diff --git a/plugins/remotefortressreader/proto/readme.txt b/plugins/remotefortressreader/proto/readme.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8cd56aefd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/remotefortressreader/proto/readme.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+placeholder to fix protobufs in plugins/remotefortressreader/CMakeLists.txt