diff --git a/prost-build/src/lib.rs b/prost-build/src/lib.rs
index 678ea7b1e..edf91a6a8 100644
--- a/prost-build/src/lib.rs
+++ b/prost-build/src/lib.rs
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ use std::ffi::{OsStr, OsString};
 use std::fmt;
 use std::fs;
 use std::io::{Error, ErrorKind, Result, Write};
+use std::ops::RangeToInclusive;
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::process::Command;
 
@@ -137,8 +138,6 @@ use crate::ident::to_snake;
 use crate::message_graph::MessageGraph;
 use crate::path::PathMap;
 
-type Module = Vec<String>;
-
 /// A service generator takes a service descriptor and generates Rust code.
 ///
 /// `ServiceGenerator` can be used to generate application-specific interfaces
@@ -847,17 +846,33 @@ impl Config {
             )
         })?;
 
-        let modules = self.generate(file_descriptor_set.file)?;
+        let requests = file_descriptor_set
+            .file
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|descriptor| {
+                (
+                    Module::from_protobuf_package_name(descriptor.package()),
+                    descriptor,
+                )
+            })
+            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
+
+        let file_names = requests
+            .iter()
+            .map(|req| {
+                (
+                    req.0.clone(),
+                    req.0.to_file_name_or(&self.default_package_filename),
+                )
+            })
+            .collect::<HashMap<Module, String>>();
+
+        let modules = self.generate(requests)?;
         for (module, content) in &modules {
-            let mut filename = if module.is_empty() {
-                self.default_package_filename.clone()
-            } else {
-                module.join(".")
-            };
-
-            filename.push_str(".rs");
-
-            let output_path = target.join(&filename);
+            let file_name = file_names
+                .get(module)
+                .expect("every module should have a filename");
+            let output_path = target.join(file_name);
 
             let previous_content = fs::read(&output_path);
 
@@ -865,9 +880,9 @@ impl Config {
                 .map(|previous_content| previous_content == content.as_bytes())
                 .unwrap_or(false)
             {
-                trace!("unchanged: {:?}", filename);
+                trace!("unchanged: {:?}", file_name);
             } else {
-                trace!("writing: {:?}", filename);
+                trace!("writing: {:?}", file_name);
                 fs::write(output_path, content)?;
             }
         }
@@ -896,17 +911,17 @@ impl Config {
     ) -> Result<usize> {
         let mut written = 0;
         while !entries.is_empty() {
-            let modident = &entries[0][depth];
+            let modident = entries[0].part(depth);
             let matching: Vec<&Module> = entries
                 .iter()
-                .filter(|&v| &v[depth] == modident)
+                .filter(|&v| v.part(depth) == modident)
                 .copied()
                 .collect();
             {
                 // Will NLL sort this mess out?
                 let _temp = entries
                     .drain(..)
-                    .filter(|&v| &v[depth] != modident)
+                    .filter(|&v| v.part(depth) != modident)
                     .collect();
                 entries = _temp;
             }
@@ -923,7 +938,7 @@ impl Config {
             )?;
             written += subwritten;
             if subwritten != matching.len() {
-                let modname = matching[0][..=depth].join(".");
+                let modname = matching[0].to_partial_file_name(..=depth);
                 if basepath.is_some() {
                     self.write_line(
                         outfile,
@@ -949,25 +964,32 @@ impl Config {
         outfile.write_all(format!("{}{}\n", ("    ").to_owned().repeat(depth), line).as_bytes())
     }
 
-    fn generate(&mut self, files: Vec<FileDescriptorProto>) -> Result<HashMap<Module, String>> {
+    /// Processes a set of modules and file descriptors, returning a map of modules to generated
+    /// code contents.
+    ///
+    /// This is generally used when control over the output should not be managed by Prost,
+    /// such as in a flow for a `protoc` code generating plugin. When compiling as part of a
+    /// `build.rs` file, instead use [`compile_protos()`].
+    pub fn generate(
+        &mut self,
+        requests: Vec<(Module, FileDescriptorProto)>,
+    ) -> Result<HashMap<Module, String>> {
         let mut modules = HashMap::new();
         let mut packages = HashMap::new();
 
-        let message_graph = MessageGraph::new(&files)
+        let message_graph = MessageGraph::new(requests.iter().map(|x| &x.1))
             .map_err(|error| Error::new(ErrorKind::InvalidInput, error))?;
         let extern_paths = ExternPaths::new(&self.extern_paths, self.prost_types)
             .map_err(|error| Error::new(ErrorKind::InvalidInput, error))?;
 
-        for file in files {
-            let module = self.module(&file);
-
+        for request in requests {
             // Only record packages that have services
-            if !file.service.is_empty() {
-                packages.insert(module.clone(), file.package().to_string());
+            if !request.1.service.is_empty() {
+                packages.insert(request.0.clone(), request.1.package().to_string());
             }
 
-            let buf = modules.entry(module).or_insert_with(String::new);
-            CodeGenerator::generate(self, &message_graph, &extern_paths, file, buf);
+            let buf = modules.entry(request.0).or_insert_with(String::new);
+            CodeGenerator::generate(self, &message_graph, &extern_paths, request.1, buf);
         }
 
         if let Some(ref mut service_generator) = self.service_generator {
@@ -979,14 +1001,6 @@ impl Config {
 
         Ok(modules)
     }
-
-    fn module(&self, file: &FileDescriptorProto) -> Module {
-        file.package()
-            .split('.')
-            .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
-            .map(to_snake)
-            .collect()
-    }
 }
 
 impl default::Default for Config {
@@ -1031,6 +1045,72 @@ impl fmt::Debug for Config {
     }
 }
 
+/// A Rust module path for a Protobuf package.
+#[derive(Clone, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
+pub struct Module {
+    components: Vec<String>,
+}
+
+impl Module {
+    /// Construct a module path from an iterator of parts.
+    pub fn from_parts<I>(parts: I) -> Self
+    where
+        I: IntoIterator,
+        I::Item: Into<String>,
+    {
+        Self {
+            components: parts.into_iter().map(|s| s.into()).collect(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Construct a module path from a Protobuf package name.
+    ///
+    /// Constituent parts are automatically converted to snake case in order to follow
+    /// Rust module naming conventions.
+    pub fn from_protobuf_package_name(name: &str) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            components: name
+                .split('.')
+                .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+                .map(to_snake)
+                .collect(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// An iterator over the parts of the path
+    pub fn parts(&self) -> impl Iterator<Item = &str> {
+        self.components.iter().map(|s| s.as_str())
+    }
+
+    /// Format the module path into a filename for generated Rust code.
+    ///
+    /// If the module path is empty, `default` is used to provide the root of the filename.
+    pub fn to_file_name_or(&self, default: &str) -> String {
+        let mut root = if self.components.is_empty() {
+            default.to_owned()
+        } else {
+            self.components.join(".")
+        };
+
+        root.push_str(".rs");
+
+        root
+    }
+
+    /// The number of parts in the module's path.
+    pub fn len(&self) -> usize {
+        self.components.len()
+    }
+
+    fn to_partial_file_name(&self, range: RangeToInclusive<usize>) -> String {
+        self.components[range].join(".")
+    }
+
+    fn part(&self, idx: usize) -> &str {
+        self.components[idx].as_str()
+    }
+}
+
 /// Compile `.proto` files into Rust files during a Cargo build.
 ///
 /// The generated `.rs` files are written to the Cargo `OUT_DIR` directory, suitable for use with
diff --git a/prost-build/src/message_graph.rs b/prost-build/src/message_graph.rs
index fb4a3187e..ac0ad1523 100644
--- a/prost-build/src/message_graph.rs
+++ b/prost-build/src/message_graph.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ pub struct MessageGraph {
 }
 
 impl MessageGraph {
-    pub fn new(files: &[FileDescriptorProto]) -> Result<MessageGraph, String> {
+    pub fn new<'a>(
+        files: impl Iterator<Item = &'a FileDescriptorProto>,
+    ) -> Result<MessageGraph, String> {
         let mut msg_graph = MessageGraph {
             index: HashMap::new(),
             graph: Graph::new(),