diff --git a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
index 06bef9d08..b89dd5fd9 100644
--- a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
+++ b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.cc
@@ -22,45 +22,10 @@ std::string LegacySSHStoreConfig::doc()
 }
 
 
-struct LegacySSHStore::Connection
+struct LegacySSHStore::Connection : public ServeProto::BasicClientConnection
 {
     std::unique_ptr<SSHMaster::Connection> sshConn;
-    FdSink to;
-    FdSource from;
-    ServeProto::Version remoteVersion;
     bool good = true;
-
-    /**
-     * Coercion to `ServeProto::ReadConn`. This makes it easy to use the
-     * factored out serve protocol searlizers with a
-     * `LegacySSHStore::Connection`.
-     *
-     * The serve protocol connection types are unidirectional, unlike
-     * this type.
-     */
-    operator ServeProto::ReadConn ()
-    {
-        return ServeProto::ReadConn {
-            .from = from,
-            .version = remoteVersion,
-        };
-    }
-
-    /*
-     * Coercion to `ServeProto::WriteConn`. This makes it easy to use the
-     * factored out serve protocol searlizers with a
-     * `LegacySSHStore::Connection`.
-     *
-     * The serve protocol connection types are unidirectional, unlike
-     * this type.
-     */
-    operator ServeProto::WriteConn ()
-    {
-        return ServeProto::WriteConn {
-            .to = to,
-            .version = remoteVersion,
-        };
-    }
 };
 
 
@@ -232,16 +197,16 @@ void LegacySSHStore::narFromPath(const StorePath & path, Sink & sink)
 }
 
 
-void LegacySSHStore::putBuildSettings(Connection & conn)
+static ServeProto::BuildOptions buildSettings()
 {
-    ServeProto::write(*this, conn, ServeProto::BuildOptions {
+    return {
         .maxSilentTime = settings.maxSilentTime,
         .buildTimeout = settings.buildTimeout,
         .maxLogSize = settings.maxLogSize,
         .nrRepeats = 0, // buildRepeat hasn't worked for ages anyway
         .enforceDeterminism = 0,
         .keepFailed = settings.keepFailed,
-    });
+    };
 }
 
 
@@ -250,14 +215,7 @@ BuildResult LegacySSHStore::buildDerivation(const StorePath & drvPath, const Bas
 {
     auto conn(connections->get());
 
-    conn->to
-        << ServeProto::Command::BuildDerivation
-        << printStorePath(drvPath);
-    writeDerivation(conn->to, *this, drv);
-
-    putBuildSettings(*conn);
-
-    conn->to.flush();
+    conn->putBuildDerivationRequest(*this, drvPath, drv, buildSettings());
 
     return ServeProto::Serialise<BuildResult>::read(*this, *conn);
 }
@@ -288,7 +246,7 @@ void LegacySSHStore::buildPaths(const std::vector<DerivedPath> & drvPaths, Build
     }
     conn->to << ss;
 
-    putBuildSettings(*conn);
+    ServeProto::write(*this, *conn, buildSettings());
 
     conn->to.flush();
 
@@ -328,15 +286,8 @@ StorePathSet LegacySSHStore::queryValidPaths(const StorePathSet & paths,
     SubstituteFlag maybeSubstitute)
 {
     auto conn(connections->get());
-
-    conn->to
-        << ServeProto::Command::QueryValidPaths
-        << false // lock
-        << maybeSubstitute;
-    ServeProto::write(*this, *conn, paths);
-    conn->to.flush();
-
-    return ServeProto::Serialise<StorePathSet>::read(*this, *conn);
+    return conn->queryValidPaths(*this,
+        false, paths, maybeSubstitute);
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.hh b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.hh
index 7cee31d66..bdf79eab3 100644
--- a/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/legacy-ssh-store.hh
@@ -78,10 +78,6 @@ struct LegacySSHStore : public virtual LegacySSHStoreConfig, public virtual Stor
         RepairFlag repair = NoRepair) override
     { unsupported("addToStore"); }
 
-private:
-
-    void putBuildSettings(Connection & conn);
-
 public:
 
     BuildResult buildDerivation(const StorePath & drvPath, const BasicDerivation & drv,
diff --git a/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.cc b/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.cc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e65de7650
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#include "serve-protocol-impl.hh"
+#include "build-result.hh"
+#include "derivations.hh"
+
+namespace nix {
+
+StorePathSet ServeProto::BasicClientConnection::queryValidPaths(
+    const Store & store,
+    bool lock, const StorePathSet & paths,
+    SubstituteFlag maybeSubstitute)
+{
+    to
+        << ServeProto::Command::QueryValidPaths
+        << lock
+        << maybeSubstitute;
+    write(store, *this, paths);
+    to.flush();
+
+    return Serialise<StorePathSet>::read(store, *this);
+}
+
+
+void ServeProto::BasicClientConnection::putBuildDerivationRequest(
+    const Store & store,
+    const StorePath & drvPath, const BasicDerivation & drv,
+    const ServeProto::BuildOptions & options)
+{
+    to
+        << ServeProto::Command::BuildDerivation
+        << store.printStorePath(drvPath);
+    writeDerivation(to, store, drv);
+
+    ServeProto::write(store, *this, options);
+
+    to.flush();
+}
+
+}
diff --git a/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.hh b/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.hh
index 6f3b177ac..312f5d47a 100644
--- a/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/serve-protocol-impl.hh
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 #include "serve-protocol.hh"
 #include "length-prefixed-protocol-helper.hh"
+#include "store-api.hh"
 
 namespace nix {
 
@@ -56,4 +57,57 @@ struct ServeProto::Serialise
 
 /* protocol-specific templates */
 
+struct ServeProto::BasicClientConnection
+{
+    FdSink to;
+    FdSource from;
+    ServeProto::Version remoteVersion;
+
+    /**
+     * Coercion to `ServeProto::ReadConn`. This makes it easy to use the
+     * factored out serve protocol serializers with a
+     * `LegacySSHStore::Connection`.
+     *
+     * The serve protocol connection types are unidirectional, unlike
+     * this type.
+     */
+    operator ServeProto::ReadConn ()
+    {
+        return ServeProto::ReadConn {
+            .from = from,
+            .version = remoteVersion,
+        };
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Coercion to `ServeProto::WriteConn`. This makes it easy to use the
+     * factored out serve protocol serializers with a
+     * `LegacySSHStore::Connection`.
+     *
+     * The serve protocol connection types are unidirectional, unlike
+     * this type.
+     */
+    operator ServeProto::WriteConn ()
+    {
+        return ServeProto::WriteConn {
+            .to = to,
+            .version = remoteVersion,
+        };
+    }
+
+    StorePathSet queryValidPaths(
+        const Store & remoteStore,
+        bool lock, const StorePathSet & paths,
+        SubstituteFlag maybeSubstitute);
+
+    /**
+     * Just the request half, because Hydra may do other things between
+     * issuing the request and reading the `BuildResult` response.
+     */
+    void putBuildDerivationRequest(
+        const Store & store,
+        const StorePath & drvPath, const BasicDerivation & drv,
+        const ServeProto::BuildOptions & options);
+};
+
 }
diff --git a/src/libstore/serve-protocol.hh b/src/libstore/serve-protocol.hh
index 1665b935f..632c4b6bd 100644
--- a/src/libstore/serve-protocol.hh
+++ b/src/libstore/serve-protocol.hh
@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ struct ServeProto
         Version version;
     };
 
+    /**
+     * Stripped down serialization logic suitable for sharing with Hydra.
+     *
+     * @todo remove once Hydra uses Store abstraction consistently.
+     */
+    struct BasicClientConnection;
+
     /**
      * Data type for canonical pairs of serialisers for the serve protocol.
      *