diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b5918ed..16a495e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -21,6 +21,14 @@
 PROTO_PYTHON_PB2 := $(foreach f, $(PROTO_FILES), $(patsubst protos/voltha_protos/%.proto,$(PROTO_PYTHON_DEST_DIR)/%_pb2.py,$(f)))
 PROTO_PYTHON_PB2_GRPC := $(foreach f, $(PROTO_FILES), $(patsubst protos/voltha_protos/%.proto,$(PROTO_PYTHON_DEST_DIR)/%_pb2_grpc.py,$(f)))
 
+PROTOC_PREFIX := /usr/local
+PROTOC_VERSION := "3.7.0"
+PROTOC_DOWNLOAD_PREFIX := "https://github.com/google/protobuf/releases/download"
+PROTOC_DIR := protobuf-$(PROTOC_VERSION)
+PROTOC_TARBALL := protobuf-python-$(PROTOC_VERSION).tar.gz
+PROTOC_DOWNLOAD_URI := $(PROTOC_DOWNLOAD_PREFIX)/v$(PROTOC_VERSION)/$(PROTOC_TARBALL)
+PROTOC_BUILD_TMP_DIR := "/tmp/protobuf-build-$(shell uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')"
+
 print:
 	echo "Proto files: $(PROTO_FILES)"
 	echo "Python PB2 files: $(PROTO_PYTHON_PB2)"
@@ -72,6 +80,14 @@
 
 # Go targets
 go-protos:
+ifeq (, $(shell which protoc))
+	@echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
+	@echo "It looks like you don't have protocol buffer tools installed."
+	@echo "To install the protocol buffer toolchain, you can run:"
+	@echo "    make install-protoc"
+	@echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
+	false
+endif
 	./build_go_protos.sh protos
 
 go-test:
@@ -80,3 +96,18 @@
 go-clean:
 	echo "FIXME: Add golang cleanup"
 
+install-protoc:
+	@echo "Downloading and installing protocol buffer support."
+	@echo "Installation will require sodo priviledges"
+	@echo "This will take a few minutes."
+	mkdir -p $(PROTOC_BUILD_TMP_DIR)
+	@echo "We ask for sudo credentials now so we can install at the end"; \
+	sudo echo "Thanks"; \
+	    cd $(PROTOC_BUILD_TMP_DIR); \
+	    wget $(PROTOC_DOWNLOAD_URI); \
+	    tar xzvf $(PROTOC_TARBALL); \
+	    cd $(PROTOC_DIR); \
+	    ./configure --prefix=$(PROTOC_PREFIX); \
+	    make; \
+	    sudo make install
+