diff --git a/.github/workflows/rust.yml b/.github/workflows/rust.yml
index 6e734c99..0f4734a0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/rust.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/rust.yml
@@ -24,11 +24,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           toolchain: stable
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
           path: |
@@ -65,11 +60,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           tool: cross
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
           path: |
@@ -105,11 +95,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           toolchain: stable
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: taiki-e/install-action@v2
         name: Install nextest
         with:
@@ -140,11 +125,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           toolchain: stable
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
           path: |
@@ -189,11 +169,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           toolchain: stable
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: taiki-e/install-action@v2
         name: Install nextest
         with:
@@ -224,11 +199,6 @@ jobs:
           toolchain: stable
           components: clippy
 
-      - name: Install Protoc
-        uses: arduino/setup-protoc@v3
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
       - uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
           path: |
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 31111a56..096049fa 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ Thank you so much for considering contributing to Atuin! We really appreciate it
 Development dependencies
 
 1. A rust toolchain ([rustup](https://rustup.rs) recommended)
-2. [Protobuf compiler](https://grpc.io/docs/protoc-installation/)
 
 We commit to supporting the latest stable version of Rust - nothing more, nothing less, no nightly.
 
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 58b65a3a..fd6ecbac 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -326,6 +326,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "listenfd",
  "prost",
  "prost-types",
+ "protox",
  "rand",
  "time",
  "tokio",
@@ -1896,7 +1897,7 @@ version = "0.1.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9afd0f0bff60c0e845844b6ee665e07990541ef3b70d8cd21861cf85b69fbef4"
 dependencies = [
- "logos",
+ "logos 0.14.0",
  "time",
 ]
 
@@ -2020,13 +2021,36 @@ version = "0.4.21"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "90ed8c1e510134f979dbc4f070f87d4313098b704861a105fe34231c70a3901c"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "logos"
+version = "0.13.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c000ca4d908ff18ac99b93a062cb8958d331c3220719c52e77cb19cc6ac5d2c1"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos-derive 0.13.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "logos"
 version = "0.14.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "161971eb88a0da7ae0c333e1063467c5b5727e7fb6b710b8db4814eade3a42e8"
 dependencies = [
- "logos-derive",
+ "logos-derive 0.14.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "logos-codegen"
+version = "0.13.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "dc487311295e0002e452025d6b580b77bb17286de87b57138f3b5db711cded68"
+dependencies = [
+ "beef",
+ "fnv",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "regex-syntax 0.6.29",
+ "syn 2.0.66",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2044,13 +2068,22 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 2.0.66",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "logos-derive"
+version = "0.13.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "dbfc0d229f1f42d790440136d941afd806bc9e949e2bcb8faa813b0f00d1267e"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos-codegen 0.13.0",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "logos-derive"
 version = "0.14.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "1c2a69b3eb68d5bd595107c9ee58d7e07fe2bb5e360cc85b0f084dedac80de0a"
 dependencies = [
- "logos-codegen",
+ "logos-codegen 0.14.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2175,6 +2208,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "sketches-ddsketch",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "miette"
+version = "7.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "4edc8853320c2a0dab800fbda86253c8938f6ea88510dc92c5f1ed20e794afc1"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "miette-derive",
+ "thiserror",
+ "unicode-width",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "miette-derive"
+version = "7.2.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "dcf09caffaac8068c346b6df2a7fc27a177fd20b39421a39ce0a211bde679a6c"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.66",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "mime"
 version = "0.3.17"
@@ -2673,6 +2729,19 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 2.0.66",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "prost-reflect"
+version = "0.13.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "6f5eec97d5d34bdd17ad2db2219aabf46b054c6c41bd5529767c9ce55be5898f"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos 0.14.0",
+ "miette",
+ "once_cell",
+ "prost",
+ "prost-types",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "prost-types"
 version = "0.12.6"
@@ -2682,6 +2751,33 @@ dependencies = [
  "prost",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "protox"
+version = "0.6.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a29b3c5596eb23a849deba860b53ffd468199d9ad5fe4402a7d55379e16aa2d2"
+dependencies = [
+ "bytes",
+ "miette",
+ "prost",
+ "prost-reflect",
+ "prost-types",
+ "protox-parse",
+ "thiserror",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "protox-parse"
+version = "0.6.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "033b939d76d358f7c32120c86c71f515bae45e64f2bde455200356557276276c"
+dependencies = [
+ "logos 0.13.0",
+ "miette",
+ "prost-types",
+ "thiserror",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "quanta"
 version = "0.11.1"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 8c3df8ba..033efaa4 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -90,9 +90,3 @@ lto = "thin"
 aarch64-apple-darwin = "macos-14"
 aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu = "buildjet-2vcpu-ubuntu-2204-arm"
 aarch64-unknown-linux-musl = "buildjet-2vcpu-ubuntu-2204-arm"
-
-[workspace.metadata.dist.dependencies.homebrew]
-protobuf = '*'
-
-[workspace.metadata.dist.dependencies.apt]
-protobuf-compiler = '*'
diff --git a/Cross.toml b/Cross.toml
deleted file mode 100644
index a81b3d80..00000000
--- a/Cross.toml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-[build]
-pre-build = [
-  "apt update && apt install -y protobuf-compiler"
-]
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index b73a4b42..12a197c4 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ RUN cargo chef prepare --recipe-path recipe.json
 FROM chef AS builder
 
 # Ensure working C compile setup (not installed by default in arm64 images)
-RUN apt update && apt install build-essential protobuf-compiler -y
+RUN apt update && apt install build-essential -y
 
 COPY --from=planner /app/recipe.json recipe.json
 RUN cargo chef cook --release --recipe-path recipe.json
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1bff59ec..b3c8f709 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -174,9 +174,6 @@ cargo install atuin
 
 And then follow [the shell setup](#shell-plugin)
 
-#### Daemon Build Dependencies
-[Protoc](https://grpc.io/docs/protoc-installation/) is required to build the daemon, which is enabled by default. This is because we use protobufs for the message serialization
-
 ### Homebrew
 
 ```
diff --git a/atuin.nix b/atuin.nix
index 43450b8e..c02a82de 100644
--- a/atuin.nix
+++ b/atuin.nix
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
   Security,
   SystemConfiguration,
   AppKit,
-  protobuf,
 }:
 rustPlatform.buildRustPackage {
   name = "atuin";
@@ -28,9 +27,7 @@ rustPlatform.buildRustPackage {
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [installShellFiles];
 
-  buildInputs = lib.optionals stdenv.isDarwin [libiconv Security SystemConfiguration AppKit protobuf];
-
-  env.PROTOC = lib.getExe' protobuf "protoc";
+  buildInputs = lib.optionals stdenv.isDarwin [libiconv Security SystemConfiguration AppKit];
 
   postInstall = ''
     installShellCompletion --cmd atuin \
diff --git a/crates/atuin-daemon/Cargo.toml b/crates/atuin-daemon/Cargo.toml
index 3133bcdf..0f3ccb1a 100644
--- a/crates/atuin-daemon/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/atuin-daemon/Cargo.toml
@@ -38,4 +38,5 @@ rand.workspace = true
 listenfd = "1.0.1"
 
 [build-dependencies]
+protox = "0.6.0"
 tonic-build = "0.11"
diff --git a/crates/atuin-daemon/build.rs b/crates/atuin-daemon/build.rs
index 95118f6f..37721249 100644
--- a/crates/atuin-daemon/build.rs
+++ b/crates/atuin-daemon/build.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,17 @@
-fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
-    tonic_build::compile_protos("./proto/history.proto")?;
-    Ok(())
+use std::{env, fs, path::PathBuf};
+
+use protox::prost::Message;
+
+fn main() -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    let file_descriptors = protox::compile(["history.proto"], ["./proto/"]).unwrap();
+
+    let file_descriptor_path = PathBuf::from(env::var_os("OUT_DIR").expect("OUT_DIR not set"))
+        .join("file_descriptor_set.bin");
+    fs::write(&file_descriptor_path, file_descriptors.encode_to_vec()).unwrap();
+
+    tonic_build::configure()
+        .build_server(true)
+        .file_descriptor_set_path(&file_descriptor_path)
+        .skip_protoc_run()
+        .compile(&["history.proto"], &["."])
 }