Either support ctx.expand_make_variables or provide a replacement

### Description of the bug:

ctx.expand_make_variables has been deprecated for a long time, but the suggested replacement is not sufficient as described in [#5859](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/issues/5859).

Our own team keeps using expand_make_variables ([recently](https://github.com/tensorflow/tensorflow/commit/da439b7d05584f93e745511d66f6d74a58b54b34)) , so we get ever further from deprecation.

We should either support it or prioritize an useful alternative, because the longer we wait, the more it can never be replaced.

Start by reading the ctx.expand_make_variables usage described here and the replacement discussion in issue #5859. Review the linked TensorFlow commit for a concrete consumer example. Done means either the deprecated API is supported or a replacement is defined that covers the documented missing behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.