diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 35cf9db7b9..ca6c8525f0 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -22,8 +22,11 @@ option(ENABLE_LOGGING "Enable logging with google-glog library" ON)
 option(BOOST_USE_CXX11 "Boost has been built with C++11 support" OFF)
 option(BOOST_USE_SIGNALS2 "Boost use signals2 instead of signals" ON)
 option(ENABLE_ASAN "Enable Address Sanitizer (Unix Only)" OFF)
+option(INSTALL_PRIVATE_HEADERS "Install private headers (usually needed for externally built Rime plugins)" OFF)
+option(ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS "Enable loading of externally built Rime plugins (from directory set by RIME_PLUGINS_DIR variable)" OFF)
 
-set(rime_data_dir "/share/rime-data" CACHE STRING "Target directory for Rime data")
+set(RIME_DATA_DIR "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_DATADIR}/rime-data" CACHE STRING "Target directory for Rime data")
+set(RIME_PLUGINS_DIR "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}/rime-plugins" CACHE STRING "Target directory for externally built Rime plugins")
 
 if(WIN32)
   set(ext ".exe")
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ endif()
 set(BOOST_COMPONENTS filesystem regex system)
 
 if(BOOST_USE_SIGNALS2)
-  add_definitions("-DBOOST_SIGNALS2")
+  set(RIME_BOOST_SIGNALS2 1)
 else()
   set(BOOST_COMPONENTS ${BOOST_COMPONENTS} signals)
 endif()
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ if(ENABLE_LOGGING)
     add_definitions(-DGOOGLE_GLOG_DLL_DECL=)
   endif()
 
-  add_definitions(-DRIME_ENABLE_LOGGING)
+  set(RIME_ENABLE_LOGGING 1)
 
 endif()
 
@@ -134,6 +137,11 @@ else()
   message(WARNING "X11/keysym.h not found.")
 endif()
 
+configure_file(
+  "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/rime/build_config.h.in"
+  "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/rime/build_config.h")
+
+include_directories(${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src)
 include_directories(${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src)
 include_directories(${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/thirdparty/include)
 link_directories(${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/thirdparty/lib)
@@ -177,7 +185,8 @@ if(${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME} MATCHES "Linux|FreeBSD|DragonFly|GNU")
   set(exec_prefix "${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}")
   set(bindir "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_BINDIR}")
   set(libdir "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_LIBDIR}")
-  set(pkgdatadir "${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}${rime_data_dir}")
+  set(pkgdatadir "${RIME_DATA_DIR}")
+  set(pluginsdir "${RIME_PLUGINS_DIR}")
   set(includedir "${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_INCLUDEDIR}")
   configure_file(
       ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/rime.pc.in
@@ -193,11 +202,23 @@ install(FILES cmake/RimeConfig.cmake
 file(GLOB rime_public_header_files ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/*.h)
 install(FILES ${rime_public_header_files}
   DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_INCLUDEDIR})
+if(INSTALL_PRIVATE_HEADERS)
+  file(GLOB rime_private_header_files
+    ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/rime/*.h
+    ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/src/rime/*.h)
+  install(FILES ${rime_private_header_files}
+    DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_INCLUDEDIR}/rime)
+  foreach(rime_private_header_files_dir algo config dict gear lever)
+    file(GLOB rime_private_header_files
+      ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src/rime/${rime_private_header_files_dir}/*.h)
+    install(FILES ${rime_private_header_files}
+      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_FULL_INCLUDEDIR}/rime/${rime_private_header_files_dir})
+  endforeach()
+endif()
 
 if(BUILD_DATA)
   file(GLOB rime_preset_data_files ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/data/preset/*.yaml)
-  install(FILES ${rime_preset_data_files}
-    DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}${rime_data_dir})
+  install(FILES ${rime_preset_data_files} DESTINATION ${RIME_DATA_DIR})
 endif()
 
 if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
@@ -227,6 +248,11 @@ if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS AND BUILD_SEPARATE_LIBS AND rime_plugins_objs)
   set(rime_plugins_library rime-plugins)
 endif()
 
+add_definitions(-DRIME_PLUGINS_DIR="${RIME_PLUGINS_DIR}")
+if(ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS)
+  add_definitions(-DRIME_ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS)
+endif()
+
 add_subdirectory(src)
 
 if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
diff --git a/rime.pc.in b/rime.pc.in
index cdec1e559e..1a8c543183 100644
--- a/rime.pc.in
+++ b/rime.pc.in
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ prefix=@prefix@
 exec_prefix=@exec_prefix@
 libdir=@libdir@
 includedir=@includedir@
+pkgdatadir=@pkgdatadir@
+pluginsdir=@pluginsdir@
 
 Name: Rime
 Description: Rime Input Method Engine
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index b667fa6bff..78e826d482 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ set(rime_optional_deps "")
 if(Gflags_FOUND)
   set(rime_optional_deps ${rime_optional_deps} ${Gflags_LIBRARY})
 endif()
+if(ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS)
+  set(rime_optional_deps ${rime_optional_deps} dl)
+endif()
 
 set(rime_core_deps
     ${Boost_LIBRARIES}
diff --git a/src/rime/build_config.h.in b/src/rime/build_config.h.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ebd16527e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/rime/build_config.h.in
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+//
+// Copyright RIME Developers
+// Distributed under the BSD License
+//
+#ifndef RIME_BUILD_CONFIG_H_
+#define RIME_BUILD_CONFIG_H_
+
+#cmakedefine RIME_BOOST_SIGNALS2
+#cmakedefine RIME_ENABLE_LOGGING
+
+#endif  // RIME_BUILD_CONFIG_H_
diff --git a/src/rime/common.h b/src/rime/common.h
index e2b91c1b65..cf6c3e96c7 100644
--- a/src/rime/common.h
+++ b/src/rime/common.h
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 #ifndef RIME_COMMON_H_
 #define RIME_COMMON_H_
 
+#include <rime/build_config.h>
+
 #include <functional>
 #include <list>
 #include <map>
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@
 #include <vector>
 #include <boost/optional.hpp>
 #define BOOST_BIND_NO_PLACEHOLDERS
-#ifdef BOOST_SIGNALS2
+#ifdef RIME_BOOST_SIGNALS2
 #include <boost/signals2/connection.hpp>
 #include <boost/signals2/signal.hpp>
 #else
@@ -79,7 +81,7 @@ inline an<T> New(Args&&... args) {
   return std::make_shared<T>(std::forward<Args>(args)...);
 }
 
-#ifdef BOOST_SIGNALS2
+#ifdef RIME_BOOST_SIGNALS2
 using boost::signals2::connection;
 using boost::signals2::signal;
 #else
diff --git a/src/rime/lever/deployment_tasks.cc b/src/rime/lever/deployment_tasks.cc
index eea663edcf..e40bc6df68 100644
--- a/src/rime/lever/deployment_tasks.cc
+++ b/src/rime/lever/deployment_tasks.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 //
 // 2011-12-10 GONG Chen <chen.sst@gmail.com>
 //
+
+#include <rime/build_config.h>
+
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <boost/algorithm/string.hpp>
 #include <boost/filesystem.hpp>
diff --git a/src/rime/setup.cc b/src/rime/setup.cc
index bb65a9f1bb..008974f7d9 100644
--- a/src/rime/setup.cc
+++ b/src/rime/setup.cc
@@ -5,6 +5,13 @@
 // 2011-10-02 GONG Chen <chen.sst@gmail.com>
 //
 
+#include <rime/build_config.h>
+
+#ifdef RIME_ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <glob.h>
+#endif // RIME_ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS
+
 #ifdef RIME_ENABLE_LOGGING
 #include <glog/logging.h>
 #endif  // RIME_ENABLE_LOGGING
@@ -36,6 +43,32 @@ RIME_API void LoadModules(const char* module_names[]) {
       mm.LoadModule(module);
     }
   }
+
+#ifdef RIME_ENABLE_EXTERNAL_PLUGINS
+  fs::path plugins_dir = fs::path(RIME_PLUGINS_DIR);
+  fs::path plugins_files = plugins_dir / "*.so";
+  glob_t glob_buffer;
+  if (glob(plugins_files.string().c_str(), 0, NULL, &glob_buffer) == 0) {
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < glob_buffer.gl_pathc; i++) {
+      fs::path plugin_file(glob_buffer.gl_pathv[i]);
+      fs::path plugin_name = plugin_file.stem();
+      fs::file_status plugin_file_status = fs::status(plugin_file);
+      if (fs::is_regular_file(plugin_file) &&
+          plugin_file_status.permissions() & (fs::owner_exe | fs::group_exe | fs::others_exe)) {
+        void* handle = dlopen(plugin_file.string().c_str(), RTLD_LAZY);
+        if (handle) {
+          if (RimeModule* module = mm.Find(plugin_name.string())) {
+            mm.LoadModule(module);
+          }
+        }
+        else {
+          LOG(ERROR) << "dlopen error: " << dlerror();
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    globfree(&glob_buffer);
+  }
+#endif
 }
 
 // assume member is a non-null pointer in struct *p.