diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index 60ab1a301ce..98436d9624e 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ git_repository(
 # This statement defines the @com_google_protobuf repo.
 git_repository(
     name = "com_google_protobuf",
-    patches = ["//patches:protobuf-v27.2.patch"],
+    patches = ["//patches:protobuf-v27.patch"],
     patch_args = ["-p1"],
     tag = "v27.2",
     remote = "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git",
diff --git a/cmake/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt b/cmake/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
index 92393c92f92..176a59067e2 100644
--- a/cmake/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/cmake/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -106,11 +106,20 @@ if(BUILD_Protobuf)
   #set(protobuf_BUILD_LIBUPB ON)
   FetchContent_Declare(
     Protobuf
+    #SOURCE_DIR "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/pb"
+
     GIT_REPOSITORY "https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git"
-    GIT_TAG "v27.2"
+    GIT_TAG "v27.2" # NACK
+    #GIT_TAG "v27.1" # NACK
+    #GIT_TAG "v27.0" # NACK
+    PATCH_COMMAND git apply --ignore-whitespace "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../patches/protobuf-v27.patch"
+
+    #GIT_TAG "v26.1" # ACK
+    #PATCH_COMMAND git apply --ignore-whitespace "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../patches/protobuf-v26.patch"
+
     GIT_SHALLOW TRUE
     GIT_SUBMODULES ""
-    PATCH_COMMAND git apply --ignore-whitespace "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../patches/protobuf-v27.2.patch")
+  )
   FetchContent_MakeAvailable(Protobuf)
   list(POP_BACK CMAKE_MESSAGE_INDENT)
   message(CHECK_PASS "fetched")
diff --git a/patches/protobuf-v26.patch b/patches/protobuf-v26.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3e0935fcf88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patches/protobuf-v26.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
+index 312eeb928..3e154785b 100644
+--- a/CMakeLists.txt
++++ b/CMakeLists.txt
+@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ else (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+ endif (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+ option(protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS "Build Shared Libraries" ${protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS_DEFAULT})
+ include(CMakeDependentOption)
+-cmake_dependent_option(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME "Link static runtime libraries" ON
++cmake_dependent_option(protobuf_MSVC_STATIC_RUNTIME "Link static runtime libraries" OFF
+   "NOT protobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS" OFF)
+ set(protobuf_WITH_ZLIB_DEFAULT ON)
+ option(protobuf_WITH_ZLIB "Build with zlib support" ${protobuf_WITH_ZLIB_DEFAULT})
+@@ -158,24 +158,16 @@ endif()
+ 
+ set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB)
+ if (protobuf_WITH_ZLIB)
+-  find_package(ZLIB)
+-  if (ZLIB_FOUND)
+-    set(HAVE_ZLIB 1)
+-    # FindZLIB module define ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS variable
+-    # Set ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES for compatible
+-    set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES} ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+-    # Using imported target if exists
+-    if (TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-      set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-      set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB "if(NOT ZLIB_FOUND)\n  find_package(ZLIB)\nendif()")
+-    endif (TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
+-  else (ZLIB_FOUND)
+-    set(HAVE_ZLIB 0)
+-    # Explicitly set these to empty (override NOT_FOUND) so cmake doesn't
+-    # complain when we use them later.
+-    set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES)
+-    set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES)
+-  endif (ZLIB_FOUND)
++ if (NOT TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)
++   find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)
++ endif()
++ set(HAVE_ZLIB 1)
++ # FindZLIB module define ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS variable
++ # Set ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES for compatible
++ set(ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES} ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRS})
++ # Using imported target if exists
++ set(ZLIB_LIBRARIES ZLIB::ZLIB)
++ set(_protobuf_FIND_ZLIB "if(NOT ZLIB_FOUND AND NOT TARGET ZLIB::ZLIB)\n  find_package(ZLIB REQUIRED)\nendif()")
+ endif (protobuf_WITH_ZLIB)
+ 
+ # We need to link with libatomic on systems that do not have builtin atomics, or
+@@ -277,7 +269,6 @@ else (MSVC)
+ endif (MSVC)
+ 
+ include_directories(
+-  ${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES}
+   ${protobuf_BINARY_DIR}
+   # Support #include-ing other top-level directories, i.e. upb_generator.
+   ${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}
+diff --git a/cmake/install.cmake b/cmake/install.cmake
+index 52914a8ea..d7dc5f232 100644
+--- a/cmake/install.cmake
++++ b/cmake/install.cmake
+@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ foreach(_library ${_protobuf_libraries})
+   set_property(TARGET ${_library}
+     PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES
+     $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}/src>
++    $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}>
+     $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}>)
+   if (UNIX AND NOT APPLE)
+     set_property(TARGET ${_library}
diff --git a/patches/protobuf-v27.2.patch b/patches/protobuf-v27.patch
similarity index 88%
rename from patches/protobuf-v27.2.patch
rename to patches/protobuf-v27.patch
index 21de3f4f779..729eef8e596 100644
--- a/patches/protobuf-v27.2.patch
+++ b/patches/protobuf-v27.patch
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
-index 9b51e9722..33c1021d4 100644
+index 9b51e972..33c1021d 100644
 --- a/CMakeLists.txt
 +++ b/CMakeLists.txt
 @@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ else (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
@@ -54,8 +54,20 @@ index 9b51e9722..33c1021d4 100644
    ${protobuf_BINARY_DIR}
    # Support #include-ing other top-level directories, i.e. upb_generator.
    ${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}
+diff --git a/cmake/libprotobuf.cmake b/cmake/libprotobuf.cmake
+index 11c09b1b..fdea9ce1 100644
+--- a/cmake/libprotobuf.cmake
++++ b/cmake/libprotobuf.cmake
+@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} STREQUAL "Android")
+ endif()
+ target_include_directories(libprotobuf PUBLIC
+   $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}/src>
++  $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}>
+   $<INSTALL_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_INSTALL_INCLUDEDIR}>
+ )
+ target_link_libraries(libprotobuf PUBLIC ${protobuf_ABSL_USED_TARGETS})
 diff --git a/src/google/protobuf/port.h b/src/google/protobuf/port.h
-index 4fec7dc13..afb6f846a 100644
+index 4fec7dc1..afb6f846 100644
 --- a/src/google/protobuf/port.h
 +++ b/src/google/protobuf/port.h
 @@ -49,31 +49,35 @@ inline PROTOBUF_ALWAYS_INLINE void StrongPointer(T* var) {