diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 9f7ff9e97..965657509 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1478,6 +1478,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cw-storage-plus 1.1.0",
  "error-stack",
  "flagset",
+ "gateway-api",
  "hex",
  "integration-tests",
  "itertools 0.11.0",
@@ -3358,6 +3359,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cw-multi-test",
  "cw-storage-plus 1.1.0",
  "error-stack",
+ "gateway-api",
  "itertools 0.11.0",
  "mockall",
  "report",
@@ -3925,6 +3927,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cw-storage-plus 1.1.0",
  "error-stack",
  "gateway",
+ "gateway-api",
  "itertools 0.11.0",
  "k256",
  "mockall",
@@ -4854,6 +4857,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ethabi",
  "ethers",
  "gateway",
+ "gateway-api",
  "generic-array",
  "hex",
  "itertools 0.11.0",
diff --git a/contracts/connection-router/Cargo.toml b/contracts/connection-router/Cargo.toml
index 0576259b6..323ee2692 100644
--- a/contracts/connection-router/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/connection-router/Cargo.toml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ cosmwasm-storage = { workspace = true }
 cw-storage-plus = { workspace = true }
 error-stack = { workspace = true }
 flagset = { version = "0.4.3", features = ["serde"] }
+gateway-api = { workspace = true }
 itertools = { workspace = true }
 mockall = "0.11.4"
 report = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/contracts/connection-router/src/contract/execute.rs b/contracts/connection-router/src/contract/execute.rs
index 0e24eefb1..54143c777 100644
--- a/contracts/connection-router/src/contract/execute.rs
+++ b/contracts/connection-router/src/contract/execute.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ use std::vec;
 
 use axelar_wasm_std::flagset::FlagSet;
 use connection_router_api::error::Error;
-use connection_router_api::msg::ExecuteMsg;
 use connection_router_api::{ChainEndpoint, ChainName, Gateway, GatewayDirection, Message};
 use cosmwasm_std::{to_binary, Addr, DepsMut, MessageInfo, Response, StdResult, WasmMsg};
 use error_stack::report;
@@ -175,9 +174,10 @@ where
 
                 Ok(WasmMsg::Execute {
                     contract_addr: gateway.to_string(),
-                    // TODO: this happens to work because the router and the gateways have the same definition of RouteMessages
-                    msg: to_binary(&ExecuteMsg::RouteMessages(msgs.cloned().collect()))
-                        .expect("must serialize message"),
+                    msg: to_binary(&gateway_api::msg::ExecuteMsg::RouteMessages(
+                        msgs.cloned().collect(),
+                    ))
+                    .expect("must serialize message"),
                     funds: vec![],
                 })
             })
diff --git a/contracts/gateway/Cargo.toml b/contracts/gateway/Cargo.toml
index 0ca1f2f08..5e665bab3 100644
--- a/contracts/gateway/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/gateway/Cargo.toml
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ cosmwasm-std = { workspace = true }
 cosmwasm-storage = { workspace = true }
 cw-storage-plus = { workspace = true }
 error-stack = { workspace = true }
+gateway-api = { workspace = true }
 itertools = { workspace = true }
 mockall = "0.11.3"
 report = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/contracts/gateway/src/bin/schema.rs b/contracts/gateway/src/bin/schema.rs
index f32637149..afb8679ae 100644
--- a/contracts/gateway/src/bin/schema.rs
+++ b/contracts/gateway/src/bin/schema.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 use cosmwasm_schema::write_api;
+use gateway_api::msg::{ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg};
 
-use gateway::msg::{ExecuteMsg, InstantiateMsg, QueryMsg};
+use gateway::msg::InstantiateMsg;
 
 fn main() {
     write_api! {
diff --git a/contracts/gateway/src/contract.rs b/contracts/gateway/src/contract.rs
index 4752a92f2..7cb4518fa 100644
--- a/contracts/gateway/src/contract.rs
+++ b/contracts/gateway/src/contract.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 #[cfg(not(feature = "library"))]
 use cosmwasm_std::entry_point;
 use cosmwasm_std::{Binary, Deps, DepsMut, Env, MessageInfo, Response};
+use gateway_api::msg::{ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg};
 use std::fmt::Debug;
 
-use crate::msg::{ExecuteMsg, InstantiateMsg, QueryMsg};
+use crate::msg::InstantiateMsg;
 
 mod execute;
 mod query;
@@ -58,9 +59,10 @@ mod internal {
     use connection_router_api::client::Router;
     use cosmwasm_std::{to_binary, Binary, Deps, DepsMut, Env, MessageInfo, Response};
     use error_stack::{Result, ResultExt};
+    use gateway_api::msg::{ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg};
 
     use crate::contract::Error;
-    use crate::msg::{ExecuteMsg, InstantiateMsg, QueryMsg};
+    use crate::msg::InstantiateMsg;
     use crate::state::Config;
     use crate::{contract, state};
 
diff --git a/contracts/gateway/src/msg.rs b/contracts/gateway/src/msg.rs
index d26077521..a28a90ba3 100644
--- a/contracts/gateway/src/msg.rs
+++ b/contracts/gateway/src/msg.rs
@@ -1,24 +1,7 @@
-use connection_router_api::{CrossChainId, Message};
-use cosmwasm_schema::{cw_serde, QueryResponses};
+use cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde;
 
 #[cw_serde]
 pub struct InstantiateMsg {
     pub verifier_address: String,
     pub router_address: String,
 }
-
-#[cw_serde]
-pub enum ExecuteMsg {
-    // Permissionless
-    VerifyMessages(Vec<Message>),
-
-    // Permissionless
-    RouteMessages(Vec<Message>),
-}
-
-#[cw_serde]
-#[derive(QueryResponses)]
-pub enum QueryMsg {
-    #[returns(Vec<Message>)]
-    GetMessages { message_ids: Vec<CrossChainId> },
-}
diff --git a/contracts/gateway/tests/contract.rs b/contracts/gateway/tests/contract.rs
index 5839e287e..790cabc53 100644
--- a/contracts/gateway/tests/contract.rs
+++ b/contracts/gateway/tests/contract.rs
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ use cosmwasm_std::{
     from_binary, to_binary, Addr, ContractResult, DepsMut, QuerierResult, WasmQuery,
 };
 use gateway::contract::*;
-use gateway::msg::{ExecuteMsg, InstantiateMsg, QueryMsg};
+use gateway::msg::InstantiateMsg;
+use gateway_api::msg::{ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg};
 use itertools::Itertools;
 use serde::Serialize;
 
diff --git a/contracts/multisig-prover/Cargo.toml b/contracts/multisig-prover/Cargo.toml
index bce30a80d..38363fda9 100644
--- a/contracts/multisig-prover/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/multisig-prover/Cargo.toml
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ either = "1.8.1"
 error-stack = { workspace = true }
 ethabi = { version = "18.0.0", default-features = false, features = [] }
 gateway = { workspace = true }
+gateway-api = { workspace = true }
 hex = { version = "0.4.3", default-features = false, features = [] }
 itertools = "0.11.0"
 k256 = { version = "0.13.1", features = ["ecdsa"] }
diff --git a/contracts/multisig-prover/src/execute.rs b/contracts/multisig-prover/src/execute.rs
index 35878ee50..0cb4fb13b 100644
--- a/contracts/multisig-prover/src/execute.rs
+++ b/contracts/multisig-prover/src/execute.rs
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ fn get_messages(
 ) -> Result<Vec<Message>, ContractError> {
     let length = message_ids.len();
 
-    let query = gateway::msg::QueryMsg::GetMessages { message_ids };
+    let query = gateway_api::msg::QueryMsg::GetMessages { message_ids };
     let messages: Vec<Message> = querier.query(&QueryRequest::Wasm(WasmQuery::Smart {
         contract_addr: gateway.into(),
         msg: to_binary(&query)?,
diff --git a/contracts/multisig-prover/src/test/mocks/gateway.rs b/contracts/multisig-prover/src/test/mocks/gateway.rs
index 016b2806d..999a44937 100644
--- a/contracts/multisig-prover/src/test/mocks/gateway.rs
+++ b/contracts/multisig-prover/src/test/mocks/gateway.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 use cosmwasm_std::{
     to_binary, Binary, Deps, DepsMut, Env, MessageInfo, Response, StdError, StdResult,
 };
-use gateway::msg::{ExecuteMsg, InstantiateMsg, QueryMsg};
+use gateway::msg::InstantiateMsg;
+use gateway_api::msg::{ExecuteMsg, QueryMsg};
 
 use crate::test::test_data;
 
diff --git a/integration-tests/Cargo.toml b/integration-tests/Cargo.toml
index 30cb1125d..b5c7706db 100644
--- a/integration-tests/Cargo.toml
+++ b/integration-tests/Cargo.toml
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ cw-multi-test = "0.15.1"
 cw-storage-plus = { workspace = true }
 error-stack = { workspace = true }
 gateway = { workspace = true }
+gateway-api = { workspace = true }
 itertools = { workspace = true }
 k256 = { version = "0.13.1", features = ["ecdsa"] }
 mockall = "0.11.3"
diff --git a/integration-tests/tests/test_utils/mod.rs b/integration-tests/tests/test_utils/mod.rs
index 761aca995..63a7df15a 100644
--- a/integration-tests/tests/test_utils/mod.rs
+++ b/integration-tests/tests/test_utils/mod.rs
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ pub fn verify_messages(
     let response = app.execute_contract(
         Addr::unchecked("relayer"),
         gateway_address.clone(),
-        &gateway::msg::ExecuteMsg::VerifyMessages(msgs.to_vec()),
+        &gateway_api::msg::ExecuteMsg::VerifyMessages(msgs.to_vec()),
         &[],
     );
     assert!(response.is_ok());
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ pub fn route_messages(app: &mut App, gateway_address: &Addr, msgs: &[Message]) {
     let response = app.execute_contract(
         Addr::unchecked("relayer"),
         gateway_address.clone(),
-        &gateway::msg::ExecuteMsg::RouteMessages(msgs.to_vec()),
+        &gateway_api::msg::ExecuteMsg::RouteMessages(msgs.to_vec()),
         &[],
     );
 
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ pub fn get_messages_from_gateway(
 ) -> Vec<Message> {
     let query_response = app.wrap().query_wasm_smart(
         gateway_address,
-        &gateway::msg::QueryMsg::GetMessages {
+        &gateway_api::msg::QueryMsg::GetMessages {
             message_ids: message_ids.to_owned(),
         },
     );
diff --git a/packages/gateway-api/src/msg.rs b/packages/gateway-api/src/msg.rs
index 673c1c756..37de48160 100644
--- a/packages/gateway-api/src/msg.rs
+++ b/packages/gateway-api/src/msg.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-use connection_router_api::Message;
-use cosmwasm_schema::cw_serde;
+use connection_router_api::{CrossChainId, Message};
+use cosmwasm_schema::{cw_serde, QueryResponses};
 
 #[cw_serde]
 pub enum ExecuteMsg {
@@ -13,3 +13,10 @@ pub enum ExecuteMsg {
     /// they have to be verified first.
     RouteMessages(Vec<Message>),
 }
+
+#[cw_serde]
+#[derive(QueryResponses)]
+pub enum QueryMsg {
+    #[returns(Vec<Message>)]
+    GetMessages { message_ids: Vec<CrossChainId> },
+}