diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 89b25f45..838eed11 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ mod compat;
 mod config;
 mod kv;
 mod pd;
-mod proto;
+pub mod proto;
 mod region;
 mod region_cache;
 mod stats;
diff --git a/src/proto.rs b/src/proto.rs
index f0dee9af..fb959105 100644
--- a/src/proto.rs
+++ b/src/proto.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,52 @@
 // Copyright 2020 TiKV Project Authors. Licensed under Apache-2.0.
 
+//! The protobuf messages and gRPC clients generated from [kvproto], the TiKV, PD and
+//! TiCDC protocol definitions this crate is built on.
+//!
+//! They let applications call RPCs this crate does not wrap, over the same message types:
+//! for example TiCDC's `cdcpb::change_data_client::ChangeDataClient` or PD's GC safe
+//! point RPCs on `pdpb::pd_client::PdClient`. The clients are [tonic] clients; build
+//! their channels with the [`tonic`] re-exported here, which is the version the clients
+//! are generated for (and [`prost`] for the message traits).
+//!
+//! ```no_run
+//! use tikv_client::proto::pdpb;
+//! use tikv_client::proto::tonic::transport::Channel;
+//!
+//! # async fn f() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+//! let channel = Channel::from_static("http://127.0.0.1:2379").connect().await?;
+//! let mut pd = pdpb::pd_client::PdClient::new(channel);
+//! let members = pd.get_members(pdpb::GetMembersRequest::default()).await?;
+//! let cluster_id = members.into_inner().header.unwrap().cluster_id;
+//! let request = pdpb::GetGcSafePointRequest {
+//!     header: Some(pdpb::RequestHeader {
+//!         cluster_id,
+//!         ..Default::default()
+//!     }),
+//! };
+//! let safe_point = pd.get_gc_safe_point(request).await?.into_inner().safe_point;
+//! # let _ = safe_point;
+//! # Ok(())
+//! # }
+//! ```
+//!
+//! These modules are generated code and follow kvproto: they change when the vendored
+//! protos are updated, independently of the rest of the API.
+//!
+//! [kvproto]: https://github.com/pingcap/kvproto
+
 #![allow(clippy::large_enum_variant)]
 #![allow(clippy::enum_variant_names)]
 
+pub use prost;
 pub use protos::*;
+pub use tonic;
 
 // Rust 1.93's clippy::all flags many protobuf-generated wire types as dead code.
 // Prior toolchain (1.84.1) did not fail on these generated definitions.
 #[allow(clippy::doc_lazy_continuation)]
 #[allow(dead_code)]
+#[allow(rustdoc::all)]
 mod protos {
     include!("generated/mod.rs");
 }
diff --git a/tests/proto_tests.rs b/tests/proto_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84f9393c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/proto_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+//! The generated kvproto modules are public: applications can name the messages and
+//! build the gRPC clients this crate does not wrap. No cluster is needed.
+
+use tikv_client::proto::cdcpb;
+use tikv_client::proto::kvrpcpb;
+use tikv_client::proto::pdpb;
+use tikv_client::proto::prost::Message;
+use tikv_client::proto::tonic::transport::Channel;
+use tikv_client::proto::tonic::transport::Endpoint;
+
+#[test]
+fn generated_messages_are_public_and_encode_with_the_reexported_prost() {
+    let request = pdpb::UpdateServiceGcSafePointRequest {
+        header: Some(pdpb::RequestHeader {
+            cluster_id: 7,
+            ..Default::default()
+        }),
+        service_id: b"gc_worker".to_vec(),
+        ttl: i64::MAX,
+        safe_point: 42,
+    };
+    let decoded =
+        pdpb::UpdateServiceGcSafePointRequest::decode(request.encode_to_vec().as_slice()).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(decoded, request);
+
+    // The re-exported `ProtoLockInfo` is the same type as the generated one.
+    let lock: tikv_client::ProtoLockInfo = kvrpcpb::LockInfo::default();
+    assert!(lock.secondaries.is_empty());
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn generated_clients_build_on_the_reexported_tonic() {
+    // A lazy channel never dials, so this needs no server.
+    let channel: Channel = Endpoint::from_static("http://127.0.0.1:1").connect_lazy();
+    let _pd = pdpb::pd_client::PdClient::new(channel.clone());
+    let _cdc = cdcpb::change_data_client::ChangeDataClient::new(channel)
+        .max_decoding_message_size(64 << 20);
+}