diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 501c3f79fa..6854f7bb86 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -395,6 +395,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "nu-json",
  "nu-parser",
  "nu-path",
+ "nu-plugin",
  "nu-protocol",
  "nu-table",
  "nu-term-grid",
@@ -668,7 +669,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "nu-json",
  "nu-parser",
  "nu-path",
- "nu-plugin",
  "nu-protocol",
  "nu-table",
  "nu-term-grid",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 973fae44cc..fe99034f7e 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -26,12 +26,17 @@ nu-json = { path="./crates/nu-json" }
 nu-parser = { path="./crates/nu-parser" }
 nu-path = { path="./crates/nu-path" }
 nu-protocol = { path = "./crates/nu-protocol" }
+nu-plugin = { path = "./crates/nu-plugin", optional = true }
 nu-table = { path = "./crates/nu-table" }
 nu-term-grid = { path = "./crates/nu-term-grid" }
 miette = "3.0.0"
 ctrlc = "3.2.1"
 # mimalloc = { version = "*", default-features = false }
 
+[features]
+plugin = ["nu-plugin", "nu-parser/plugin", "nu-command/plugin"]
+default = ["plugin"]
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 tempfile = "3.2.0"
 assert_cmd = "1.0.7"
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/Cargo.toml b/crates/nu-command/Cargo.toml
index 99d13d33c3..6e03532062 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/nu-command/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ nu-protocol = { path = "../nu-protocol" }
 nu-table = { path = "../nu-table" }
 nu-term-grid = { path = "../nu-term-grid" }
 nu-parser = { path = "../nu-parser" }
-nu-plugin = { path = "../nu-plugin" }
 
 trash = { version = "1.3.0", optional = true }
 unicode-segmentation = "1.8.0"
@@ -34,3 +33,4 @@ titlecase = "1.1.0"
 
 [features]
 trash-support = ["trash"]
+plugin = ["nu-parser/plugin"]
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/mod.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/mod.rs
index 626ac16cda..86ff25b648 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/mod.rs
@@ -9,8 +9,6 @@ mod hide;
 mod if_;
 mod let_;
 mod module;
-mod register;
-mod run_plugin;
 mod source;
 mod use_;
 
@@ -25,7 +23,11 @@ pub use hide::Hide;
 pub use if_::If;
 pub use let_::Let;
 pub use module::Module;
-pub use register::Register;
-pub use run_plugin::RunPlugin;
 pub use source::Source;
 pub use use_::Use;
+
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+mod register;
+
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+pub use register::Register;
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/run_plugin.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/run_plugin.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index c8b448fb02..0000000000
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/run_plugin.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-use nu_protocol::ast::Call;
-use nu_protocol::engine::{Command, EngineState, Stack};
-use nu_protocol::{PipelineData, Signature};
-
-#[derive(Clone)]
-pub struct RunPlugin;
-
-impl Command for RunPlugin {
-    fn name(&self) -> &str {
-        "run_plugin"
-    }
-
-    fn usage(&self) -> &str {
-        "test for plugin encoding"
-    }
-
-    fn signature(&self) -> nu_protocol::Signature {
-        Signature::build("run_plugin")
-    }
-
-    fn run(
-        &self,
-        _context: &EngineState,
-        _stack: &mut Stack,
-        _call: &Call,
-        _input: PipelineData,
-    ) -> Result<nu_protocol::PipelineData, nu_protocol::ShellError> {
-        Ok(PipelineData::new())
-    }
-}
diff --git a/crates/nu-command/src/default_context.rs b/crates/nu-command/src/default_context.rs
index 52dc3f309b..ee5d6da30c 100644
--- a/crates/nu-command/src/default_context.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-command/src/default_context.rs
@@ -73,10 +73,8 @@ pub fn create_default_context() -> EngineState {
             Mv,
             ParEach,
             Ps,
-            Register,
             Range,
             Rm,
-            RunPlugin,
             Select,
             Size,
             Split,
@@ -94,6 +92,9 @@ pub fn create_default_context() -> EngineState {
             Zip
         );
 
+        #[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+        bind_command!(Register);
+
         // This is a WIP proof of concept
         bind_command!(ListGitBranches, Git, GitCheckout, Source);
 
diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/Cargo.toml b/crates/nu-parser/Cargo.toml
index 2dc4d6dc27..2eb26d7f1f 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/Cargo.toml
@@ -7,4 +7,7 @@ edition = "2018"
 miette = "3.0.0"
 thiserror = "1.0.29"
 nu-protocol = { path = "../nu-protocol"}
-nu-plugin = { path = "../nu-plugin"}
+nu-plugin = { path = "../nu-plugin", optional=true}
+
+[features]
+plugin = ["nu-plugin"]
diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/lib.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/lib.rs
index dc5534c9e6..639c43d5a4 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/lib.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ pub use flatten::{flatten_block, FlatShape};
 pub use lex::{lex, Token, TokenContents};
 pub use lite_parse::{lite_parse, LiteBlock};
 pub use parse_keywords::{
-    parse_alias, parse_def, parse_def_predecl, parse_let, parse_module, parse_plugin, parse_use,
+    parse_alias, parse_def, parse_def_predecl, parse_let, parse_module, parse_use,
 };
 pub use parser::{find_captures_in_expr, parse, Import, VarDecl};
+
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+pub use parse_keywords::parse_plugin;
diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/parse_keywords.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/parse_keywords.rs
index 200fb9d7c5..f3df2f2528 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/parse_keywords.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/parse_keywords.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-use nu_plugin::plugin::{get_signature, PluginDeclaration};
 use nu_protocol::{
     ast::{Block, Call, Expr, Expression, ImportPattern, ImportPatternMember, Pipeline, Statement},
     engine::StateWorkingSet,
@@ -6,6 +5,9 @@ use nu_protocol::{
 };
 use std::path::Path;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+use nu_plugin::plugin::{get_signature, PluginDeclaration};
+
 use crate::{
     lex, lite_parse,
     parser::{
@@ -925,6 +927,7 @@ pub fn parse_source(
     )
 }
 
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
 pub fn parse_plugin(
     working_set: &mut StateWorkingSet,
     spans: &[Span],
diff --git a/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs b/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
index 25be7f6d79..5a33d30c03 100644
--- a/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs
@@ -15,10 +15,12 @@ use nu_protocol::{
 };
 
 use crate::parse_keywords::{
-    parse_alias, parse_def, parse_def_predecl, parse_hide, parse_let, parse_module, parse_plugin,
-    parse_use,
+    parse_alias, parse_def, parse_def_predecl, parse_hide, parse_let, parse_module, parse_use,
 };
 
+#[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
+use crate::parse_keywords::parse_plugin;
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub enum Import {}
 
@@ -3007,6 +3009,7 @@ pub fn parse_statement(
             Some(ParseError::UnexpectedKeyword("export".into(), spans[0])),
         ),
         b"hide" => parse_hide(working_set, spans),
+        #[cfg(feature = "plugin")]
         b"register" => parse_plugin(working_set, spans),
         _ => {
             let (expr, err) = parse_expression(working_set, spans, true);
diff --git a/crates/nu-plugin/src/plugin.rs b/crates/nu-plugin/src/plugin.rs
index 672c648463..f83eedd544 100644
--- a/crates/nu-plugin/src/plugin.rs
+++ b/crates/nu-plugin/src/plugin.rs
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ impl Command for PluginDeclaration {
     }
 
     fn usage(&self) -> &str {
-        "plugin name plus arguments"
+        self.signature.usage.as_str()
     }
 
     fn run(