diff --git a/source/cmake/Findtensorflow.cmake b/source/cmake/Findtensorflow.cmake
index b5b8c92f3d..0995bc664f 100644
--- a/source/cmake/Findtensorflow.cmake
+++ b/source/cmake/Findtensorflow.cmake
@@ -256,15 +256,47 @@ if(NOT TensorFlow_INCLUDE_DIRS_GOOGLE)
     STATUS
       "Protobuf headers are not found in the directory of TensorFlow, assuming external protobuf was used to build TensorFlow"
   )
-  if(NOT Protobuf_LIBRARY)
-    message(FATAL_ERROR "TensorFlow is not linked to protobuf")
+  # TensorFlow 2.21 packages may not record protobuf as a direct runtime
+  # dependency. If the runtime scan found protobuf, preserve that exact library
+  # and use its installation prefix to guide the header search. Check both flat
+  # <prefix>/lib and multiarch <prefix>/lib/<triplet> layouts before trusting
+  # the inferred prefix. Otherwise, allow FindProtobuf to locate the external
+  # protobuf package normally.
+  if(Protobuf_LIBRARY)
+    set(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_ROOT_WAS_DEFINED FALSE)
+    if(DEFINED Protobuf_ROOT)
+      set(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_ROOT_WAS_DEFINED TRUE)
+      set(_TensorFlow_SAVED_PROTOBUF_ROOT "${Protobuf_ROOT}")
+    endif()
+    get_filename_component(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_LIBRARY_DIRECTORY
+                           "${Protobuf_LIBRARY}" DIRECTORY)
+    get_filename_component(
+      _TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX "${_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_LIBRARY_DIRECTORY}"
+      DIRECTORY)
+    if(NOT EXISTS
+       "${_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX}/include/google/protobuf/service.h")
+      get_filename_component(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX
+                             "${_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX}" DIRECTORY)
+    endif()
+    if(EXISTS
+       "${_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX}/include/google/protobuf/service.h")
+      set(Protobuf_ROOT "${_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX}")
+    endif()
   endif()
-  get_filename_component(Protobuf_LIBRARY_DIRECTORY ${Protobuf_LIBRARY}
-                         DIRECTORY)
-  # assume the include directory is ../include
-  set(Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIR ${Protobuf_LIBRARY_DIRECTORY}/../include)
   find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)
+  if(DEFINED _TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_ROOT_WAS_DEFINED)
+    if(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_ROOT_WAS_DEFINED)
+      set(Protobuf_ROOT "${_TensorFlow_SAVED_PROTOBUF_ROOT}")
+    else()
+      unset(Protobuf_ROOT)
+    endif()
+    unset(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_ROOT_WAS_DEFINED)
+    unset(_TensorFlow_SAVED_PROTOBUF_ROOT)
+    unset(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_LIBRARY_DIRECTORY)
+    unset(_TensorFlow_PROTOBUF_PREFIX)
+  endif()
   set(TensorFlow_INCLUDE_DIRS_GOOGLE ${Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+  set(Protobuf_LIBRARY ${Protobuf_LIBRARIES})
 endif()
 list(APPEND TensorFlow_INCLUDE_DIRS ${TensorFlow_INCLUDE_DIRS_GOOGLE})