[8.18] fix: add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel config (#211121) (#211615)

# Backport

This will backport the following commits from `main` to `8.18`:
- [fix: add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel config
(#211121)](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/211121)

<!--- Backport version: 9.6.6 -->

### Questions ?
Please refer to the [Backport tool
documentation](https://github.com/sorenlouv/backport)

<!--BACKPORT [{"author":{"name":"Rafael
Lüder","email":"rlueder@pm.me"},"sourceCommit":{"committedDate":"2025-02-18T16:37:57Z","message":"fix:
add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel config
(#211121)\n\n## Summary\r\n\r\nAdds `REACT_18` to `kbn-plugin-helpers`
bazel config, this fixes an\r\nissue when trying to create plugins using
the automatic plugin\r\ngenerator. For context
see\r\nhttps://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/210917#issuecomment-2657805726\r\n\r\nRelated
user report: [Custom
Plugin\r\nError](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/custom-plugin-error/366589)\r\n\r\nBefore
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e7e9e524-719e-4fdb-8598-050ec9f2f036)\r\n\r\n\r\nAfter
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/63d69d1a-bfc8-4be6-83a0-1c567be4d101)\r\n\r\n\r\n###
Checklist\r\n\r\nCheck the PR satisfies following conditions.
\r\n\r\nReviewers should verify this PR satisfies this list as
well.\r\n\r\n- [ ] Any text added follows [EUI's
writing\r\nguidelines](https://elastic.github.io/eui/#/guidelines/writing),
uses\r\nsentence case text and includes
[i18n\r\nsupport](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/platform/packages/shared/kbn-i18n/README.md)\r\n-
[
]\r\n[Documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-documentation.html)\r\nwas
added for features that require explanation or tutorials\r\n- [ ] [Unit
or
functional\r\ntests](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-tests.html)\r\nwere
updated or added to match the most common scenarios\r\n- [ ] If a plugin
configuration key changed, check if it needs to be\r\nallowlisted in the
cloud and added to the
[docker\r\nlist](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/dev/build/tasks/os_packages/docker_generator/resources/base/bin/kibana-docker)\r\n-
[ ] This was checked for breaking HTTP API changes, and any
breaking\r\nchanges have been approved by the breaking-change committee.
The\r\n`release_note:breaking` label should be applied in these
situations.\r\n- [ ] [Flaky
Test\r\nRunner](https://ci-stats.kibana.dev/trigger_flaky_test_runner/1)
was\r\nused on any tests changed\r\n- [ ] The PR description includes
the appropriate Release Notes section,\r\nand the correct
`release_note:*` label is applied per
the\r\n[guidelines](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/contributing.html#kibana-release-notes-process)\r\n\r\nCo-authored-by:
Jon
<jon@elastic.co>","sha":"9a6a349a466d4c21bd8d94b7be67996c102dbd5b","branchLabelMapping":{"^v9.1.0$":"main","^v8.19.0$":"8.x","^v(\\d+).(\\d+).\\d+$":"$1.$2"}},"sourcePullRequest":{"labels":["Team:Operations","release_note:skip","backport:prev-minor","v8.18.0","v9.1.0"],"title":"fix:
add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel
config","number":211121,"url":"https://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/211121","mergeCommit":{"message":"fix:
add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel config
(#211121)\n\n## Summary\r\n\r\nAdds `REACT_18` to `kbn-plugin-helpers`
bazel config, this fixes an\r\nissue when trying to create plugins using
the automatic plugin\r\ngenerator. For context
see\r\nhttps://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/210917#issuecomment-2657805726\r\n\r\nRelated
user report: [Custom
Plugin\r\nError](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/custom-plugin-error/366589)\r\n\r\nBefore
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e7e9e524-719e-4fdb-8598-050ec9f2f036)\r\n\r\n\r\nAfter
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/63d69d1a-bfc8-4be6-83a0-1c567be4d101)\r\n\r\n\r\n###
Checklist\r\n\r\nCheck the PR satisfies following conditions.
\r\n\r\nReviewers should verify this PR satisfies this list as
well.\r\n\r\n- [ ] Any text added follows [EUI's
writing\r\nguidelines](https://elastic.github.io/eui/#/guidelines/writing),
uses\r\nsentence case text and includes
[i18n\r\nsupport](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/platform/packages/shared/kbn-i18n/README.md)\r\n-
[
]\r\n[Documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-documentation.html)\r\nwas
added for features that require explanation or tutorials\r\n- [ ] [Unit
or
functional\r\ntests](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-tests.html)\r\nwere
updated or added to match the most common scenarios\r\n- [ ] If a plugin
configuration key changed, check if it needs to be\r\nallowlisted in the
cloud and added to the
[docker\r\nlist](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/dev/build/tasks/os_packages/docker_generator/resources/base/bin/kibana-docker)\r\n-
[ ] This was checked for breaking HTTP API changes, and any
breaking\r\nchanges have been approved by the breaking-change committee.
The\r\n`release_note:breaking` label should be applied in these
situations.\r\n- [ ] [Flaky
Test\r\nRunner](https://ci-stats.kibana.dev/trigger_flaky_test_runner/1)
was\r\nused on any tests changed\r\n- [ ] The PR description includes
the appropriate Release Notes section,\r\nand the correct
`release_note:*` label is applied per
the\r\n[guidelines](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/contributing.html#kibana-release-notes-process)\r\n\r\nCo-authored-by:
Jon
<jon@elastic.co>","sha":"9a6a349a466d4c21bd8d94b7be67996c102dbd5b"}},"sourceBranch":"main","suggestedTargetBranches":["8.18"],"targetPullRequestStates":[{"branch":"8.18","label":"v8.18.0","branchLabelMappingKey":"^v(\\d+).(\\d+).\\d+$","isSourceBranch":false,"state":"NOT_CREATED"},{"branch":"main","label":"v9.1.0","branchLabelMappingKey":"^v9.1.0$","isSourceBranch":true,"state":"MERGED","url":"https://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/211121","number":211121,"mergeCommit":{"message":"fix:
add REACT_18 env variable to kbn-plugin-helpers bazel config
(#211121)\n\n## Summary\r\n\r\nAdds `REACT_18` to `kbn-plugin-helpers`
bazel config, this fixes an\r\nissue when trying to create plugins using
the automatic plugin\r\ngenerator. For context
see\r\nhttps://github.com/elastic/kibana/pull/210917#issuecomment-2657805726\r\n\r\nRelated
user report: [Custom
Plugin\r\nError](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/custom-plugin-error/366589)\r\n\r\nBefore
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e7e9e524-719e-4fdb-8598-050ec9f2f036)\r\n\r\n\r\nAfter
fix:\r\n\r\n\r\n![image](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/63d69d1a-bfc8-4be6-83a0-1c567be4d101)\r\n\r\n\r\n###
Checklist\r\n\r\nCheck the PR satisfies following conditions.
\r\n\r\nReviewers should verify this PR satisfies this list as
well.\r\n\r\n- [ ] Any text added follows [EUI's
writing\r\nguidelines](https://elastic.github.io/eui/#/guidelines/writing),
uses\r\nsentence case text and includes
[i18n\r\nsupport](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/platform/packages/shared/kbn-i18n/README.md)\r\n-
[
]\r\n[Documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-documentation.html)\r\nwas
added for features that require explanation or tutorials\r\n- [ ] [Unit
or
functional\r\ntests](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/development-tests.html)\r\nwere
updated or added to match the most common scenarios\r\n- [ ] If a plugin
configuration key changed, check if it needs to be\r\nallowlisted in the
cloud and added to the
[docker\r\nlist](https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/main/src/dev/build/tasks/os_packages/docker_generator/resources/base/bin/kibana-docker)\r\n-
[ ] This was checked for breaking HTTP API changes, and any
breaking\r\nchanges have been approved by the breaking-change committee.
The\r\n`release_note:breaking` label should be applied in these
situations.\r\n- [ ] [Flaky
Test\r\nRunner](https://ci-stats.kibana.dev/trigger_flaky_test_runner/1)
was\r\nused on any tests changed\r\n- [ ] The PR description includes
the appropriate Release Notes section,\r\nand the correct
`release_note:*` label is applied per
the\r\n[guidelines](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/kibana/master/contributing.html#kibana-release-notes-process)\r\n\r\nCo-authored-by:
Jon
<jon@elastic.co>","sha":"9a6a349a466d4c21bd8d94b7be67996c102dbd5b"}}]}]
BACKPORT-->

Co-authored-by: Rafael Lüder <rlueder@pm.me>

packages/kbn-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/bazel_packages.ts

@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ import { TaskContext } from '../task_context';
 export async function buildBazelPackages({ log, dist }: TaskContext) {
   log.info('run bazel and build required artifacts for the optimizer');
 
+  const args = [`--define=REACT_18=${Boolean(process.env.REACT_18)}`];
+  if (dist) args.push('--define=dist=true');
   try {
     await runBazel(
       [
@@ -21,7 +23,7 @@ export async function buildBazelPackages({ log, dist }: TaskContext) {
         '//src/platform/packages/private/kbn-ui-shared-deps-src:shared_built_assets',
         '//src/platform/packages/shared/kbn-monaco:target_workers',
         '--show_result=1',
-      ].concat(dist ? [`--define=dist=true`] : []),
+      ].concat(args),
       {
         logPrefix: ' │     ',
         quiet: true,