diff --git a/Makefile.Protobuf.mk b/Makefile.Protobuf.mk
index bb10b7d8ad0..843e3889b95 100644
--- a/Makefile.Protobuf.mk
+++ b/Makefile.Protobuf.mk
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ proto-zipkin:
 # only to fields in a struct, so we use regex search/replace to swap it.
 # Note that the .pb.go types must be generated into the same internal package $(API_V3_PATH)
 # where a manually defined traces.go file is located.
-API_V3_PATH=cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3
+API_V3_PATH=internal/proto/api_v3
 API_V3_PATCHED_DIR=proto-gen/.patched/api_v3
 API_V3_PATCHED=$(API_V3_PATCHED_DIR)/query_service.proto
 .PHONY: patch-api-v3
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/gateway_test.go b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/gateway_test.go
index 64d71fa73cf..1258d457eed 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/gateway_test.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/gateway_test.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
-	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3"
+	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/proto/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/model"
 	_ "github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/pkg/gogocodec" // force gogo codec registration
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/storage/spanstore"
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler.go b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler.go
index b12342214c8..48af72bad4c 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler.go
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 
-	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/querysvc"
+	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/proto/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/model"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/storage/spanstore"
 )
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler_test.go b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler_test.go
index b40ec48e3c2..bdf80e64646 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler_test.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/grpc_handler_test.go
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials/insecure"
 
-	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/querysvc"
+	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/proto/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/model"
 	_ "github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/pkg/gogocodec" // force gogo codec registration
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/storage/spanstore"
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/http_gateway.go b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/http_gateway.go
index 0c577183e9a..57f03b6ebc5 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/apiv3/http_gateway.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/apiv3/http_gateway.go
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ import (
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
-	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/querysvc"
+	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/proto/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/model"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/storage/spanstore"
 )
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/server.go b/cmd/query/app/server.go
index 5880dd83596..ab2e89aee6c 100644
--- a/cmd/query/app/server.go
+++ b/cmd/query/app/server.go
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/reflection"
 
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/apiv3"
-	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/cmd/query/app/querysvc"
+	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/internal/proto/api_v3"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/pkg/bearertoken"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/pkg/netutils"
 	"github.com/jaegertracing/jaeger/pkg/recoveryhandler"
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/query_service.pb.go b/internal/proto/api_v3/query_service.pb.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/query_service.pb.go
rename to internal/proto/api_v3/query_service.pb.go
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/traces.go b/internal/proto/api_v3/traces.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/traces.go
rename to internal/proto/api_v3/traces.go
diff --git a/cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/traces_test.go b/internal/proto/api_v3/traces_test.go
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/query/app/internal/api_v3/traces_test.go
rename to internal/proto/api_v3/traces_test.go