diff --git a/proto/idbcompanion/buf.gen.yaml b/proto/idbcompanion/buf.gen.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a6fa05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proto/idbcompanion/buf.gen.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Dedicated generation template for the pinned simulator companion proto.
+# This is intentionally separate from the root buf.gen.yaml so that the
+# generated stubs land in the Go internal package rather than under proto/,
+# and so a normal `make proto` never touches these committed stubs.
+#
+# Reproduce the committed stubs from the repository root with:
+#   buf generate proto/idbcompanion --template proto/idbcompanion/buf.gen.yaml
+# The module= options strip the Go module prefix so the files land at
+# internal/driver/ioscompanion/companionpb relative to the repository root.
+version: v2
+plugins:
+  - local: protoc-gen-go
+    out: .
+    opt:
+      - module=github.com/priyanshujain/sanderling
+  - local: protoc-gen-go-grpc
+    out: .
+    opt:
+      - module=github.com/priyanshujain/sanderling
diff --git a/proto/idbcompanion/buf.yaml b/proto/idbcompanion/buf.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67920c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proto/idbcompanion/buf.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Standalone buf module for the pinned simulator companion proto. It is kept
+# out of the root workspace so the root `buf lint` and `buf generate` never see
+# this file. Lint here is relaxed because the proto is copied verbatim from
+# upstream and must stay byte-identical apart from the go_package option.
+version: v2
+modules:
+  - path: .
+lint:
+  use:
+    - MINIMAL
+  except:
+    - PACKAGE_DIRECTORY_MATCH
+breaking:
+  use:
+    - FILE