diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6be51764..50f264ea 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ Until May 2022 (inclusive) no changelog was kept. We might try to reconstruct it
 
 ### Changed
 
+* protobuf: Update to v33.5, migrate from autotools to CMake build
 * python: Require at least 3.12.12 in prefer_system_check
 * ROOT: Update to 6.36.08
 * defaults-actstracking: Removed all overrides unrelated to ACTS or C++20.
diff --git a/protobuf.sh b/protobuf.sh
index 50ca00e9..42ba1bd8 100644
--- a/protobuf.sh
+++ b/protobuf.sh
@@ -1,39 +1,50 @@
 package: protobuf
 version: "%(tag_basename)s"
-tag: "v3.12.3"
-source: https://github.com/google/protobuf
+tag: "v33.5"
+source: https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf
+requires:
+ - abseil
 build_requires:
- - autotools
+ - CMake
  - "GCC-Toolchain:(?!osx)"
+ - alibuild-recipe-tools
+ - ninja
 prefer_system: "(?!slc5)"
 prefer_system_check: |
   which protoc || { echo "protoc missing"; exit 1; }
   printf "#include \"google/protobuf/any.h\"\nint main(){}" | c++ -I$(brew --prefix protobuf)/include -Wno-deprecated-declarations -xc++ - -o /dev/null
+prepend_path:
+  PKG_CONFIG_PATH: "$PROTOBUF_ROOT/lib/pkgconfig"
+  CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH: "$PROTOBUF_ROOT/lib/cmake"
 ---
+#!/bin/bash -e
 
-rsync -av --delete --exclude="**/.git" $SOURCEDIR/ .
-autoreconf -ivf
-./configure --prefix="$INSTALLROOT"
-make ${JOBS:+-j $JOBS}
-make install
+if [ -f $SOURCEDIR/cmake/CMakeLists.txt ]; then
+  ALIBUILD_CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR=$SOURCEDIR/cmake
+else
+  ALIBUILD_CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR=$SOURCEDIR
+fi
 
-#ModuleFile
+cmake -S "$ALIBUILD_CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR"                        \
+    -G Ninja                                                 \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="$INSTALLROOT"                    \
+    -Dprotobuf_BUILD_TESTS=NO                                \
+    -Dprotobuf_MODULE_COMPATIBLE=YES                         \
+    -Dprotobuf_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF                         \
+    -Dprotobuf_ABSL_PROVIDER=package                         \
+    ${ABSEIL_ROOT:+-Dabsl_DIR=$ABSEIL_ROOT/lib/cmake/absl}   \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib
+
+cmake --build . -- ${JOBS:+-j$JOBS} install
+
+# Fix header include issue
+if [ -f "$INSTALLROOT/include/google/protobuf/io/coded_stream.h" ]; then
+  sed -i.bak 's|absl/log/absl_log.h|absl/log/vlog_is_on.h|' $INSTALLROOT/include/google/protobuf/io/coded_stream.h
+  rm -f $INSTALLROOT/include/google/protobuf/io/coded_stream.h.bak
+fi
+
+# Modulefile
 MODULEDIR="$INSTALLROOT/etc/modulefiles"
 MODULEFILE="$MODULEDIR/$PKGNAME"
 mkdir -p "$MODULEDIR"
-cat > "$MODULEFILE" <<EoF
-#%Module1.0
-proc ModulesHelp { } {
-  global version
-  puts stderr "ALICE Modulefile for $PKGNAME $PKGVERSION-@@PKGREVISION@$PKGHASH@@"
-}
-set version $PKGVERSION-@@PKGREVISION@$PKGHASH@@
-module-whatis "ALICE Modulefile for $PKGNAME $PKGVERSION-@@PKGREVISION@$PKGHASH@@"
-# Dependencies
-module load BASE/1.0
-# Our environment
-setenv PROTOBUF_ROOT \$::env(BASEDIR)/$PKGNAME/\$version
-prepend-path LD_LIBRARY_PATH \$::env(PROTOBUF_ROOT)/lib
-$([[ ${ARCHITECTURE:0:3} == osx ]] && echo "prepend-path DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH \$::env(PROTOBUF_ROOT)/lib")
-prepend-path PATH \$::env(PROTOBUF_ROOT)/bin
-EoF
+alibuild-generate-module --bin --lib > "$MODULEFILE"