diff --git a/hyperglass/plugins/_input.py b/hyperglass/plugins/_input.py
index 488bc22..aebc7cc 100644
--- a/hyperglass/plugins/_input.py
+++ b/hyperglass/plugins/_input.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ InputPluginReturn = t.Union[None, bool]
 class InputPlugin(HyperglassPlugin, DirectivePlugin):
     """Plugin to validate user input prior to running commands."""
 
+    _type = "input"
     failure_reason: t.Optional[str] = None
 
     def validate(self, query: "Query") -> InputPluginReturn:
diff --git a/hyperglass/plugins/_output.py b/hyperglass/plugins/_output.py
index eac4567..ba7995f 100644
--- a/hyperglass/plugins/_output.py
+++ b/hyperglass/plugins/_output.py
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ OutputType = Union["OutputDataModel", Series[str]]
 class OutputPlugin(HyperglassPlugin, DirectivePlugin, PlatformPlugin):
     """Plugin to interact with device command output."""
 
+    _type = "output"
+
     def process(self, *, output: OutputType, query: "Query") -> OutputType:
         """Process or manipulate output from a device."""
         log.warning("Output plugin '{}' has not implemented a 'process()' method", self.name)
diff --git a/hyperglass/plugins/external/.gitignore b/hyperglass/plugins/external/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9beee42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hyperglass/plugins/external/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Ignore all files as they're imported at runtime.
+*
+!__init__.py
+!.gitignore
diff --git a/hyperglass/plugins/external/__init__.py b/hyperglass/plugins/external/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/hyperglass/plugins/main.py b/hyperglass/plugins/main.py
index 4fa1c51..7e9b7f5 100644
--- a/hyperglass/plugins/main.py
+++ b/hyperglass/plugins/main.py
@@ -2,22 +2,18 @@
 
 # Standard Library
 import sys
+import shutil
 import typing as t
 from inspect import isclass, getmembers
 from pathlib import Path
 from importlib.util import module_from_spec, spec_from_file_location
 
-# Project
-from hyperglass.log import log
-
 # Local
 from . import _builtin
 from ._input import InputPlugin
 from ._output import OutputPlugin
 from ._manager import InputPluginManager, OutputPluginManager
 
-_PLUGIN_GLOBALS = {"InputPlugin": InputPlugin, "OutputPlugin": OutputPlugin, "log": log}
-
 
 def _is_class(module: t.Any, obj: object) -> bool:
     if isclass(obj):
@@ -50,11 +46,12 @@ def _register_from_module(module: t.Any, **kwargs: t.Any) -> t.Tuple[str, ...]:
 
 def _module_from_file(file: Path) -> t.Any:
     """Import a plugin module from its file Path object."""
-    name = file.name.split(".")[0]
-    spec = spec_from_file_location(f"hyperglass.plugins.external.{name}", file)
+    plugins_dir = Path(__file__).parent / "external"
+    dst = plugins_dir / f"imported_{file.name}"
+    shutil.copy2(file, dst)
+    name = f"imported_{file.name.split('.')[0]}"
+    spec = spec_from_file_location(f"hyperglass.plugins.external.{name}", dst)
     module = module_from_spec(spec)
-    for k, v in _PLUGIN_GLOBALS.items():
-        setattr(module, k, v)
     spec.loader.exec_module(module)
     return module