diff --git a/qemu-options.hx b/qemu-options.hx
index b95bf9fbed..8faea5bfb8 100644
--- a/qemu-options.hx
+++ b/qemu-options.hx
@@ -4201,6 +4201,23 @@ HXCOMM HX does not support conditional compilation of text.
 @findex -trace
 @include qemu-option-trace.texi
 ETEXI
+DEF("plugin", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_plugin,
+    "-plugin [file=]<file>[,arg=<string>]\n"
+    "                load a plugin\n",
+    QEMU_ARCH_ALL)
+STEXI
+@item -plugin file=@var{file}[,arg=@var{string}]
+@findex -plugin
+
+Load a plugin.
+
+@table @option
+@item file=@var{file}
+Load the given plugin from a shared library file.
+@item arg=@var{string}
+Argument string passed to the plugin. (Can be given multiple times.)
+@end table
+ETEXI
 
 HXCOMM Internal use
 DEF("qtest", HAS_ARG, QEMU_OPTION_qtest, "", QEMU_ARCH_ALL)
diff --git a/vl.c b/vl.c
index 4a7d011661..b87c15d71a 100644
--- a/vl.c
+++ b/vl.c
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 
 #include "trace-root.h"
 #include "trace/control.h"
+#include "qemu/plugin.h"
 #include "qemu/queue.h"
 #include "sysemu/arch_init.h"
 
@@ -2857,6 +2858,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     bool list_data_dirs = false;
     char *dir, **dirs;
     BlockdevOptionsQueue bdo_queue = QSIMPLEQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(bdo_queue);
+    QemuPluginList plugin_list = QTAILQ_HEAD_INITIALIZER(plugin_list);
 
     os_set_line_buffering();
 
@@ -2887,6 +2889,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_global_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_mon_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_trace_opts);
+    qemu_plugin_add_opts();
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_option_rom_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_machine_opts);
     qemu_add_opts(&qemu_accel_opts);
@@ -3681,6 +3684,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                 g_free(trace_file);
                 trace_file = trace_opt_parse(optarg);
                 break;
+            case QEMU_OPTION_plugin:
+                qemu_plugin_opt_parse(optarg, &plugin_list);
+                break;
             case QEMU_OPTION_readconfig:
                 {
                     int ret = qemu_read_config_file(optarg);
@@ -3994,6 +4000,11 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv, char **envp)
                                machine_class->default_machine_opts, 0);
     }
 
+    /* process plugin before CPUs are created, but once -smp has been parsed */
+    if (qemu_plugin_load_list(&plugin_list)) {
+        exit(1);
+    }
+
     qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("device"),
                       default_driver_check, NULL, NULL);
     qemu_opts_foreach(qemu_find_opts("global"),