diff --git a/router/src/routing/CMakeLists.txt b/router/src/routing/CMakeLists.txt
index 252b3de6db55..1fadb3fb3e05 100644
--- a/router/src/routing/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/router/src/routing/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
 # along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
 # Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
 
+IF (NOT PROTOBUF_LITE_LIBRARY)
+  MESSAGE(FATAL_ERROR "Routing plugin requires protobuf-lite library")
+ENDIF()
+
 SET(ROUTING_SOURCE_FILES_X_PROTOCOL
   ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/protocol/x_protocol.cc
 )
@@ -55,7 +59,7 @@ SET(include_dirs
 
 SET(system_include_dirs
   ${PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_DIR}
-  ${MYSQLX_GENERATE_DIR}/protobuf
+  ${MYSQLX_GENERATE_DIR}/protobuf_lite
 )
 
 # link_directories(${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/ext/protobuf/protobuf-3.0.0/cmake/)
@@ -68,7 +72,7 @@ add_harness_plugin(routing
 TARGET_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(routing PRIVATE ${include_dirs})
 TARGET_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(routing SYSTEM PRIVATE ${system_include_dirs})
 
-TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(routing PRIVATE mysqlxmessages ${PROTOBUF_LIBRARY})
+TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(routing PRIVATE mysqlxmessages_lite ${PROTOBUF_LITE_LIBRARY})
 
 IF(CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME STREQUAL "SunOS")
   TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(routing PRIVATE -lnsl PRIVATE -lsocket)
diff --git a/router/src/routing/src/protocol/x_protocol.cc b/router/src/routing/src/protocol/x_protocol.cc
index 0eb1b6926123..00b5299f505f 100644
--- a/router/src/routing/src/protocol/x_protocol.cc
+++ b/router/src/routing/src/protocol/x_protocol.cc
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <cassert>
 
-using ProtobufMessage = google::protobuf::Message;
+using ProtobufMessage = google::protobuf::MessageLite;
 IMPORT_LOG_FUNCTIONS()
 
 constexpr size_t kMessageHeaderSize = 5;
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ static bool send_message(const std::string &log_prefix, int destination,
 
 static bool message_valid(const void *message_buffer, const int8_t message_type,
                           const uint32_t message_size) {
-  std::unique_ptr<google::protobuf::Message> msg;
+  std::unique_ptr<google::protobuf::MessageLite> msg;
 
   assert(message_type == Mysqlx::ClientMessages::SESS_AUTHENTICATE_START ||
          message_type == Mysqlx::ClientMessages::CON_CAPABILITIES_GET ||
diff --git a/router/src/routing/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/router/src/routing/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index a659adc6c02c..582cb9c34773 100644
--- a/router/src/routing/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/router/src/routing/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -30,14 +30,14 @@ INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(
 
 INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(SYSTEM
   ${PROTOBUF_INCLUDE_DIR}
-  ${MYSQLX_GENERATE_DIR}/protobuf
+  ${MYSQLX_GENERATE_DIR}/protobuf_lite
 )
 
 # link_directories(${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/ext/protobuf/protobuf-3.0.0/cmake/)
 ADD_LIBRARY(routing_tests STATIC ${ROUTING_SOURCE_FILES})
 TARGET_LINK_LIBRARIES(routing_tests routertest_helpers router_lib
                       metadata_cache_static mysql_protocol_static
-                      mysqlxmessages ${PROTOBUF_LIBRARY})
+                      mysqlxmessages_lite ${PROTOBUF_LITE_LIBRARY})
 TARGET_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS(routing_tests PRIVATE -Dmetadata_cache_DEFINE_STATIC=1)
 TARGET_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS(routing_tests PRIVATE -Dmysql_protocol_DEFINE_STATIC=1)
 TARGET_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES(routing PRIVATE ${include_dirs})
diff --git a/router/src/routing/tests/test_x_protocol.cc b/router/src/routing/tests/test_x_protocol.cc
index 9d5c5da610dc..971d5baa999b 100644
--- a/router/src/routing/tests/test_x_protocol.cc
+++ b/router/src/routing/tests/test_x_protocol.cc
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class XProtocolTest : public ::testing::Test {
 
   void serialize_protobuf_msg_to_buffer(RoutingProtocolBuffer &buffer,
                                         size_t &buffer_offset,
-                                        google::protobuf::Message &msg,
+                                        google::protobuf::MessageLite &msg,
                                         unsigned char type) {
     size_t msg_size = msg.ByteSize();
     google::protobuf::io::CodedOutputStream::WriteLittleEndian32ToArray(