diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Main.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Main.kt
index a04617c5..2578d34d 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Main.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Main.kt
@@ -64,6 +64,13 @@ private class Main @Inject constructor(
 
     public fun run(jc: JCommander, args: Args) : Int {
 
+        //
+        // Add all the plugins read in plugin.xml to the Plugins singleton, so that code
+        // in the build file that calls Plugins.findPlugin() can find them (code in the
+        // build file do not have access to the KobaltContext).
+        //
+        pluginInfo.plugins.forEach { Plugins.addPluginInstance(it) }
+
         if (args.client) {
             client.run()
             return 0
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
index e0d0821e..58f486e4 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
@@ -11,13 +11,7 @@ import com.beust.kobalt.maven.LocalRepo
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KobaltExecutors
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.log
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.DefaultPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.android.AndroidPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application.ApplicationPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.java.JavaPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.kotlin.KotlinPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.packaging.PackagingPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.publish.PublishPlugin
+import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.KobaltDefaultPlugin
 import com.google.inject.Provider
 import java.io.FileInputStream
 import java.lang.reflect.Method
@@ -44,25 +38,10 @@ public class Plugins @Inject constructor (val taskManagerProvider : Provider<Tas
             addPluginInstance(Kobalt.INJECTOR.getInstance(pluginClass))
         }
 
-        private fun addPluginInstance(plugin: Plugin) {
+        fun addPluginInstance(plugin: Plugin) {
             pluginMap.put(plugin.name, plugin)
         }
 
-        init {
-            arrayListOf<Class<out Plugin>>(
-                    DefaultPlugin::class.java,
-                    JavaPlugin::class.java,
-                    KotlinPlugin::class.java,
-                    PackagingPlugin::class.java,
-                    PublishPlugin::class.java,
-                    AndroidPlugin::class.java,
-                    ApplicationPlugin::class.java
-//                    AptPlugin::class.java
-            ).map {
-                addPluginInstance(Kobalt.INJECTOR.getInstance(it))
-            }
-        }
-
         val plugins : List<Plugin>
             get() = ArrayList(pluginMap.values)
 
@@ -71,7 +50,7 @@ public class Plugins @Inject constructor (val taskManagerProvider : Provider<Tas
          */
         val dynamicPlugins : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency> = arrayListOf()
 
-        val defaultPlugin : Plugin get() = findPlugin(DefaultPlugin.NAME)!!
+        val defaultPlugin : Plugin get() = findPlugin(KobaltDefaultPlugin.NAME)!!
 
         fun findPlugin(name: String) : Plugin? = pluginMap[name]
     }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltPluginXml.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltPluginXml.kt
index 3c13f21f..273fb8dc 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltPluginXml.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/KobaltPluginXml.kt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package com.beust.kobalt.api
 
+import com.beust.kobalt.Plugins
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.IClasspathDependency
 import java.io.File
 import java.io.InputStream
@@ -74,17 +75,20 @@ class KobaltPluginXml {
     @XmlElement @JvmField
     var name: String? = null
 
+    @XmlElement(name = "plugins") @JvmField
+    var plugins : ClassNameXml? = null
+
     @XmlElement(name = "factory-class-name") @JvmField
     var factoryClassName: String? = null
 
     @XmlElement(name = "classpath-contributors") @JvmField
-    var classpathContributors : ContributorsXml? = null
+    var classpathClassName: ClassNameXml? = null
 
     @XmlElement(name = "project-contributors") @JvmField
-    var projectContributors : ContributorsXml? = null
+    var projectClassName: ClassNameXml? = null
 
     @XmlElement(name = "init-contributors") @JvmField
-    var initContributors : ContributorsXml? = null
+    var initClassName: ClassNameXml? = null
 }
 
 class ContributorXml {
@@ -92,7 +96,7 @@ class ContributorXml {
     val name: String? = null
 }
 
-class ContributorsXml {
+class ClassNameXml {
     @XmlElement(name = "class-name") @JvmField
     var className: List<String> = arrayListOf()
 }
@@ -103,6 +107,7 @@ class ContributorsXml {
  * needs to access plug-in info can then just inject a PluginInfo object.
  */
 class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml) {
+    val plugins = arrayListOf<Plugin>()
     val projectContributors = arrayListOf<IProjectContributor>()
     val classpathContributors = arrayListOf<IClasspathContributor>()
     val initContributors = arrayListOf<IInitContributor>()
@@ -141,13 +146,16 @@ class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml) {
 
     init {
         val factory = Class.forName(xml.factoryClassName).newInstance() as IFactory
-        xml.classpathContributors?.className?.forEach {
+        xml.plugins?.className?.forEach {
+            plugins.add(factory.instanceOf(Class.forName(it)) as Plugin)
+        }
+        xml.classpathClassName?.className?.forEach {
             classpathContributors.add(factory.instanceOf(Class.forName(it)) as IClasspathContributor)
         }
-        xml.projectContributors?.className?.forEach {
+        xml.projectClassName?.className?.forEach {
             projectContributors.add(factory.instanceOf(Class.forName(it)) as IProjectContributor)
         }
-        xml.initContributors?.className?.forEach {
+        xml.initClassName?.className?.forEach {
             initContributors.add(factory.instanceOf(Class.forName(it)) as IInitContributor)
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/MainModule.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/MainModule.kt
index 1e4f7f03..9ee9220b 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/MainModule.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/MainModule.kt
@@ -5,10 +5,7 @@ import com.beust.kobalt.api.PluginInfo
 import com.beust.kobalt.kotlin.BuildFileCompiler
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.*
 import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.publish.JCenterApi
-import com.google.inject.AbstractModule
-import com.google.inject.BindingAnnotation
-import com.google.inject.Provider
-import com.google.inject.TypeLiteral
+import com.google.inject.*
 import com.google.inject.assistedinject.FactoryModuleBuilder
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService
 
@@ -54,7 +51,7 @@ public open class MainModule(val args: Args) : AbstractModule() {
         })
         bind(PluginInfo::class.java).toProvider(object: Provider<PluginInfo> {
             override fun get(): PluginInfo? = PluginInfo.readKobaltPluginXml()
-        })
+        }).`in`(Singleton::class.java)
 
 
 //        bindListener(Matchers.any(), object: TypeListener {
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/DefaultPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/KobaltDefaultPlugin.kt
similarity index 77%
rename from src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/DefaultPlugin.kt
rename to src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/KobaltDefaultPlugin.kt
index 2c856f1e..17ea3c87 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/DefaultPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/KobaltDefaultPlugin.kt
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ import javax.inject.Singleton
  * This plugin is used to gather tasks defined in build files, since these tasks don't really belong to any plugin.
  */
 @Singleton
-public class DefaultPlugin : BasePlugin() {
+public class KobaltDefaultPlugin : BasePlugin() {
     companion object {
-        public val NAME = "Default"
+        public val NAME = "Kobalt default"
     }
 
     override val name: String get() = NAME
diff --git a/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml b/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
index 9c79eadd..953ef677 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
+++ b/src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
@@ -1,6 +1,15 @@
 <kobalt-plugin>
 	<name>kobalt</name>
 	<factory-class-name>com.beust.kobalt.api.ContributorFactory</factory-class-name>
+	<plugins>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.android.AndroidPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application.ApplicationPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.KobaltDefaultPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.java.JavaPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.kotlin.KotlinPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.packaging.PackagingPlugin</class-name>
+		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.publish.PublishPlugin</class-name>
+	</plugins>
 	<classpath-contributors>
 		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.android.AndroidPlugin</class-name>
 		<class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.kotlin.KotlinPlugin</class-name>