diff --git a/MODULE.bazel b/MODULE.bazel
index b23e7972a..388950354 100644
--- a/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/MODULE.bazel
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ bazel_dep(name = "hermetic_cc_toolchain", version = "3.1.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_cc", version = "0.0.9")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_go", version = "0.47.1", repo_name = "io_bazel_rules_go")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_pkg", version = "0.10.1")
+bazel_dep(name = "rules_proto", version = "6.0.0")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_python", version = "0.32.2")
 
 bazel_dep(name = "buildifier_prebuilt", version = "6.4.0", dev_dependency = True)
diff --git a/WORKSPACE.bzlmod b/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
index 5df1e98b4..228e281b0 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
+++ b/WORKSPACE.bzlmod
@@ -142,17 +142,6 @@ nixpkgs_python_configure(
 
 # gazelle:repo gazelle
 
-# proto toolchain
-load("//bazel/toolchains:proto_deps.bzl", "proto_deps")
-
-proto_deps()
-
-load("@rules_proto//proto:repositories.bzl", "rules_proto_dependencies", "rules_proto_toolchains")
-
-rules_proto_dependencies()
-
-rules_proto_toolchains()
-
 # C / C++ toolchains
 
 load("@hermetic_cc_toolchain//toolchain:defs.bzl", zig_toolchains = "toolchains")
diff --git a/bazel/toolchains/proto_deps.bzl b/bazel/toolchains/proto_deps.bzl
deleted file mode 100644
index 72b02ff09..000000000
--- a/bazel/toolchains/proto_deps.bzl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-"""proto toolchain rules"""
-
-load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
-
-def proto_deps():
-    http_archive(
-        name = "rules_proto",
-        sha256 = "17fa03f509b0d1df05c70c174a266ab211d04b9969e41924fd07a81ea171f117",
-        strip_prefix = "rules_proto-cda0effe6b5af095a6886c67f90c760b83f08c48",
-        urls = [
-            "https://cdn.confidential.cloud/constellation/cas/sha256/17fa03f509b0d1df05c70c174a266ab211d04b9969e41924fd07a81ea171f117",
-            "https://github.com/bazelbuild/rules_proto/archive/cda0effe6b5af095a6886c67f90c760b83f08c48.tar.gz",
-        ],
-        type = "tar.gz",
-    )
diff --git a/bootstrapper/initproto/init.pb.go b/bootstrapper/initproto/init.pb.go
index 05a6dc25a..f9a64cc73 100644
--- a/bootstrapper/initproto/init.pb.go
+++ b/bootstrapper/initproto/init.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: bootstrapper/initproto/init.proto
 
 package initproto
diff --git a/debugd/service/debugd.pb.go b/debugd/service/debugd.pb.go
index 94849aae9..e32f17aa2 100644
--- a/debugd/service/debugd.pb.go
+++ b/debugd/service/debugd.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: debugd/service/debugd.proto
 
 package service
diff --git a/disk-mapper/recoverproto/recover.pb.go b/disk-mapper/recoverproto/recover.pb.go
index 46d6943fa..d63b28706 100644
--- a/disk-mapper/recoverproto/recover.pb.go
+++ b/disk-mapper/recoverproto/recover.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: disk-mapper/recoverproto/recover.proto
 
 package recoverproto
diff --git a/internal/versions/components/components.pb.go b/internal/versions/components/components.pb.go
index c3436fa85..8d7872afb 100644
--- a/internal/versions/components/components.pb.go
+++ b/internal/versions/components/components.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: internal/versions/components/components.proto
 
 package components
diff --git a/joinservice/joinproto/join.pb.go b/joinservice/joinproto/join.pb.go
index 6e0a6efad..192e85d8e 100644
--- a/joinservice/joinproto/join.pb.go
+++ b/joinservice/joinproto/join.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: joinservice/joinproto/join.proto
 
 package joinproto
diff --git a/keyservice/keyserviceproto/keyservice.pb.go b/keyservice/keyserviceproto/keyservice.pb.go
index 37f15ecae..9dc0b8a21 100644
--- a/keyservice/keyserviceproto/keyservice.pb.go
+++ b/keyservice/keyserviceproto/keyservice.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: keyservice/keyserviceproto/keyservice.proto
 
 package keyserviceproto
diff --git a/upgrade-agent/upgradeproto/upgrade.pb.go b/upgrade-agent/upgradeproto/upgrade.pb.go
index 1fb32ecfb..f1982367e 100644
--- a/upgrade-agent/upgradeproto/upgrade.pb.go
+++ b/upgrade-agent/upgradeproto/upgrade.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: upgrade-agent/upgradeproto/upgrade.proto
 
 package upgradeproto
diff --git a/verify/verifyproto/verify.pb.go b/verify/verifyproto/verify.pb.go
index 6c1b13f13..4299746cf 100644
--- a/verify/verifyproto/verify.pb.go
+++ b/verify/verifyproto/verify.pb.go
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Code generated by protoc-gen-go. DO NOT EDIT.
 // versions:
 // 	protoc-gen-go v1.34.1
-// 	protoc        v4.22.1
+// 	protoc        v3.21.7
 // source: verify/verifyproto/verify.proto
 
 package verifyproto