diff --git a/common/protob/messages.proto b/common/protob/messages.proto
index 9808717be9..a4f922b50f 100644
--- a/common/protob/messages.proto
+++ b/common/protob/messages.proto
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ extend google.protobuf.EnumValueOptions {
 /** Options for tagging message types */
 extend google.protobuf.MessageOptions {
     optional bool unstable = 50001;   // indicate that a message definition might change at any time
+    optional uint32 wire_type = 50002;   // override wire type specified in the MessageType enum
 }
 
 
diff --git a/common/protob/pb2py b/common/protob/pb2py
index a21b90bbf2..09feef39c8 100755
--- a/common/protob/pb2py
+++ b/common/protob/pb2py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import tempfile
 from collections import namedtuple, defaultdict
 
 import attr
+import construct as c
 
 from google.protobuf import descriptor_pb2
 
@@ -32,6 +33,22 @@ FIELD_TYPES = {
 }
 # fmt: on
 
+ListOfSimpleValues = c.GreedyRange(
+    c.Struct(
+        "key" / c.VarInt,
+        "value" / c.VarInt,
+    )
+)
+
+
+def parse_protobuf_simple(data):
+    """Micro-parse protobuf-encoded data.
+
+    Assume every field is of type 0 (varint), and parse to a dict of fieldnum: value.
+    """
+    return {v.key >> 3: v.value for v in ListOfSimpleValues.parse(data)}
+
+
 PROTOC = shutil.which("protoc")
 if not PROTOC:
     print("protoc command not found")
@@ -177,11 +194,16 @@ class Descriptor:
         self.messages = []
         self.enums = []
         self.enum_types = defaultdict(dict)
+
+        self.extensions = {}
+
         for file in self.files:
             self.messages += file.message_type
             self.enums += file.enum_type
             for message in file.message_type:
                 self._nested_types_from_message(message)
+            for extension in file.extension:
+                self.extensions[extension.name] = extension.number
 
         if not self.messages and not self.enums:
             raise RuntimeError("No messages and no enums found.")
@@ -191,6 +213,20 @@ class Descriptor:
 
         self.out_dir = None
 
+    def _get_extension(self, something, extension_name, default=None):
+        # There doesn't seem to be a sane way to access extensions on a descriptor
+        # via the google.protobuf API.
+        # We do have access to descriptors of the extensions...
+        extension_num = self.extensions[extension_name]
+        # ...and the "options" descriptor _does_ include the extension data. But while
+        # the API provides access to unknown fields, it hides the extensions.
+        # What we do is re-encode the options descriptor...
+        options_bytes = something.options.SerializeToString()
+        # ...and re-parse it as a dict of uvarints...
+        simple_values = parse_protobuf_simple(options_bytes)
+        # ...and extract the value corresponding to the extension we care about.
+        return simple_values.get(extension_num, default)
+
     def _nested_types_from_message(self, message):
         self.messages += message.nested_type
         self.enums += message.enum_type
@@ -286,7 +322,10 @@ class Descriptor:
 
     def process_message(self, message, include_deprecated=False):
         logging.debug("Processing message {}".format(message.name))
-        msg_id = self.message_types.get(message.name)
+
+        msg_id = self._get_extension(message, "wire_type")
+        if msg_id is None:
+            msg_id = self.message_types.get(message.name)
 
         # "from .. import protobuf as p"
         yield self.protobuf_import + " as p"