diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 1cb9464..3b3be33 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ setup_requires =
 install_requires =
     grpcio==
     grpcio-tools
-    protobuf==5.27.5
+    protobuf<=5.27.5
     # temporary until released
     farm_ng_core
 tests_require =