diff --git a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
index 2fc05e8..3bd0ac5 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/android/tools/r8/R8Command.java
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@
 import com.android.tools.r8.inspector.internal.InspectorImpl;
 import com.android.tools.r8.ir.desugar.desugaredlibrary.DesugaredLibrarySpecification;
 import com.android.tools.r8.keepanno.annotations.KeepForApi;
+import com.android.tools.r8.keepanno.asm.KeepEdgeReader;
+import com.android.tools.r8.keepanno.ast.KeepDeclaration;
+import com.android.tools.r8.keepanno.keeprules.KeepRuleExtractor;
 import com.android.tools.r8.naming.MapConsumer;
 import com.android.tools.r8.naming.ProguardMapStringConsumer;
 import com.android.tools.r8.naming.SourceFileRewriter;
@@ -62,6 +65,7 @@
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Deque;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
@@ -133,7 +137,8 @@
         FeatureSplitConfiguration.builder();
     private String synthesizedClassPrefix = "";
     private boolean enableMissingLibraryApiModeling = false;
-    private boolean enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations = false;
+    private boolean enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations =
+        System.getProperty("com.android.tools.r8.enableKeepAnnotations") != null;
     public boolean enableStartupLayoutOptimization = true;
     private SemanticVersion fakeCompilerVersion = null;
     private AndroidResourceProvider androidResourceProvider = null;
@@ -699,6 +704,10 @@
 
       // Add embedded keep rules.
       amendWithRulesAndProvidersForInjarsAndMetaInf(reporter, parser);
+
+      // Extract out rules for keep annotations and amend the configuration.
+      // TODO(b/248408342): Remove this and parse annotations as part of R8 root-set & enqueuer.
+      extractKeepAnnotationRules(parser);
       ProguardConfiguration configuration = configurationBuilder.build();
       getAppBuilder().addFilteredLibraryArchives(configuration.getLibraryjars());
 
@@ -747,7 +756,6 @@
               getSourceFileProvider(),
               enableMissingLibraryApiModeling,
               enableStartupLayoutOptimization,
-              enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations,
               getAndroidPlatformBuild(),
               getArtProfilesForRewriting(),
               getStartupProfileProviders(),
@@ -828,6 +836,35 @@
       }
     }
 
+    private void extractKeepAnnotationRules(ProguardConfigurationParser parser) {
+      if (!enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations) {
+        return;
+      }
+      try {
+        for (ProgramResourceProvider provider : getAppBuilder().getProgramResourceProviders()) {
+          for (ProgramResource resource : provider.getProgramResources()) {
+            if (resource.getKind() == Kind.CF) {
+              List<KeepDeclaration> declarations =
+                  KeepEdgeReader.readKeepEdges(resource.getBytes());
+              if (!declarations.isEmpty()) {
+                KeepRuleExtractor extractor =
+                    new KeepRuleExtractor(
+                        rule -> {
+                          ProguardConfigurationSourceStrings source =
+                              new ProguardConfigurationSourceStrings(
+                                  Collections.singletonList(rule), null, resource.getOrigin());
+                          parser.parse(source);
+                        });
+                declarations.forEach(extractor::extract);
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      } catch (ResourceException e) {
+        throw getAppBuilder().getReporter().fatalError(new ExceptionDiagnostic(e));
+      }
+    }
+
     // Internal for-testing method to add post-processors of the proguard configuration.
     void addProguardConfigurationConsumerForTesting(Consumer<ProguardConfiguration.Builder> c) {
       Consumer<ProguardConfiguration.Builder> oldConsumer = proguardConfigurationConsumerForTesting;
@@ -919,7 +956,6 @@
   private final String synthesizedClassPrefix;
   private final boolean enableMissingLibraryApiModeling;
   private final boolean enableStartupLayoutOptimization;
-  private final boolean enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations;
   private final AndroidResourceProvider androidResourceProvider;
   private final AndroidResourceConsumer androidResourceConsumer;
   private final ResourceShrinkerConfiguration resourceShrinkerConfiguration;
@@ -1013,7 +1049,6 @@
       SourceFileProvider sourceFileProvider,
       boolean enableMissingLibraryApiModeling,
       boolean enableStartupLayoutOptimization,
-      boolean enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations,
       boolean isAndroidPlatformBuild,
       List<ArtProfileForRewriting> artProfilesForRewriting,
       List<StartupProfileProvider> startupProfileProviders,
@@ -1068,7 +1103,6 @@
     this.synthesizedClassPrefix = synthesizedClassPrefix;
     this.enableMissingLibraryApiModeling = enableMissingLibraryApiModeling;
     this.enableStartupLayoutOptimization = enableStartupLayoutOptimization;
-    this.enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations = enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations;
     this.androidResourceProvider = androidResourceProvider;
     this.androidResourceConsumer = androidResourceConsumer;
     this.resourceShrinkerConfiguration = resourceShrinkerConfiguration;
@@ -1097,7 +1131,6 @@
     synthesizedClassPrefix = null;
     enableMissingLibraryApiModeling = false;
     enableStartupLayoutOptimization = true;
-    enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations = false;
     androidResourceProvider = null;
     androidResourceConsumer = null;
     resourceShrinkerConfiguration = null;
@@ -1158,10 +1191,6 @@
 
     assert !internal.enableTreeShakingOfLibraryMethodOverrides;
 
-    if (enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations) {
-      internal.testing.enableEmbeddedKeepAnnotations = true;
-    }
-
     if (!internal.isShrinking()) {
       // If R8 is not shrinking, there is no point in running various optimizations since the
       // optimized classes will still remain in the program (the application size could increase).
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/keepanno/KeepAnnoTestBuilder.java b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/keepanno/KeepAnnoTestBuilder.java
index b4e7eab..8b21c8d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/keepanno/KeepAnnoTestBuilder.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/android/tools/r8/keepanno/KeepAnnoTestBuilder.java
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 
 package com.android.tools.r8.keepanno;
 
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 
 import com.android.tools.r8.ExternalR8TestBuilder;
 import com.android.tools.r8.ProguardTestBuilder;
@@ -190,11 +189,9 @@
           TestBase.testForR8(temp, parameters().getBackend())
               .enableExperimentalKeepAnnotations()
               .setMinApi(parameters());
-      builder.getBuilder().setEnableExperimentalKeepAnnotations(isDirect());
-      // If the internal reader value does not match we will need to update the extract tests to
-      // also strip the annotations.
-      builder.addOptionsModification(
-          o -> assertEquals(isDirect(), o.testing.enableEmbeddedKeepAnnotations));
+
+      // TODO(b/323816623): Replace the testing flag by the API call.
+      builder.addOptionsModification(o -> o.testing.enableEmbeddedKeepAnnotations = isDirect());
     }
 
     private boolean isExtractRules() {