diff --git a/common.go b/common.go
index bd1cc60..8895542 100644
--- a/common.go
+++ b/common.go
@@ -59,6 +59,15 @@ func (rs *RepoStatus) IsPrimitive() bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func (rs *RepoStatus) IsProtobuf() (bool, []string, error) {
+	log.Info("are there .proto files in:", rs.Path())
+	all, err := ScanForProtobuf(rs.Path())
+	for i, s := range all {
+		log.Info("found i, s:", i, s)
+	}
+	return false, all, err
+}
+
 // returns the filesystem path to the repo
 func (rs *RepoStatus) Path() string {
 	return rs.realPath.String()
diff --git a/structs.go b/structs.go
index e9916b5..e30119e 100644
--- a/structs.go
+++ b/structs.go
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ type RepoStatus struct {
 	changed bool // keeps track of changes that might have happened
 	changes string
 	tags    map[string]string
-	InitOk	bool // it takes a second or so to init these
+	InitOk  bool // it takes a second or so to init these
 
 	// used to temporarily tell the automation tools to
 	// try to ignore this repo's changes and state
@@ -23,11 +23,13 @@ type RepoStatus struct {
 	Tags   *GitTagBox           // a box of all the git tags
 
 	dirtyLabel *gadgets.OneLiner
-	dirtyList  string		// the output from git status --porcelain
+	dirtyList  string // the output from git status --porcelain
 	readOnly   *gadgets.OneLiner
 	gitState   *gadgets.OneLiner
-	primitive  *gadgets.OneLiner
-	private    *gadgets.OneLiner
+
+	primitive *gadgets.OneLiner // aka: doesn't have a go.sum file
+	private   *gadgets.OneLiner // it's not possible to publish this to pkg.go.dev
+	protobuf  *gadgets.OneLiner // is this repo a protobuf repo?
 
 	path      *gadgets.OneLiner
 	goSrcPath *gadgets.OneLiner
diff --git a/unix.go b/unix.go
index 1929d24..6d90676 100644
--- a/unix.go
+++ b/unix.go
@@ -466,3 +466,22 @@ func ScanGitDirectories(srcDir string) []string {
 
 	return all
 }
+
+func ScanForProtobuf(srcDir string) ([]string, error) {
+	var protofiles []string
+	err := filepath.Walk(srcDir, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Log(REPOWARN, "Error accessing path:", path, err)
+			return err
+		}
+
+		if strings.HasSuffix(path, ".proto") {
+			//
+			protofiles = append(protofiles, path)
+		}
+
+		return nil
+	})
+
+	return protofiles, err
+}