Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In an example, a method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE) in a wireless communications system is described, including receiving, from a base station, information associated with one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) in the wireless communications system. The method may also include transmitting a sensing signal to the one or more RISs based at least in part on the information and transmitting an uplink wireless communication to the base station or a second UE using the one or more RISs based at least in part on the sensing. Another method includes determining information associated with one or more RISs in the wireless communications system, transmitting, to a UE, the information associated with the RISs, and communicating with the UE via the RISs based at least in part on the information associated with the RISs.