diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 0b5ba855a..168566300 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ install_requires =
     # warning filter implemented in `weaviate/_authlib_compat.py`.
     pydantic>=2.12.0,<3.0.0
     grpcio>=1.59.5,<1.80.0
-    protobuf>=4.21.6,<7.0.0
+    protobuf>=4.21.6,<8.0.0
     packaging>=21.0
 python_requires = >=3.10