+
+  # Require Python >= 3.10 for TFQ.
+  if ! python3 - <<'PY'
+import sys
+sys.exit(0 if sys.version_info[:2] >= (3, 10) else 1)
+PY
+  then
+    echo "ERROR: Python 3.10+ required for TensorFlow Quantum; found $(python3 -V 2>&1)." >&2
+    exit 2
+  fi
+
+  PY="$(command -v python3)"
+fi
+echo "Using Python: ${PY}"
+
+# Ensure packaging tools are present in THIS interpreter.
+pip install -qq setuptools wheel build
 
 EXPORT_DIR="bazel-bin/release/build_pip_package.runfiles/__main__"
 
-function main() {
-  DEST=${1}
-  EXTRA_FLAGS=${2}
+main() {
+  DEST="${1}"
+  EXTRA_FLAGS="${2}"
 
-  if [[ -z ${DEST} ]]; then
+  if [[ -z "${DEST}" ]]; then
     echo "No destination directory provided."
     exit 1
   fi
 
-  mkdir -p ${DEST}
+  mkdir -p "${DEST}"
   echo "=== destination directory: ${DEST}"
 
-  TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d -t tmp.XXXXXXXXXX)
-
-  echo $(date) : "=== Using tmpdir: ${TMPDIR}"
-
+  # Build the pip package in a temporary directory.
+  TMPDIR="$(mktemp -d -t tmp.XXXXXXXXXX)"
+  echo "$(date) : === Using tmpdir: ${TMPDIR}"
   echo "=== Copy TFQ files"
 
   # Copy over files necessary to run setup.py
-  cp ${EXPORT_DIR}/release/setup.py "${TMPDIR}"
-  cp ${EXPORT_DIR}/release/MANIFEST.in "${TMPDIR}"
-
-  # Copy over all files in the tensorflow_quantum/ directory that are included in the BUILD
-  # rule.
-  mkdir "${TMPDIR}"/tensorflow_quantum
-  cp -r -v ${EXPORT_DIR}/tensorflow_quantum/* "${TMPDIR}"/tensorflow_quantum/
-
-  pushd ${TMPDIR}
-  echo $(date) : "=== Building wheel"
-
-  python3 setup.py bdist_wheel ${EXTRA_FLAGS} > /dev/null
+  cp "${EXPORT_DIR}/release/setup.py" "${TMPDIR}"
+  cp "${EXPORT_DIR}/release/MANIFEST.in" "${TMPDIR}"
+  mkdir "${TMPDIR}/tensorflow_quantum"
+  cp -r -v "${EXPORT_DIR}/tensorflow_quantum/"* "${TMPDIR}/tensorflow_quantum/"
 
+  pushd "${TMPDIR}"
+  echo "$(date) : === Building wheel"
+  "${PY}" -m build -v --wheel ${EXTRA_FLAGS} > /dev/null
   cp dist/*.whl "${DEST}"
   popd
-  rm -rf ${TMPDIR}
-  echo $(date) : "=== Output wheel file is in: ${DEST}"
+  rm -rf "${TMPDIR}"
+  echo "$(date) : === Output wheel file is in: ${DEST}"
 }
 
 main "$@"
diff --git a/release/setup.py b/release/setup.py
index 571a11861..e3e33436b 100644
--- a/release/setup.py
+++ b/release/setup.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
-"""TensorFlow Quantum adds qauntum computing primitives to TensorFlow.
+"""TensorFlow Quantum adds quantum computing primitives to TensorFlow.
 
 TensorFlow Quantum is an open source library for high performance batch
 quantum computation on quantum simulators and quantum computers. The goal
@@ -20,29 +20,24 @@
 of quantum data and quantum systems via hybrid models.
 
 TensorFlow Quantum was created in an ongoing collaboration between the
-University of Waterloo and the Quantum AI team at Google along with help from
-many other contributors within Google.
+University of Waterloo and the Quantum AI team at Google along with help
+from many other contributors within Google.
 """
-from __future__ import absolute_import
-from __future__ import division
-from __future__ import print_function
 
-import sys
+from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function
 
+import sys
 from datetime import date
-from setuptools import Extension
-from setuptools import find_packages
-from setuptools import setup
-from setuptools.dist import Distribution
-from setuptools.command.install import install
 
+from setuptools import Extension, find_packages, setup
+from setuptools.command.install import install
+from setuptools.dist import Distribution
 
-DOCLINES = __doc__.split('\n')
+DOCLINES = __doc__.split("\n")
 
 
 class InstallPlatlib(install):
-    """Workaround so .so files in generated wheels
-    can be seen by auditwheel."""
+    """Workaround so .so files in generated wheels are visible to auditwheel."""
 
     def finalize_options(self):
         install.finalize_options(self)
@@ -50,67 +45,69 @@ def finalize_options(self):
             self.install_lib = self.install_platlib
 
 
-REQUIRED_PACKAGES = ['cirq-core==1.3.0', 'cirq-google==1.3.0', 'sympy == 1.12']
+REQUIRED_PACKAGES = [
+    "cirq-core==1.3.0",
+    "cirq-google==1.3.0",
+    "sympy==1.14",
+]
+
+# Placed as extras to avoid overwriting existing nightly TF installs.
+EXTRA_PACKAGES = ["tensorflow>=2.16,<2.17"]
 
-# placed as extra to not have required overwrite existing nightly installs if
-# they exist.
-EXTRA_PACKAGES = ['tensorflow == 2.15.0']
-CUR_VERSION = '0.7.4'
+CUR_VERSION = "0.7.4"
 
 
 class BinaryDistribution(Distribution):
-    """This class is needed in order to create OS specific wheels."""
+    """Create OS-specific wheels."""
 
     def has_ext_modules(self):
+        """whether this has external modules."""
         return True
 
 
-nightly = False
-if '--nightly' in sys.argv:
-    nightly = True
-    sys.argv.remove('--nightly')
+NIGHTLY_FLAG = False
+if "--nightly" in sys.argv:
+    NIGHTLY_FLAG = True
+    sys.argv.remove("--nightly")
 
-project_name = 'tensorflow-quantum'
-build_version = CUR_VERSION
-if nightly:
-    project_name = 'tfq-nightly'
-    build_version = CUR_VERSION + '.dev' + str(date.today()).replace('-', '')
+PROJECT_NAME = "tensorflow-quantum"
+BUILD_VERSION = CUR_VERSION
+if NIGHTLY_FLAG:
+    PROJECT_NAME = "tfq-nightly"
+    BUILD_VERSION = CUR_VERSION + ".dev" + str(date.today()).replace("-", "")
 
 setup(
-    name=project_name,
-    version=build_version,
-    description=
-    'TensorFlow Quantum is a library for hybrid quantum-classical machine learning.',
-    long_description='\n'.join(DOCLINES[2:]),
-    author='Google Inc.',
-    author_email='no-reply@google.com',
-    url='https://github.com/tensorflow/quantum/',
+    name=PROJECT_NAME,
+    version=BUILD_VERSION,
+    description="Library for hybrid quantum-classical machine learning.",
+    long_description="\n".join(DOCLINES[2:]),
+    author="The TensorFlow Quantum Authors",
+    author_email="tensorflow-quantum-team@google.com",
+    url="https://github.com/tensorflow/quantum/",
     packages=find_packages(),
     install_requires=REQUIRED_PACKAGES,
-    extras_require={'extras': EXTRA_PACKAGES},
-    # Add in any packaged data.
+    extras_require={"extras": EXTRA_PACKAGES},
     include_package_data=True,
-    #ext_modules=[Extension('_foo', ['stub.cc'])],
+    # ext_modules=[Extension('_foo', ['stub.cc'])],
     zip_safe=False,
     distclass=BinaryDistribution,
-    # PyPI package information.
     classifiers=[
-        'Development Status :: 3 - Alpha',
-        'Intended Audience :: Developers',
-        'Intended Audience :: Education',
-        'Intended Audience :: Science/Research',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10',
-        'Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11',
-        'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering',
-        'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Artificial Intelligence',
-        'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Mathematics',
-        'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Physics',
-        'Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Quantum Computing',
+        "Development Status :: 3 - Alpha",
+        "Intended Audience :: Developers",
+        "Intended Audience :: Education",
+        "Intended Audience :: Science/Research",
+        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
+        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10",
+        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11",
+        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12",
+        "Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13",
+        "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering",
+        "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Artificial Intelligence",
+        "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Mathematics",
+        "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Physics",
+        "Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Quantum Computing",
     ],
-    license='Apache 2.0',
-    keywords='tensorflow machine learning quantum qml',
-    cmdclass={'install': InstallPlatlib})
+    license="Apache 2.0",
+    keywords="tensorflow machine learning quantum qml",
+    cmdclass={"install": InstallPlatlib},
+)
diff --git a/requirements.in b/requirements.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e51c0c6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements.in
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+# Core development requirements for TensorFlow Quantum. This file is processed
+# by pip-compile (from pip-tools) to produce requirements.txt.
+
+cirq-core~=1.3.0
+cirq-google~=1.3.0
+tensorflow>=2.16,<2.17
+tf-keras~=2.16.0
+
+# TODO: the next ones are not truly core requirements. A better place should be
+# found for them (long with others needed by scripts/*). They're here as a
+# stop-gap measure until then.
+yapf==0.43.0
+pylint==3.3.3
+nbformat==5.1.3
+nbclient==0.6.5
+tensorflow-docs
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 9fe2d0446..031782a47 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,8 +1,280 @@
+#
+# This file is autogenerated by pip-compile with Python 3.10
+# by the following command:
+#
+#    pip-compile --allow-unsafe
+#
+absl-py==2.1.0
+    # via
+    #   keras
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
+    #   tensorflow-docs
+astor==0.8.1
+    # via tensorflow-docs
+astroid==3.3.11
+    # via pylint
+astunparse==1.6.3
+    # via tensorflow
+attrs==25.4.0
+    # via
+    #   jsonschema
+    #   referencing
+cachetools==6.2.2
+    # via google-auth
+certifi==2025.11.12
+    # via requests
+charset-normalizer==3.4.4
+    # via requests
 cirq-core==1.3.0
+    # via
+    #   -r requirements.in
+    #   cirq-google
 cirq-google==1.3.0
-sympy==1.12
-numpy==1.24.2  # TensorFlow can detect if it was built against other versions.
+    # via -r requirements.in
+contourpy==1.3.2
+    # via matplotlib
+cycler==0.12.1
+    # via matplotlib
+dill==0.4.0
+    # via pylint
+duet==0.2.9
+    # via cirq-core
+flatbuffers==25.9.23
+    # via tensorflow
+fonttools==4.60.1
+    # via matplotlib
+gast==0.6.0
+    # via tensorflow
+google-api-core[grpc]==2.28.1
+    # via cirq-google
+google-auth==2.43.0
+    # via google-api-core
+google-pasta==0.2.0
+    # via tensorflow
+googleapis-common-protos==1.72.0
+    # via
+    #   google-api-core
+    #   grpcio-status
+grpcio==1.60.2
+    # via
+    #   google-api-core
+    #   grpcio-status
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
+grpcio-status==1.60.2
+    # via google-api-core
+h5py==3.15.1
+    # via
+    #   keras
+    #   tensorflow
+idna==3.11
+    # via requests
+ipython-genutils==0.2.0
+    # via nbformat
+isort==5.13.2
+    # via pylint
+jinja2==3.1.6
+    # via tensorflow-docs
+jsonschema==4.25.1
+    # via nbformat
+jsonschema-specifications==2025.9.1
+    # via jsonschema
+jupyter-client==8.6.3
+    # via nbclient
+jupyter-core==5.9.1
+    # via
+    #   jupyter-client
+    #   nbformat
+keras==3.12.0
+    # via tensorflow
+kiwisolver==1.4.9
+    # via matplotlib
+libclang==18.1.1
+    # via tensorflow
+markdown==3.10
+    # via tensorboard
+markdown-it-py==4.0.0
+    # via rich
+markupsafe==3.0.3
+    # via
+    #   jinja2
+    #   werkzeug
+matplotlib==3.10.7
+    # via cirq-core
+mccabe==0.7.0
+    # via pylint
+mdurl==0.1.2
+    # via markdown-it-py
+ml-dtypes==0.3.2
+    # via
+    #   keras
+    #   tensorflow
+mpmath==1.3.0
+    # via sympy
+namex==0.1.0
+    # via keras
+nbclient==0.6.5
+    # via -r requirements.in
 nbformat==5.1.3
+    # via
+    #   -r requirements.in
+    #   nbclient
+    #   tensorflow-docs
+nest-asyncio==1.6.0
+    # via nbclient
+networkx==3.4.2
+    # via cirq-core
+numpy==1.26.4
+    # via
+    #   cirq-core
+    #   contourpy
+    #   h5py
+    #   keras
+    #   matplotlib
+    #   ml-dtypes
+    #   pandas
+    #   scipy
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
+opt-einsum==3.4.0
+    # via tensorflow
+optree==0.18.0
+    # via keras
+packaging==25.0
+    # via
+    #   keras
+    #   matplotlib
+    #   tensorflow
+pandas==2.3.3
+    # via cirq-core
+pillow==12.0.0
+    # via matplotlib
+platformdirs==4.5.0
+    # via
+    #   jupyter-core
+    #   pylint
+    #   yapf
+proto-plus==1.26.1
+    # via
+    #   cirq-google
+    #   google-api-core
+protobuf==4.25.8
+    # via
+    #   cirq-google
+    #   google-api-core
+    #   googleapis-common-protos
+    #   grpcio-status
+    #   proto-plus
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
+    #   tensorflow-docs
+pyasn1==0.6.1
+    # via
+    #   pyasn1-modules
+    #   rsa
+pyasn1-modules==0.4.2
+    # via google-auth
+pygments==2.19.2
+    # via rich
 pylint==3.3.3
+    # via -r requirements.in
+pyparsing==3.2.5
+    # via matplotlib
+python-dateutil==2.9.0.post0
+    # via
+    #   jupyter-client
+    #   matplotlib
+    #   pandas
+pytz==2025.2
+    # via pandas
+pyyaml==6.0.3
+    # via tensorflow-docs
+pyzmq==27.1.0
+    # via jupyter-client
+referencing==0.37.0
+    # via
+    #   jsonschema
+    #   jsonschema-specifications
+requests==2.32.5
+    # via
+    #   google-api-core
+    #   tensorflow
+rich==14.2.0
+    # via keras
+rpds-py==0.29.0
+    # via
+    #   jsonschema
+    #   referencing
+rsa==4.9.1
+    # via google-auth
+scipy==1.15.3
+    # via cirq-core
+six==1.17.0
+    # via
+    #   astunparse
+    #   google-pasta
+    #   python-dateutil
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
+sortedcontainers==2.4.0
+    # via cirq-core
+sympy==1.14.0
+    # via cirq-core
+tensorboard==2.16.2
+    # via tensorflow
+tensorboard-data-server==0.7.2
+    # via tensorboard
+tensorflow==2.16.2
+    # via
+    #   -r requirements.in
+    #   tf-keras
+tensorflow-docs==2025.2.19.33219
+    # via -r requirements.in
+tensorflow-io-gcs-filesystem==0.37.1
+    # via tensorflow
+termcolor==3.2.0
+    # via tensorflow
+tf-keras==2.16.0
+    # via -r requirements.in
+tomli==2.3.0
+    # via
+    #   pylint
+    #   yapf
+tomlkit==0.13.3
+    # via pylint
+tornado==6.5.2
+    # via jupyter-client
+tqdm==4.67.1
+    # via cirq-core
+traitlets==5.14.3
+    # via
+    #   jupyter-client
+    #   jupyter-core
+    #   nbclient
+    #   nbformat
+typing-extensions==4.15.0
+    # via
+    #   astroid
+    #   cirq-core
+    #   optree
+    #   referencing
+    #   tensorflow
+tzdata==2025.2
+    # via pandas
+urllib3==2.5.0
+    # via requests
+werkzeug==3.1.3
+    # via tensorboard
+wheel==0.45.1
+    # via astunparse
+wrapt==1.17.3
+    # via tensorflow
 yapf==0.43.0
-tensorflow==2.15.0
+    # via -r requirements.in
+
+# The following packages are considered to be unsafe in a requirements file:
+setuptools==68.2.2
+    # via
+    #   tensorboard
+    #   tensorflow
diff --git a/scripts/benchmark_all.sh b/scripts/benchmark_all.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index cd50209c2..8ee6dd127
--- a/scripts/benchmark_all.sh
+++ b/scripts/benchmark_all.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 echo "Testing benchmarks.";
-test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors $(bazel query //benchmarks/...))
+test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors "$(bazel query //benchmarks/...)")
 exit_code=$?
 
 if [ "$exit_code" == "0" ]; then
@@ -26,5 +26,5 @@ else
 fi
 
 echo "Running preconfigured benchmarks.";
-bazel_run=${bazel run -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4"}
-bazel_run benchmarks/scripts:benchmark_clifford_circuit -- --op_density 1 --n_moments 10 --n_qubits 4
\ No newline at end of file
+bazel_run=${bazel run -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4"}
+bazel_run benchmarks/scripts:benchmark_clifford_circuit -- --op_density 1 --n_moments 10 --n_qubits 4
diff --git a/scripts/build_pip_package_test.sh b/scripts/build_pip_package_test.sh
index 644338b6a..88cc4e4b5 100755
--- a/scripts/build_pip_package_test.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_pip_package_test.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@
 pip install -r requirements.txt
 
 # cd tensorflow_quantum
-echo "Y\n" | ./configure.sh
+printf "y\n" | ./configure.sh
 
-bazel build -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" release:build_pip_package
+bazel build -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" release:build_pip_package
 rm /tmp/tensorflow_quantum/* || echo ok
 bazel-bin/release/build_pip_package /tmp/tensorflow_quantum/
 pip install -U /tmp/tensorflow_quantum/*.whl
diff --git a/scripts/ci_validate_tutorials.sh b/scripts/ci_validate_tutorials.sh
index e58355faf..4ecb8e6e7 100755
--- a/scripts/ci_validate_tutorials.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci_validate_tutorials.sh
@@ -14,10 +14,18 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 
-# Run the tutorials using the installed pip package
-pip install jupyter nbclient==0.6.5 jupyter-client==6.1.12 ipython==7.22.0
-# Workaround for ipykernel - see https://github.com/ipython/ipykernel/issues/422
-pip install ipykernel==5.1.1
+set -e
+
+# Use legacy tf.keras (Keras 2) with TF 2.16
+export TF_USE_LEGACY_KERAS=1
+
+# Tools for running notebooks non-interactively
+pip install \
+  "nbclient==0.6.5" \
+  "jupyter-client==7.4.9" \
+  "ipython>=8.10.0" \
+  "ipykernel>=6.29.0"
+
 # OpenAI Gym pip package needed for the quantum reinforcement learning tutorial
 pip install gym==0.24.1
 # seaborn has also numpy dependency, it requires version >= 0.12.0.
@@ -26,8 +34,10 @@ pip install seaborn==0.12.0
 pip install -q git+https://github.com/tensorflow/docs
 # Leave the quantum directory, otherwise errors may occur
 cd ..
+
 examples_output=$(python3 quantum/scripts/test_tutorials.py)
 exit_code=$?
+
 if [ "$exit_code" == "0" ]; then
 	exit 0;
 else
diff --git a/scripts/msan_test.sh b/scripts/msan_test.sh
index d47e8ccfe..988c623f7 100755
--- a/scripts/msan_test.sh
+++ b/scripts/msan_test.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -14,19 +14,19 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 echo "Testing All Bazel cc_tests with msan.";
-test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" \
+test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt \
   --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" \
   --cxxopt="-fsanitize=address" --linkopt="-fsanitize=address" \
   --cxxopt="-g" --cxxopt="-O0" \
   --notest_keep_going --test_output=errors \
   //tensorflow_quantum/core/src:all && \
-  bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" \
+  bazel test -c opt \
   --cxxopt="-mavx2" --cxxopt="-mavx" --cxxopt="-mfma" \
   --cxxopt="-fsanitize=address" --linkopt="-fsanitize=address" \
   --cxxopt="-g" --cxxopt="-O0" \
   --notest_keep_going --test_output=errors \
   //tensorflow_quantum/core/src:all && \
-  bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" \
+  bazel test -c opt \
   --cxxopt="-fsanitize=address" --linkopt="-fsanitize=address" \
   --cxxopt="-g" --cxxopt="-O0" \
   --notest_keep_going --test_output=errors \
@@ -39,4 +39,4 @@ else
 	echo "Testing failed, please correct errors before proceeding."
 	echo "{$test_outputs}"
 	exit 64;
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+fi
diff --git a/scripts/test_all.sh b/scripts/test_all.sh
index 5d5405fac..8147ee2a9 100755
--- a/scripts/test_all.sh
+++ b/scripts/test_all.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 echo "Testing All Bazel py_test and cc_tests.";
-test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --experimental_repo_remote_exec --test_output=errors --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-std=c++17" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" //tensorflow_quantum/...)
+test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --test_output=errors --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" //tensorflow_quantum/...)
 exit_code=$?
 if [ "$exit_code" == "0" ]; then
 	echo "Testing Complete!";
diff --git a/scripts/test_benchmarks.sh b/scripts/test_benchmarks.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 07e3adec1..a37d31ec0
--- a/scripts/test_benchmarks.sh
+++ b/scripts/test_benchmarks.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 # Copyright 2020 The TensorFlow Quantum Authors. All Rights Reserved.
-# 
+#
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
 # You may obtain a copy of the License at
-# 
+#
 #     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-# 
+#
 # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
 # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 echo "Testing all Benchmarks.";
-bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors $(bazel query //benchmarks/scripts:all)
-# test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors $(bazel query //benchmarks/scripts:all))
+bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors $(bazel query //benchmarks/scripts:all)
+# test_outputs=$(bazel test -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors $(bazel query //benchmarks/scripts:all))
 bench_outputs=$()
-# bench_outputs=$(bazel run -c opt --cxxopt="-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=1" --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors //benchmarks/scripts:benchmark_clifford_circuit)
+# bench_outputs=$(bazel run -c opt --cxxopt="-msse2" --cxxopt="-msse3" --cxxopt="-msse4" --test_output=errors //benchmarks/scripts:benchmark_clifford_circuit)
 exit_code=$?
 if [ "$exit_code" == "0" ]; then
 	echo "Testing Complete!";
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ else
 	echo "Testing failed, please correct errors before proceeding."
 	echo "{$test_outputs}"
 	exit 64;
-fi
\ No newline at end of file
+fi
diff --git a/scripts/test_tutorials.py b/scripts/test_tutorials.py
index 08a9d85d9..4d06010c6 100644
--- a/scripts/test_tutorials.py
+++ b/scripts/test_tutorials.py
@@ -13,40 +13,51 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 # ==============================================================================
 """Module to ensure all notebooks execute without error by pytesting them."""
+
+import os
 import glob
 import re
 
 from absl.testing import parameterized
 import nbformat
 import nbclient
-import tensorflow as tf
+
+# Ensure we always use legacy tf.keras (Keras 2) when running tutorials.
+# This must be set before importing TensorFlow so it picks up tf_keras.
+os.environ.setdefault("TF_USE_LEGACY_KERAS", "1")
+
+# Pylint doesn't like code before imports, but we need the env var set first.
+import tensorflow as tf  # pylint: disable=wrong-import-position
 
 # Must be run from the directory containing `quantum` repo.
 NOTEBOOKS = glob.glob("quantum/docs/tutorials/*.ipynb")
 
 
 class ExamplesTest(tf.test.TestCase, parameterized.TestCase):
+    """Execute all tutorial notebooks and check they run without errors."""
 
     @parameterized.parameters(NOTEBOOKS)
     def test_notebook(self, path):
-        """Test that notebooks open/run correctly."""
+        """Test that notebooks open and run correctly."""
 
         nb = nbformat.read(path, as_version=4)
         # Scrub any magic from the notebook before running.
         for cell in nb.get("cells"):
-            if cell['cell_type'] == 'code':
-                src = cell['source']
-                # Comment out lines containing '!' but not '!='
-                src = re.sub(r'\!(?!=)', r'#!', src)
+            if cell["cell_type"] == "code":
+                src = cell["source"]
+                # Comment out lines containing '!' but not '!='.
+                src = re.sub(r"\!(?!=)", r"#!", src)
                 # For mnist.ipynb to reduce runtime in test.
-                src = re.sub('NUM_EXAMPLES ?= ?.*', 'NUM_EXAMPLES = 10', src)
-                # For quantum_reinforcement_learning.ipynb to reduce runtime in test.
-                src = re.sub('n_episodes ?= ?.*', 'n_episodes = 50', src)
+                src = re.sub(r"NUM_EXAMPLES ?= ?.*", "NUM_EXAMPLES = 10", src)
+                # For quantum_reinforcement_learning.ipynb:
+                # reduce runtime in test by limiting episodes.
+                src = re.sub(r"n_episodes ?= ?.*", "n_episodes = 50", src)
                 # For noise.ipynb to reduce runtime in test.
-                src = re.sub('n_epochs ?= ?.*', 'n_epochs = 2', src)
-                cell['source'] = src
+                src = re.sub(r"n_epochs ?= ?.*", "n_epochs = 2", src)
+                cell["source"] = src
 
         _ = nbclient.execute(nb, timeout=900, kernel_name="python3")
 
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     tf.test.main()
diff --git a/tensorflow_quantum/__init__.py b/tensorflow_quantum/__init__.py
index 7c781f882..3b6a0ad7c 100644
--- a/tensorflow_quantum/__init__.py
+++ b/tensorflow_quantum/__init__.py
@@ -64,4 +64,4 @@
 del core
 # pylint: enable=undefined-variable
 
-__version__ = '0.7.2'
+__version__ = '0.7.4'
diff --git a/tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/BUILD b/tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/BUILD
index 504cc2657..4df629f1d 100644
--- a/tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow_quantum/core/ops/BUILD
@@ -546,6 +546,7 @@ py_library(
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/proto:pauli_sum_py_proto",
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/proto:projector_sum_py_proto",
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/serialize:serializer",
+        "@pypi//tensorflow",
     ],
 )
 
@@ -567,6 +568,7 @@ py_library(
     srcs_version = "PY3",
     deps = [
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/serialize:serializer",
+        "@pypi//tensorflow",
     ],
 )
 
@@ -628,5 +630,5 @@ py_library(
     name = "load_module",
     srcs = ["load_module.py"],
     srcs_version = "PY3",
-    deps = [],
+    deps = ["@pypi//tensorflow"],
 )
diff --git a/tensorflow_quantum/datasets/BUILD b/tensorflow_quantum/datasets/BUILD
index cabfb790f..f0363fb58 100644
--- a/tensorflow_quantum/datasets/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow_quantum/datasets/BUILD
@@ -19,12 +19,14 @@ py_library(
     name = "cluster_state",
     srcs = ["cluster_state.py"],
     srcs_version = "PY3",
+    deps = ["@pypi//tensorflow"],
 )
 
 py_library(
     name = "spin_system",
     srcs = ["spin_system.py"],
     srcs_version = "PY3",
+    deps = ["@pypi//tensorflow"],
 )
 
 py_test(
diff --git a/tensorflow_quantum/python/BUILD b/tensorflow_quantum/python/BUILD
index d69396775..d474bd85a 100644
--- a/tensorflow_quantum/python/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow_quantum/python/BUILD
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ py_library(
     name = "quantum_context",
     srcs = ["quantum_context.py"],
     srcs_version = "PY3",
+    deps = ["@pypi//tensorflow"],
 )
 
 py_test(
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ py_library(
     deps = [
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/proto:program_py_proto",
         "//tensorflow_quantum/core/serialize:serializer",
+        "@pypi//tensorflow",
     ],
 )
 
diff --git a/tensorflow_quantum/python/differentiators/BUILD b/tensorflow_quantum/python/differentiators/BUILD
index 9e5f28aab..576101b94 100644
--- a/tensorflow_quantum/python/differentiators/BUILD
+++ b/tensorflow_quantum/python/differentiators/BUILD
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ py_library(
     name = "differentiator",
     srcs = ["differentiator.py"],
     srcs_version = "PY3",
+    deps = ["@pypi//tensorflow"],
 )
 
 py_library(
diff --git a/third_party/tf/auditwheel b/third_party/tf/auditwheel
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 30f511c86..2056b897b
--- a/third_party/tf/auditwheel
+++ b/third_party/tf/auditwheel
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
-TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME=$(grep -r TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME .bazelrc | awk -F= '{print$2}')
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-POLICY_JSON=$(find / -name manylinux-policy.json)
+set -e
 
-sed -i "s/libresolv.so.2\"/libresolv.so.2\", $TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME/g" $POLICY_JSON
+LIB_NAME=$(grep -r TF_SHARED_LIBRARY_NAME .tf_configure.bazelrc | \
+    awk -F= '{print$3}')
 
-cat $POLICY_JSON
+# Find the policy file inside the Docker container environment.
+PKG_ROOT=$(pipx runpip auditwheel show auditwheel | \
+  grep "^Location:" | \
+  sed 's/^Location: //')
+
+POLICY_FILE="${PKG_ROOT}/auditwheel/policy/manylinux-policy.json"
+echo "Found policy file at ${POLICY_FILE}"
+
+# Splice in the name of the TensorFlow shared library file.
+sed -i "s|libresolv.so.2\"|libresolv.so.2\", \"${LIB_NAME}\"|g" "${POLICY_FILE}"
+
+cat "${POLICY_FILE}"
 
 auditwheel $@
diff --git a/third_party/tf/tf.patch b/third_party/tf/tf.patch
index 4ce7dc753..e32a38ad3 100644
--- a/third_party/tf/tf.patch
+++ b/third_party/tf/tf.patch
@@ -1,74 +1,75 @@
-diff --git tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
-index a2bdd6a7eed..ec25c23d8d4 100644
---- tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
-+++ tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
-@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
+# Patch used for tf 2.15, for tf 2.16> it is not needed anymore.
+# diff --git tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
+# index a2bdd6a7eed..ec25c23d8d4 100644
+# --- tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
+# +++ tensorflow/tools/toolchains/cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl
+# @@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  
- load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/aarch64/aarch64.bzl", "remote_aarch64_configure")
- load("//third_party/remote_config:remote_platform_configure.bzl", "remote_platform_configure")
--load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "remote_python_configure")
-+load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "remote_python_configure")
+#  load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/aarch64/aarch64.bzl", "remote_aarch64_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/remote_config:remote_platform_configure.bzl", "remote_platform_configure")
+# -load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "remote_python_configure")
+# +load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "remote_python_configure")
  
- def ml2014_tf_aarch64_configs(name_container_map, env):
-     for name, container in name_container_map.items():
-diff --git tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
-index 9f71a414bf7..57f70752323 100644
---- tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
-+++ tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
-@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
- """Macro that creates external repositories for remote config."""
+#  def ml2014_tf_aarch64_configs(name_container_map, env):
+#      for name, container in name_container_map.items():
+# diff --git tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
+# index 9f71a414bf7..57f70752323 100644
+# --- tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
+# +++ tensorflow/tools/toolchains/remote_config/rbe_config.bzl
+# @@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
+#  """Macro that creates external repositories for remote config."""
  
--load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "local_python_configure", "remote_python_configure")
-+load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "local_python_configure", "remote_python_configure")
- load("//third_party/gpus:cuda_configure.bzl", "remote_cuda_configure")
- load("//third_party/nccl:nccl_configure.bzl", "remote_nccl_configure")
- load("//third_party/gpus:rocm_configure.bzl", "remote_rocm_configure")
-diff --git tensorflow/workspace2.bzl tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
-index 7e9faa558a4..5b18cb0969a 100644
---- tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
-+++ tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
-@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ load("//third_party/gpus:rocm_configure.bzl", "rocm_configure")
- load("//third_party/tensorrt:tensorrt_configure.bzl", "tensorrt_configure")
- load("//third_party/nccl:nccl_configure.bzl", "nccl_configure")
- load("//third_party/git:git_configure.bzl", "git_configure")
--load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "python_configure")
-+load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "python_configure")
- load("//third_party/systemlibs:syslibs_configure.bzl", "syslibs_configure")
- load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl", "aarch64_compiler_configure")
- load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/arm/arm_compiler_configure.bzl", "arm_compiler_configure")
-diff --git third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
-index 300cbfb6c71..09d98505dd9 100644
---- third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
-+++ third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
-@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ def _create_local_python_repository(repository_ctx):
-     # Resolve all labels before doing any real work. Resolving causes the
-     # function to be restarted with all previous state being lost. This
-     # can easily lead to a O(n^2) runtime in the number of labels.
--    build_tpl = repository_ctx.path(Label("//third_party/py:BUILD.tpl"))
-+    build_tpl = repository_ctx.path(Label("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:BUILD.tpl"))
+# -load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "local_python_configure", "remote_python_configure")
+# +load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "local_python_configure", "remote_python_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/gpus:cuda_configure.bzl", "remote_cuda_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/nccl:nccl_configure.bzl", "remote_nccl_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/gpus:rocm_configure.bzl", "remote_rocm_configure")
+# diff --git tensorflow/workspace2.bzl tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
+# index 7e9faa558a4..5b18cb0969a 100644
+# --- tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
+# +++ tensorflow/workspace2.bzl
+# @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ load("//third_party/gpus:rocm_configure.bzl", "rocm_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/tensorrt:tensorrt_configure.bzl", "tensorrt_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/nccl:nccl_configure.bzl", "nccl_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/git:git_configure.bzl", "git_configure")
+# -load("//third_party/py:python_configure.bzl", "python_configure")
+# +load("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:python_configure.bzl", "python_configure")
+#  load("//third_party/systemlibs:syslibs_configure.bzl", "syslibs_configure")
+#  load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/aarch64/aarch64_compiler_configure.bzl", "aarch64_compiler_configure")
+#  load("//tensorflow/tools/toolchains:cpus/arm/arm_compiler_configure.bzl", "arm_compiler_configure")
+# diff --git third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
+# index 300cbfb6c71..09d98505dd9 100644
+# --- third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
+# +++ third_party/py/non_hermetic/python_configure.bzl
+# @@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ def _create_local_python_repository(repository_ctx):
+#      # Resolve all labels before doing any real work. Resolving causes the
+#      # function to be restarted with all previous state being lost. This
+#      # can easily lead to a O(n^2) runtime in the number of labels.
+# -    build_tpl = repository_ctx.path(Label("//third_party/py:BUILD.tpl"))
+# +    build_tpl = repository_ctx.path(Label("//third_party/py/non_hermetic:BUILD.tpl"))
  
-     python_bin = get_python_bin(repository_ctx)
-     _check_python_bin(repository_ctx, python_bin)
-diff --git third_party/py/numpy/BUILD third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
-index 97c7907fc38..c80cc5287bc 100644
---- third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
-+++ third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
-@@ -2,14 +2,15 @@ licenses(["restricted"])
+#      python_bin = get_python_bin(repository_ctx)
+#      _check_python_bin(repository_ctx, python_bin)
+# diff --git third_party/py/numpy/BUILD third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
+# index 97c7907fc38..c80cc5287bc 100644
+# --- third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
+# +++ third_party/py/numpy/BUILD
+# @@ -2,14 +2,15 @@ licenses(["restricted"])
  
- package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
+#  package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
  
--alias(
-+py_library(
-     name = "numpy",
--    actual = "@pypi_numpy//:pkg",
-+    srcs = ["tf_numpy_dummy.py"],
-+    srcs_version = "PY3",
- )
+# -alias(
+# +py_library(
+#      name = "numpy",
+# -    actual = "@pypi_numpy//:pkg",
+# +    srcs = ["tf_numpy_dummy.py"],
+# +    srcs_version = "PY3",
+#  )
  
- alias(
-     name = "headers",
--    actual = "@pypi_numpy//:numpy_headers",
-+    actual = "@local_config_python//:numpy_headers",
- )
+#  alias(
+#      name = "headers",
+# -    actual = "@pypi_numpy//:numpy_headers",
+# +    actual = "@local_config_python//:numpy_headers",
+#  )
  
- genrule(
\ No newline at end of file
+#  genrule(
\ No newline at end of file