diff --git a/defs.bzl b/defs.bzl
index 795756de..76050f40 100644
--- a/defs.bzl
+++ b/defs.bzl
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """Top level definition exports for rules_proto_grpc."""
 
 load("//internal:common.bzl", _bazel_build_rule_common_attrs = "bazel_build_rule_common_attrs")
-load("//internal:compile.bzl", _proto_compile_attrs = "proto_compile_attrs", _proto_compile_impl = "proto_compile_impl")
+load("//internal:compile.bzl", _proto_compile = "proto_compile", _proto_compile_attrs = "proto_compile_attrs", _proto_compile_impl = "proto_compile_impl")
 load("//internal:filter_files.bzl", _filter_files = "filter_files")
 load("//internal:plugin.bzl", _proto_plugin = "proto_plugin")
 load("//internal:providers.bzl", _ProtoCompileInfo = "ProtoCompileInfo", _ProtoPluginInfo = "ProtoPluginInfo")
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ proto_plugin = _proto_plugin
 proto_compile_attrs = _proto_compile_attrs
 proto_compile_impl = _proto_compile_impl
 
+# Export compilation function, which can be wrapped by external rules that need more
+# pre-configuration than proto_compile_impl alone allows. e.g third party versions of
+# doc_template_compile_impl-like rules
+proto_compile = _proto_compile
+
 # Export utils
 bazel_build_rule_common_attrs = _bazel_build_rule_common_attrs
 filter_files = _filter_files