diff --git a/plugin/pluginexec/buf.gen.yaml b/plugin/pluginexec/buf.gen.yaml
index 0d916e0b..fd5766e9 100644
--- a/plugin/pluginexec/buf.gen.yaml
+++ b/plugin/pluginexec/buf.gen.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,12 @@ managed:
   enabled: true
   override:
     - file_option: go_package_prefix
+      path: heph/plugin/exec
       value: github.com/hephbuild/heph/plugin/pluginexec/gen
+    - file_option: go_package_prefix
+      path: heph/plugin
+      value: github.com/hephbuild/heph/plugin/gen
+
 plugins:
   - remote: buf.build/protocolbuffers/go
     out: gen
diff --git a/plugin/pluginexec/plugin.go b/plugin/pluginexec/plugin.go
index 0cd84692..bcf04b81 100644
--- a/plugin/pluginexec/plugin.go
+++ b/plugin/pluginexec/plugin.go
@@ -117,24 +117,18 @@ func (p *Plugin) Parse(ctx context.Context, req *connect.Request[pluginv1.ParseR
 	for name, sdeps := range targetSpec.Deps.Merge(targetSpec.HashDeps, targetSpec.RuntimeDeps) {
 		var execDeps execv1.Target_Deps
 		for _, dep := range sdeps {
-			sref, err := tref.ParseWithOut(dep)
+			ref, err := tref.ParseWithOut(dep)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
-			ref := &execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef{
-				Package: sref.GetPackage(),
-				Name:    sref.GetName(),
-				Output:  sref.Output, //nolint:protogetter
-			}
-
 			meta, err := anypb.New(ref)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
 			deps = append(deps, &pluginv1.TargetDef_Dep{
-				Ref:  sref,
+				Ref:  ref,
 				Meta: meta,
 			})
 
@@ -145,25 +139,18 @@ func (p *Plugin) Parse(ctx context.Context, req *connect.Request[pluginv1.ParseR
 
 	for _, tools := range targetSpec.Tools {
 		for _, tool := range tools {
-			sref, err := tref.ParseWithOut(tool)
+			ref, err := tref.ParseWithOut(tool)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
-			ref := &execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef{
-				Package: sref.GetPackage(),
-				Name:    sref.GetName(),
-				Args:    sref.GetArgs(),
-				Output:  sref.Output, //nolint:protogetter
-			}
-
 			meta, err := anypb.New(ref)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
 			deps = append(deps, &pluginv1.TargetDef_Dep{
-				Ref:  sref,
+				Ref:  ref,
 				Meta: meta,
 			})
 			target.Tools = append(target.Tools, ref)
diff --git a/plugin/pluginexec/proto/heph/plugin/exec/v1/plugin.proto b/plugin/pluginexec/proto/heph/plugin/exec/v1/plugin.proto
index a0ae531b..54ebec61 100644
--- a/plugin/pluginexec/proto/heph/plugin/exec/v1/plugin.proto
+++ b/plugin/pluginexec/proto/heph/plugin/exec/v1/plugin.proto
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 syntax = "proto3";
 package heph.plugin.exec.v1;
 
+import "heph/plugin/v1/plugin.proto";
+
 message Target {
   message Output {
     string group = 1;
@@ -8,21 +10,15 @@ message Target {
   }
 
   message Deps {
-    message TargetRef {
-      string package = 1;
-      string name = 2;
-      map<string, string> args = 4;
-      optional string output = 3;
-    }
     repeated string files = 1;
-    repeated TargetRef targets = 2;
+    repeated heph.plugin.v1.TargetRefWithOutput targets = 2;
   }
 
   repeated string run = 1;
   map<string, Deps> deps = 2;
   map<string, Deps> hash_deps = 3;
   map<string, Deps> runtime_deps = 4;
-  repeated Deps.TargetRef tools = 10;
+  repeated heph.plugin.v1.TargetRefWithOutput tools = 10;
   repeated Output outputs = 5;
   map<string, string> env = 6;
   map<string, string> runtime_env = 7;
diff --git a/plugin/pluginexec/run.go b/plugin/pluginexec/run.go
index 117c3f56..a558f974 100644
--- a/plugin/pluginexec/run.go
+++ b/plugin/pluginexec/run.go
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ func (p *Plugin) inputEnv(
 	inputs []*pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin,
 	deps map[string]*execv1.Target_Deps,
 ) ([]string, error) {
-	getDep := func(t *execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef) (string, bool) {
+	getDep := func(t *pluginv1.TargetRefWithOutput) (string, bool) {
 		for name, dep := range deps {
 			for _, target := range dep.GetTargets() {
 				if target.GetName() == t.GetName() && target.GetPackage() == t.GetPackage() {
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ func (p *Plugin) inputEnv(
 			continue
 		}
 
-		ref := &execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef{}
+		ref := &pluginv1.TargetRefWithOutput{}
 		err := input.GetMeta().UnmarshalTo(ref)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
diff --git a/plugin/pluginexec/sandbox.go b/plugin/pluginexec/sandbox.go
index 72dc9762..81850973 100644
--- a/plugin/pluginexec/sandbox.go
+++ b/plugin/pluginexec/sandbox.go
@@ -74,14 +74,14 @@ func SetupSandbox(ctx context.Context, t *execv1.Target, results []*pluginv1.Art
 	return listArtifacts, nil
 }
 
-func ArtifactsForDep(inputs []*pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin, ref *execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef) iter.Seq[*pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin] {
+func ArtifactsForDep(inputs []*pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin, ref *pluginv1.TargetRefWithOutput) iter.Seq[*pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin] {
 	return func(yield func(origin *pluginv1.ArtifactWithOrigin) bool) {
 		for _, input := range inputs {
 			if input.GetArtifact().GetType() != pluginv1.Artifact_TYPE_OUTPUT {
 				continue
 			}
 
-			aref := &execv1.Target_Deps_TargetRef{}
+			aref := &pluginv1.TargetRefWithOutput{}
 			err := input.GetMeta().UnmarshalTo(aref)
 			if err != nil {
 				continue