diff --git a/src/core/ext/client_config/client_config_plugin.c b/src/core/ext/client_config/client_config_plugin.c
index 5e316134205700d668d2e53790e1b51676ea7c28..dc3629d38336011555ff73d1d5e5c595d91aa36a 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/client_config/client_config_plugin.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/client_config/client_config_plugin.c
@@ -43,10 +43,6 @@
 #include "src/core/ext/client_config/subchannel_index.h"
 #include "src/core/lib/surface/channel_init.h"
 
-#ifndef GRPC_DEFAULT_NAME_PREFIX
-#define GRPC_DEFAULT_NAME_PREFIX "dns:///"
-#endif
-
 static bool append_filter(grpc_channel_stack_builder *builder, void *arg) {
   return grpc_channel_stack_builder_append_filter(
       builder, (const grpc_channel_filter *)arg, NULL, NULL);
@@ -79,7 +75,7 @@ static bool set_default_host_if_unset(grpc_channel_stack_builder *builder,
 
 void grpc_client_config_init(void) {
   grpc_lb_policy_registry_init();
-  grpc_resolver_registry_init(GRPC_DEFAULT_NAME_PREFIX);
+  grpc_resolver_registry_init();
   grpc_subchannel_index_init();
   grpc_channel_init_register_stage(GRPC_CLIENT_CHANNEL, INT_MIN,
                                    set_default_host_if_unset, NULL);
diff --git a/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.c b/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.c
index b5308a140c910506440c8eb5b8e0ad4ff3c295bf..8d8e2d9d8c01a6496cec3058d1d83a1e711768d9 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.c
+++ b/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.c
@@ -40,22 +40,20 @@
 #include <grpc/support/string_util.h>
 
 #define MAX_RESOLVERS 10
+#define DEFAULT_RESOLVER_PREFIX_MAX_LENGTH 32
 
 static grpc_resolver_factory *g_all_of_the_resolvers[MAX_RESOLVERS];
 static int g_number_of_resolvers = 0;
 
-static char *g_default_resolver_prefix;
+static char g_default_resolver_prefix[DEFAULT_RESOLVER_PREFIX_MAX_LENGTH] =
+    "dns:///";
 
-void grpc_resolver_registry_init(const char *default_resolver_prefix) {
-  g_default_resolver_prefix = gpr_strdup(default_resolver_prefix);
-}
+void grpc_resolver_registry_init() {}
 
 void grpc_resolver_registry_shutdown(void) {
-  int i;
-  for (i = 0; i < g_number_of_resolvers; i++) {
+  for (int i = 0; i < g_number_of_resolvers; i++) {
     grpc_resolver_factory_unref(g_all_of_the_resolvers[i]);
   }
-  gpr_free(g_default_resolver_prefix);
   // FIXME(ctiller): this should live in grpc_resolver_registry_init,
   // however that would have the client_config plugin call this AFTER we start
   // registering resolvers from third party plugins, and so they'd never show
@@ -65,6 +63,14 @@ void grpc_resolver_registry_shutdown(void) {
   g_number_of_resolvers = 0;
 }
 
+void grpc_resolver_registry_set_default_prefix(
+    const char *default_resolver_prefix) {
+  GPR_ASSERT(strlen(default_resolver_prefix) <
+             DEFAULT_RESOLVER_PREFIX_MAX_LENGTH);
+  memcpy(g_default_resolver_prefix, default_resolver_prefix,
+         DEFAULT_RESOLVER_PREFIX_MAX_LENGTH);
+}
+
 void grpc_register_resolver_type(grpc_resolver_factory *factory) {
   int i;
   for (i = 0; i < g_number_of_resolvers; i++) {
@@ -108,7 +114,7 @@ static grpc_resolver_factory *resolve_factory(const char *target,
   *uri = grpc_uri_parse(target, 1);
   factory = lookup_factory_by_uri(*uri);
   if (factory == NULL) {
-    if (g_default_resolver_prefix != NULL) {
+    if (g_default_resolver_prefix[0] != '\0') {
       grpc_uri_destroy(*uri);
       gpr_asprintf(&tmp, "%s%s", g_default_resolver_prefix, target);
       *uri = grpc_uri_parse(tmp, 1);
diff --git a/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.h b/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.h
index 92e248d5488882cfceebb1c4e82a2e1034bacf45..4c6279b978906368eb7a38821af557906b5accd3 100644
--- a/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.h
+++ b/src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_registry.h
@@ -36,9 +36,12 @@
 
 #include "src/core/ext/client_config/resolver_factory.h"
 
-void grpc_resolver_registry_init(const char *default_prefix);
+void grpc_resolver_registry_init();
 void grpc_resolver_registry_shutdown(void);
 
+/** Set the default URI prefix to \a default_prefix. */
+void grpc_resolver_registry_set_default_prefix(const char *default_prefix);
+
 /** Register a resolver type.
     URI's of \a scheme will be resolved with the given resolver.
     If \a priority is greater than zero, then the resolver will be eligible
diff --git a/test/core/surface/channel_create_test.c b/test/core/surface/channel_create_test.c
index 450cc37233924b841d138f4061e1c8f78a36861c..580eb303f68604cdf36eff5ac1e06424f7ada89b 100644
--- a/test/core/surface/channel_create_test.c
+++ b/test/core/surface/channel_create_test.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ void test_unknown_scheme_target(void) {
   grpc_channel *chan;
   /* avoid default prefix */
   grpc_resolver_registry_shutdown();
-  grpc_resolver_registry_init("");
+  grpc_resolver_registry_init();
 
   chan = grpc_insecure_channel_create("blah://blah", NULL, NULL);
   GPR_ASSERT(chan != NULL);
diff --git a/test/core/surface/secure_channel_create_test.c b/test/core/surface/secure_channel_create_test.c
index b9525031678eb3957ecf8a79812d1f6b53451ef9..f8a9a6421155edfb9cc3508c1f698d0b241f8332 100644
--- a/test/core/surface/secure_channel_create_test.c
+++ b/test/core/surface/secure_channel_create_test.c
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ void test_unknown_scheme_target(void) {
   grpc_channel *chan;
   grpc_channel_credentials *creds;
   grpc_resolver_registry_shutdown();
-  grpc_resolver_registry_init("");
+  grpc_resolver_registry_init();
 
   creds = grpc_fake_transport_security_credentials_create();
   chan = grpc_secure_channel_create(creds, "blah://blah", NULL, NULL);