diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/DependencyHolder.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/DependencyHolder.kt
index bf88494a..2103bdc1 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/DependencyHolder.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/DependencyHolder.kt
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ interface IDependencyHolder {
     val compileProvidedDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>
     val compileRuntimeDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>
     val excludedDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>
+    val nativeDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>
 
     @Directive
     var dependencies: Dependencies?
@@ -28,12 +29,13 @@ open class DependencyHolder : IDependencyHolder {
     override val compileProvidedDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency> = arrayListOf()
     override val compileRuntimeDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency> = arrayListOf()
     override val excludedDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency> = arrayListOf()
+    override val nativeDependencies : ArrayList<IClasspathDependency> = arrayListOf()
 
     override var dependencies : Dependencies? = null
 
     override fun dependencies(init: Dependencies.() -> Unit) : Dependencies {
         dependencies = Dependencies(project, compileDependencies, compileProvidedDependencies,
-                compileRuntimeDependencies, excludedDependencies)
+                compileRuntimeDependencies, excludedDependencies, nativeDependencies)
         dependencies!!.init()
         return dependencies!!
     }
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/IJvmFlagContributor.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/IJvmFlagContributor.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f912ae1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/IJvmFlagContributor.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package com.beust.kobalt.api
+
+/**
+ * Plug-ins that add flags to the JVM used to run apps  should implement this interface.
+ */
+interface IJvmFlagContributor : IContributor {
+    /**
+     * The list of JVM flags that will be added to the JVM when the app gets run. @param[currentFlags] is only here
+     * for convenience, in case you need to look at the current JVM flags before adding your own flags.
+     */
+    fun jvmFlagsFor(project: Project, context: KobaltContext, currentFlags: List<String>) : List<String>
+}
+
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Project.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Project.kt
index 2e2b5146..1c3e74dc 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Project.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Project.kt
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ open class Project(
     @Directive
     fun dependenciesTest(init: Dependencies.() -> Unit) : Dependencies {
         dependencies = Dependencies(this, testDependencies, testProvidedDependencies, compileRuntimeDependencies,
-                excludedDependencies)
+                excludedDependencies, nativeDependencies)
         dependencies!!.init()
         return dependencies!!
     }
@@ -138,7 +138,8 @@ class Dependencies(val project: Project,
         val dependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>,
         val providedDependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>,
         val runtimeDependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>,
-        val excludedDependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>) {
+        val excludedDependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>,
+        val nativeDependencies: ArrayList<IClasspathDependency>) {
 
     /**
      * Add the dependencies to the given ArrayList and return a list of future jar files corresponding to
@@ -164,6 +165,9 @@ class Dependencies(val project: Project,
 
     @Directive
     fun exclude(vararg dep: String) = addToDependencies(project, excludedDependencies, dep)
+
+    @Directive
+    fun native(vararg dep: String) = addToDependencies(project, nativeDependencies, dep)
 }
 
 class Scm(val connection: String, val developerConnection: String, val url: String)
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/KobaltPluginXml.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/KobaltPluginXml.kt
index 33c0176e..1156e93e 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/KobaltPluginXml.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/KobaltPluginXml.kt
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml, val pluginClassLoader: ClassLoader?,
     // Not documented yet
     val buildConfigContributors = arrayListOf<IBuildConfigContributor>()
     val mavenIdInterceptors = arrayListOf<IMavenIdInterceptor>()
+    val jvmFlagContributors = arrayListOf<IJvmFlagContributor>()
 
     // Note: intentionally repeating them here even though they are defined by our base class so
     // that this class always contains the full list of contributors and interceptors
@@ -206,6 +207,7 @@ class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml, val pluginClassLoader: ClassLoader?,
                 // Not documented yet
                 if (this is ITestJvmFlagContributor) testJvmFlagContributors.add(this)
                 if (this is ITestJvmFlagInterceptor) testJvmFlagInterceptors.add(this)
+                if (this is IJvmFlagContributor) jvmFlagContributors.add(this)
             }
         }
     }
@@ -218,7 +220,8 @@ class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml, val pluginClassLoader: ClassLoader?,
                 compilerContributors, docContributors, sourceDirContributors,
                 testSourceDirContributors, buildConfigFieldContributors,
                 taskContributors, assemblyContributors,
-                incrementalAssemblyContributors, testJvmFlagInterceptors
+                incrementalAssemblyContributors, testJvmFlagInterceptors,
+                jvmFlagContributors
             ).forEach {
                 it.forEach {
                     it.cleanUpActors()
@@ -256,6 +259,7 @@ class PluginInfo(val xml: KobaltPluginXml, val pluginClassLoader: ClassLoader?,
         incrementalAssemblyContributors.addAll(pluginInfo.incrementalAssemblyContributors)
         testJvmFlagContributors.addAll(pluginInfo.testJvmFlagContributors)
         testJvmFlagInterceptors.addAll(pluginInfo.testJvmFlagInterceptors)
+        jvmFlagContributors.addAll(pluginInfo.jvmFlagContributors)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/KFiles.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/KFiles.kt
index 58f07332..e570e598 100644
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/KFiles.kt
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/misc/KFiles.kt
@@ -65,6 +65,10 @@ class KFiles {
 
         val TEST_CLASSES_DIR : String = "test-classes"
 
+        val NATIVES_DIR : String = "native"
+
+        fun nativeBuildDir(project: Project) = KFiles.joinDir(project.directory, project.buildDirectory, NATIVES_DIR)
+
         fun generatedSourceDir(project: Project, variant: Variant, name: String) =
                 KFiles.joinDir(project.directory, project.buildDirectory, "generated", "source", name,
                         variant.toIntermediateDir())
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
index 483a9f3f..720b20ac 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ fun Project.application(init: ApplicationConfig.() -> Unit) {
 
 @Singleton
 class ApplicationPlugin @Inject constructor(val configActor: ConfigActor<ApplicationConfig>,
-                                            val executors: KobaltExecutors,
+        val executors: KobaltExecutors, val nativeManager: NativeManager,
         val dependencyManager: DependencyManager, val taskContributor : TaskContributor)
             : BasePlugin(), IRunnerContributor, ITaskContributor, IConfigActor<ApplicationConfig> by configActor {
 
@@ -84,6 +84,9 @@ class ApplicationPlugin @Inject constructor(val configActor: ConfigActor<Applica
 
     override fun run(project: Project, context: KobaltContext, classpath: List<IClasspathDependency>): TaskResult {
         var result = TaskResult()
+        if (project.nativeDependencies.any()) {
+            nativeManager.installLibraries(project)
+        }
         configurationFor(project)?.let { config ->
             if (config.mainClass != null) {
                 result = runJarFile(project, context, config)
@@ -113,7 +116,11 @@ class ApplicationPlugin @Inject constructor(val configActor: ConfigActor<Applica
             allDeps.addAll(allTheDependencies)
         }
         val allDepsJoined = allDeps.joinToString(File.pathSeparator)
-        val args = listOf("-classpath", allDepsJoined) + config.jvmArgs + config.mainClass!!
+        val initialArgs = listOf("-classpath", allDepsJoined) + config.jvmArgs + config.mainClass!!
+        val contributorFlags = context.pluginInfo.jvmFlagContributors.flatMap {
+            it.jvmFlagsFor(project, context, initialArgs)
+        }
+        val args = contributorFlags + initialArgs
         val exitCode = RunCommand(java.absolutePath).run(args,
                 successCallback = { output: List<String> ->
                     println(output.joinToString("\n"))
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/NativeManager.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/NativeManager.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7579e1c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/NativeManager.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application
+
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.IJvmFlagContributor
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.KobaltContext
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.Project
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.JarUtils
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.log
+import com.google.inject.Inject
+import java.io.File
+
+/**
+ * Used for projects that define native() dependencies. This class extracts the native jar files in the
+ * $build/native library and configures -Djava.library.path with that directory.
+ */
+class NativeManager @Inject constructor() : IJvmFlagContributor {
+    fun buildDir(project: Project) = File(KFiles.nativeBuildDir(project))
+
+    override fun jvmFlagsFor(project: Project, context: KobaltContext, currentFlags: List<String>): List<String> {
+        return if (project.nativeDependencies.any()) listOf("-Djava.library.path=${buildDir(project)}")
+            else emptyList()
+    }
+
+    fun installLibraries(project: Project) {
+        val buildDir = buildDir(project)
+        if (! buildDir.exists()) {
+            buildDir.mkdirs()
+            project.nativeDependencies.forEach { dep ->
+                log(2, "Extracting $dep " + dep.jarFile.get() + " in $buildDir")
+                JarUtils.extractJarFile(dep.jarFile.get(), buildDir)
+            }
+        } else {
+            log(2, "Native directory $buildDir already exists, not extracting the native jar files")
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/main/resources/META-INF/kobalt-core-plugin.xml b/src/main/resources/META-INF/kobalt-core-plugin.xml
index e353de29..3186b3f5 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/META-INF/kobalt-core-plugin.xml
+++ b/src/main/resources/META-INF/kobalt-core-plugin.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
         <!-- are found to implement one of IPluginActor's interfaces, they are added as such -->
         <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.java.JavaPlugin</class-name>
         <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application.ApplicationPlugin</class-name>
+        <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application.NativeManager</class-name>
         <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.KobaltPlugin</class-name>
         <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.kotlin.KotlinPlugin</class-name>
         <class-name>com.beust.kobalt.plugin.packaging.PackagingPlugin</class-name>