diff --git a/docs/packaging.md b/docs/packaging.md
index 81e8bbc861..c62a91da83 100755
--- a/docs/packaging.md
+++ b/docs/packaging.md
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ py_wheel(
 | python_requires |  Python versions required by this distribution, e.g. '>=3.5,<3.7'   | String | optional | "" |
 | python_tag |  Supported Python version(s), eg <code>py3</code>, <code>cp35.cp36</code>, etc   | String | optional | "py3" |
 | requires |  List of requirements for this package. See the section on [Declaring required dependency](https://setuptools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/userguide/dependency_management.html#declaring-dependencies) for details and examples of the format of this argument.   | List of strings | optional | [] |
-| requires_file |  Requirements file for list of requirements for this package. If set `requires`, this flag will be ignored.   | <a href="https://bazel.build/docs/build-ref.html#labels">Label</a> | optional | None |
+| requires_file |  Requirements file for list of requirements for this package. which will be additive after `requires`   | <a href="https://bazel.build/docs/build-ref.html#labels">Label</a> | optional | None |
 | stamp |  Whether to encode build information into the wheel. Possible values:<br><br>- <code>stamp = 1</code>: Always stamp the build information into the wheel, even in [--nostamp](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/user-manual.html#flag--stamp) builds. This setting should be avoided, since it potentially kills remote caching for the target and any downstream actions that depend on it.<br><br>- <code>stamp = 0</code>: Always replace build information by constant values. This gives good build result caching.<br><br>- <code>stamp = -1</code>: Embedding of build information is controlled by the [--[no]stamp](https://docs.bazel.build/versions/main/user-manual.html#flag--stamp) flag.<br><br>Stamped targets are not rebuilt unless their dependencies change.   | Integer | optional | -1 |
 | strip_path_prefixes |  path prefixes to strip from files added to the generated package   | List of strings | optional | [] |
 | version |  Version number of the package. Note that this attribute supports stamp format strings (eg. <code>1.2.3-{BUILD_TIMESTAMP}</code>) as well as 'make variables' (e.g. <code>1.2.3-$(VERSION)</code>).   | String | required |  |
diff --git a/python/packaging.bzl b/python/packaging.bzl
index f5993f9aa5..6a9dd5d133 100644
--- a/python/packaging.bzl
+++ b/python/packaging.bzl
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ def _py_wheel_impl(ctx):
     if ctx.attr.python_requires:
         metadata_contents.append("Requires-Python: %s" % ctx.attr.python_requires)
 
-    if len(ctx.attr.requires) == 0 and ctx.attr.requires_file:
+    if ctx.attr.requires_file:
         requires_file = ctx.file.requires_file
         args.add("--requires_file", requires_file)
         other_inputs.append(requires_file)
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ _requirement_attrs = {
                "for details and examples of the format of this argument."),
     ),
     "requires_file": attr.label(
-        doc = "Requirements file for list of requirements for this package. If set `requires`, this flag will be ignored.",
+        doc = "Requirements file for list of requirements for this package, which will be additive after `requires`",
         allow_single_file = True,
     ),
 }
diff --git a/tools/wheelmaker.py b/tools/wheelmaker.py
index 63efca5ab0..d8231dced5 100644
--- a/tools/wheelmaker.py
+++ b/tools/wheelmaker.py
@@ -261,8 +261,7 @@ def parse_args() -> argparse.Namespace:
     metadata_group.add_argument(
         "--requires_file",
         type=Path,
-        default="",
-        help="Requirements file for list of requirements for this package",
+        help="Requirements file for list of requirements for this package, which will be additive after `requires`",
     )
 
     output_group = parser.add_argument_group("Output file location")
@@ -406,7 +405,8 @@ def main() -> None:
 
         if arguments.requires_file:
             with open(arguments.requires_file) as fp:
-                metadata += "\n" + fp.read().strip().split("\n")
+                additive_requires_list = ["Requires-Dist: {}".format(line) for line in fp.read().strip().split("\n")]
+                metadata += "\n" + "\n".join(additive_requires_list)
         maker.add_metadata(metadata=metadata, description=description)
 
         if arguments.entry_points_file: