diff --git a/cmd/root.go b/cmd/root.go
index af02fd981..3471521dd 100644
--- a/cmd/root.go
+++ b/cmd/root.go
@@ -68,7 +68,17 @@ func startWorker(userInput string) <-chan error {
 			}
 		}
 
-		catalog, scope, distro, err := syft.Catalog(userInput, appConfig.ScopeOpt)
+		config := syft.Config{
+			PluginDirectory: appConfig.Plugins.Directory,
+		}
+
+		client, err := syft.NewClient(config)
+		if err != nil {
+			errs <- fmt.Errorf("could not initialize syft: %+v", err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		catalog, scope, distro, err := client.Catalog(userInput, appConfig.ScopeOpt)
 		if err != nil {
 			errs <- fmt.Errorf("failed to catalog input: %+v", err)
 			return
diff --git a/syft/cataloger/cataloger.go b/syft/cataloger/cataloger.go
index fb1136644..11f7ec179 100644
--- a/syft/cataloger/cataloger.go
+++ b/syft/cataloger/cataloger.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type Cataloger interface {
 	// TODO: add "IterationNeeded" error to indicate to the driver to continue with another Select/Catalog pass
 }
 
+// All returns a slice of all locally defined catalogers (defined in child packages).
 func BuiltIn() []Cataloger {
 	return []Cataloger{
 		dpkg.New(),
@@ -46,8 +47,3 @@ func BuiltIn() []Cataloger {
 		javascript.New(),
 	}
 }
-
-// All returns a slice of all locally defined catalogers (defined in child packages).
-func All() []Cataloger {
-	return BuiltIn()
-}
diff --git a/syft/lib.go b/syft/client.go
similarity index 65%
rename from syft/lib.go
rename to syft/client.go
index b74bf3efe..3edd0a52b 100644
--- a/syft/lib.go
+++ b/syft/client.go
@@ -10,13 +10,35 @@ import (
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/distro"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/logger"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/pkg"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/plugin"
 	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/scope"
 	"github.com/wagoodman/go-partybus"
 )
 
+type Config struct {
+	PluginDirectory string
+}
+
+type Client struct {
+	config  Config
+	plugins *plugin.Repository
+}
+
+func NewClient(config Config) (Client, error) {
+	plugins, err := plugin.NewRepositoryFromDirectory(config.PluginDirectory)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Client{}, err
+	}
+
+	return Client{
+		config:  config,
+		plugins: plugins,
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // Catalog the given image from a particular perspective (e.g. squashed scope, all-layers scope). Returns the discovered
 // set of packages, the identified Linux distribution, and the scope object used to wrap the data source.
-func Catalog(userInput string, scoptOpt scope.Option) (*pkg.Catalog, *scope.Scope, *distro.Distro, error) {
+func (c *Client) Catalog(userInput string, scoptOpt scope.Option) (*pkg.Catalog, *scope.Scope, *distro.Distro, error) {
 	log.Info("cataloging image")
 	s, cleanup, err := scope.NewScope(userInput, scoptOpt)
 	defer cleanup()
@@ -24,9 +46,9 @@ func Catalog(userInput string, scoptOpt scope.Option) (*pkg.Catalog, *scope.Scop
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
 
-	d := IdentifyDistro(s)
+	d := c.IdentifyDistro(s)
 
-	catalog, err := CatalogFromScope(s)
+	catalog, err := c.CatalogFromScope(s)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, nil, err
 	}
@@ -36,7 +58,7 @@ func Catalog(userInput string, scoptOpt scope.Option) (*pkg.Catalog, *scope.Scop
 
 // IdentifyDistro attempts to discover what the underlying Linux distribution may be from the available flat files
 // provided by the given scope object. If results are inconclusive a "UnknownDistro" Type is returned.
-func IdentifyDistro(s scope.Scope) distro.Distro {
+func (c *Client) IdentifyDistro(s scope.Scope) distro.Distro {
 	d := distro.Identify(s.Resolver)
 	if d.Type != distro.UnknownDistroType {
 		log.Infof("identified distro: %s", d.String())
@@ -47,9 +69,15 @@ func IdentifyDistro(s scope.Scope) distro.Distro {
 }
 
 // Catalog the given scope, which may represent a container image or filesystem. Returns the discovered set of packages.
-func CatalogFromScope(s scope.Scope) (*pkg.Catalog, error) {
+func (c *Client) CatalogFromScope(s scope.Scope) (*pkg.Catalog, error) {
 	log.Info("building the catalog")
-	return cataloger.Catalog(s.Resolver, cataloger.All()...)
+	pluginCatalogers, deactivatePluginsFn, err := c.plugins.ActivateCatalogers()
+	defer deactivatePluginsFn()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return cataloger.Catalog(s.Resolver, append(pluginCatalogers, cataloger.BuiltIn()...)...)
 }
 
 // SetLogger sets the logger object used for all syft logging calls.
diff --git a/syft/plugin/cataloger_plugin.go b/syft/plugin/cataloger_plugin.go
index c092fb49b..0d1a615ac 100644
--- a/syft/plugin/cataloger_plugin.go
+++ b/syft/plugin/cataloger_plugin.go
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@ import (
 var _ plugin.GRPCPlugin = &CatalogerPlugin{}
 
 // Cataloger is the interface exposed as a plugin.
-type Cataloger interface {
-	cataloger.Cataloger
-}
+type Cataloger cataloger.Cataloger
 
 // CatalogerPlugin is the implementation of plugin.Plugin that is served/consumed.
 type CatalogerPlugin struct {
diff --git a/syft/plugin/collection.go b/syft/plugin/collection.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 9d96c6070..000000000
--- a/syft/plugin/collection.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-package plugin
-
-// repository
-type Collection struct {
-	byType map[Type]Plugin
-	byName map[string]Plugin
-}
diff --git a/syft/plugin/discover.go b/syft/plugin/discover.go
deleted file mode 100644
index fd8432d49..000000000
--- a/syft/plugin/discover.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-package plugin
-
-import "path/filepath"
-
-func Discover(dir string, pluginTypes ...Type) ([]Plugin, error) {
-	var err error
-
-	if len(pluginTypes) == 0 {
-		pluginTypes = AllTypes
-	}
-
-	if !filepath.IsAbs(dir) {
-		dir, err = filepath.Abs(dir)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-	}
-
-	var plugins []Plugin
-
-	for _, pluginType := range pluginTypes {
-		// look into a sub dir named by the plugin type
-		searchDir := filepath.Join(dir, pluginType.String())
-
-		paths, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(searchDir, "*"))
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-
-		for _, path := range paths {
-			// TODO: should we use a config for some of this?
-			plugins = append(plugins, NewPlugin(Config{
-				// TODO: should the name be org/name instead of just name? this implies changing the dir storage too
-				Name:    filepath.Base(path),
-				Type:    pluginType,
-				Command: path,
-				Args:    nil, // TODO
-				Env:     nil, // TODO
-			}))
-		}
-	}
-	return plugins, nil
-}
diff --git a/syft/plugin/repository.go b/syft/plugin/repository.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fdad964d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syft/plugin/repository.go
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+package plugin
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"github.com/anchore/syft/syft/cataloger"
+	"path/filepath"
+)
+
+type Repository struct {
+	byType map[Type][]Plugin
+}
+
+func NewRepository() *Repository {
+	return &Repository{
+		byType: make(map[Type][]Plugin),
+	}
+}
+
+func NewRepositoryFromDirectory(dir string) (*Repository, error) {
+	repo := NewRepository()
+	if dir == "" {
+		return repo, nil
+	}
+
+	return repo, repo.AddFromDirectory(dir)
+}
+
+func (c *Repository) Add(plugin Plugin) {
+	c.byType[plugin.Config.Type] = append(c.byType[plugin.Config.Type], plugin)
+}
+
+func (c *Repository) AddFromDirectory(dir string, pluginTypes ...Type) error {
+	plugins, err := Discover(dir, pluginTypes...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	for _, plugin := range plugins {
+		c.Add(plugin)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *Repository) Get(pluginType Type) []Plugin {
+	return c.byType[pluginType]
+}
+
+func (c *Repository) ActivateCatalogers() ([]cataloger.Cataloger, func(), error) {
+	var result []cataloger.Cataloger
+	var plugins []Plugin
+	var deactivateFn = func() {
+		for _, plugin := range plugins {
+			// TODO: handle error by log
+			plugin.Stop()
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, plugin := range c.Get(TypeCataloger) {
+		raw, err := plugin.Start()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, deactivateFn, err
+		}
+		plugins = append(plugins, plugin)
+
+		theCataloger, ok := raw.(cataloger.Cataloger)
+		if !ok {
+			return nil, deactivateFn, fmt.Errorf("activation of cataloger did not return a cataloger object (name=%s)", plugin.Config.Name)
+		}
+
+		result = append(result, theCataloger)
+	}
+	return result, deactivateFn, nil
+}
+
+func Discover(dir string, pluginTypes ...Type) ([]Plugin, error) {
+	var err error
+
+	if len(pluginTypes) == 0 {
+		pluginTypes = AllTypes
+	}
+
+	if !filepath.IsAbs(dir) {
+		dir, err = filepath.Abs(dir)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	var plugins []Plugin
+
+	for _, pluginType := range pluginTypes {
+		// look into a sub dir named by the plugin type
+		searchDir := filepath.Join(dir, pluginType.String())
+
+		paths, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(searchDir, "*"))
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		for _, path := range paths {
+			// TODO: should we use a config for some of this?
+			plugins = append(plugins, NewPlugin(Config{
+				// TODO: should the name be org/name instead of just name? this implies changing the dir storage too
+				Name:    filepath.Base(path),
+				Type:    pluginType,
+				Command: path,
+				Args:    nil, // TODO
+				Env:     nil, // TODO
+			}))
+		}
+	}
+	return plugins, nil
+}