diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/pom.xml b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/pom.xml
index 41efc183c3e..dce77348d2c 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/pom.xml
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <scope>compile</scope>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.code.gson</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/pom.xml b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/pom.xml
index b362e001ea6..e7d77d882e4 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-client/pom.xml
@@ -71,6 +71,11 @@ https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
         </exclusion>
       </exclusions>
     </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
+      <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
+    </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>junit</groupId>
       <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-nfs/pom.xml b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-nfs/pom.xml
index 39bc6683fcf..e4afbc8cc19 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-nfs/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-nfs/pom.xml
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <scope>compile</scope>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>javax.servlet</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-rbf/pom.xml b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-rbf/pom.xml
index 9e6f12ba8a4..7bdbd8ed95e 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-rbf/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs-rbf/pom.xml
@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
       <artifactId>hadoop-federation-balance</artifactId>
       <scope>provided</scope>
     </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
+      <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
+    </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
       <artifactId>slf4j-log4j12</artifactId>
diff --git a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/pom.xml b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/pom.xml
index 5f156499ee0..ecdf2a8d156 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/pom.xml
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ https://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
-      <scope>compile</scope>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>javax.servlet</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/pom.xml b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/pom.xml
index b9e181d1ae3..56b739bf225 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/pom.xml
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.apache.avro</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-project/pom.xml b/hadoop-project/pom.xml
index 062abb3f1db..3fa85c24086 100644
--- a/hadoop-project/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-project/pom.xml
@@ -86,6 +86,8 @@
 
     <!--Protobuf version for backward compatibility-->
     <protobuf.version>2.5.0</protobuf.version>
+    <protobuf.scope>provided</protobuf.scope>
+
     <!-- ProtocolBuffer version, actually used in Hadoop -->
     <hadoop.protobuf.version>3.7.1</hadoop.protobuf.version>
     <protoc.path>${env.HADOOP_PROTOC_PATH}</protoc.path>
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-applications/hadoop-yarn-services/hadoop-yarn-services-core/pom.xml b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-applications/hadoop-yarn-services/hadoop-yarn-services-core/pom.xml
index 746abf385e6..a275a8bf028 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-applications/hadoop-yarn-services/hadoop-yarn-services-core/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-applications/hadoop-yarn-services/hadoop-yarn-services-core/pom.xml
@@ -191,6 +191,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
 
     <dependency>
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/pom.xml b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/pom.xml
index f1731751c47..17575fbf8c4 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-common/pom.xml
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-csi/pom.xml b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-csi/pom.xml
index 953791e01e9..01f40ab1c04 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-csi/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-csi/pom.xml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
             <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
             <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
             <version>${hadoop.protobuf.version}</version>
+            <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
         </dependency>
         <dependency>
             <groupId>io.netty</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-common/pom.xml b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-common/pom.xml
index 6837de80014..0e24a45d3c6 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-common/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-common/pom.xml
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>junit</groupId>
diff --git a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/pom.xml b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/pom.xml
index 9d096d20c5f..3ad01a5b820 100644
--- a/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/pom.xml
+++ b/hadoop-yarn-project/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-server/hadoop-yarn-server-resourcemanager/pom.xml
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@
     <dependency>
       <groupId>com.google.protobuf</groupId>
       <artifactId>protobuf-java</artifactId>
+      <scope>${protobuf.scope}</scope>
     </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>commons-io</groupId>