diff --git a/src/go/build/deps_test.go b/src/go/build/deps_test.go
index b8ee601f50cd82628228e947b3761f0dda888a9a..d8eb2ee7261853aff6a44fbfbce5f6c43be36c36 100644
--- a/src/go/build/deps_test.go
+++ b/src/go/build/deps_test.go
@@ -261,6 +261,7 @@ var pkgDeps = map[string][]string{
 	"mime/quotedprintable":     {"L4"},
 	"net/internal/socktest":    {"L4", "OS", "syscall"},
 	"net/url":                  {"L4"},
+	"plugin":                   {"L0", "OS", "CGO"},
 	"text/scanner":             {"L4", "OS"},
 	"text/template/parse":      {"L4"},
 
diff --git a/src/plugin/plugin.go b/src/plugin/plugin.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..66cf2f98d459adbbecb61fe1c3e2de3e294e7d92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin/plugin.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// Package plugin implements loading and symbol resolution of Go plugins.
+//
+// Currently plugins only work on Linux.
+//
+// A plugin is a Go main package with exported functions and variables that
+// has been built with:
+//
+//	go build -buildmode=plugin
+//
+// When a plugin is first opened, the init functions of all packages not
+// already part of the program are called. The main function is not run.
+// A plugin is only initialized once, and cannot be closed.
+package plugin
+
+// Plugin is a loaded Go plugin.
+type Plugin struct {
+	name   string
+	loaded chan struct{} // closed when loaded
+	syms   map[string]interface{}
+}
+
+// Open opens a Go plugin.
+func Open(path string) (*Plugin, error) {
+	return open(path)
+}
+
+// Lookup searches for a symbol named symName in plugin p.
+// A symbol is any exported variable or function.
+// It reports an error if the symbol is not found.
+func (p *Plugin) Lookup(symName string) (Symbol, error) {
+	return lookup(p, symName)
+}
+
+// A Symbol is a pointer to a variable or function.
+//
+// For example, a plugin defined as
+//
+//	package main
+//
+//	// // No C code needed.
+//	import "C"
+//
+//	import "fmt"
+//
+//	var V int
+//
+//	func F() { fmt.Println("Hello, number %d", V) }
+//
+// may be loaded with the Open function and then the exported package
+// symbols V and F can be accessed
+//
+//	p, err := plugin.Open("plugin_name.so")
+//	if err != nil {
+//		panic(err)
+//	}
+//	v, err := p.Lookup("V")
+//	if err != nil {
+//		panic(err)
+//	}
+//	f, err := p.Lookup("F")
+//	if err != nil {
+//		panic(err)
+//	}
+//	*v.(*int) = 7
+//	f.(func())() // prints "Hello, number 7"
+type Symbol interface{}
diff --git a/src/plugin/plugin_dlopen.go b/src/plugin/plugin_dlopen.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5a9421efcf5cce2341ea56d9c43f6d583d493951
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin/plugin_dlopen.go
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// +build linux,cgo
+
+package plugin
+
+/*
+#cgo linux LDFLAGS: -ldl
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+#include <limits.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+static uintptr_t pluginOpen(const char* path, char** err) {
+	void* h = dlopen(path, RTLD_NOW|RTLD_GLOBAL);
+	if (h == NULL) {
+		*err = dlerror();
+	}
+	return (uintptr_t)h;
+}
+
+static void* pluginLookup(uintptr_t h, const char* name, char** err) {
+	void* r = dlsym((void*)h, name);
+	if (r == NULL) {
+		*err = dlerror();
+	}
+	return r;
+}
+*/
+import "C"
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"sync"
+	"unsafe"
+)
+
+func open(name string) (*Plugin, error) {
+	pluginsMu.Lock()
+	cRelName := C.CString(name)
+	cPath := C.realpath(cRelName, nil)
+	C.free(unsafe.Pointer(cRelName))
+	defer C.free(unsafe.Pointer(cPath))
+	path := C.GoString(cPath)
+	if p := plugins[path]; p != nil {
+		pluginsMu.Unlock()
+		<-p.loaded
+		return p, nil
+	}
+	var cErr *C.char
+	h := C.pluginOpen(cPath, &cErr)
+	if h == 0 {
+		pluginsMu.Unlock()
+		return nil, errors.New("plugin.Open: " + C.GoString(cErr))
+	}
+	// TODO(crawshaw): look for plugin note, confirm it is a Go plugin
+	// and it was built with the correct toolchain.
+	// TODO(crawshaw): get full plugin name from note.
+	if len(name) > 3 && name[len(name)-3:] == ".so" {
+		name = name[:len(name)-3]
+	}
+	syms := lastmoduleinit()
+	if plugins == nil {
+		plugins = make(map[string]*Plugin)
+	}
+	// This function can be called from the init function of a plugin.
+	// Drop a placeholder in the map so subsequent opens can wait on it.
+	p := &Plugin{
+		name:   name,
+		loaded: make(chan struct{}),
+		syms:   syms,
+	}
+	plugins[path] = p
+	pluginsMu.Unlock()
+
+	initStr := C.CString(name + ".init")
+	initFuncPC := C.pluginLookup(h, initStr, &cErr)
+	C.free(unsafe.Pointer(initStr))
+	if initFuncPC != nil {
+		initFuncP := &initFuncPC
+		initFunc := *(*func())(unsafe.Pointer(&initFuncP))
+		initFunc()
+	}
+
+	// Fill out the value of each plugin symbol.
+	for symName, sym := range syms {
+		isFunc := symName[0] == '.'
+		if isFunc {
+			delete(syms, symName)
+			symName = symName[1:]
+		}
+
+		cname := C.CString(name + "." + symName)
+		p := C.pluginLookup(h, cname, &cErr)
+		C.free(unsafe.Pointer(cname))
+		if p == nil {
+			return nil, errors.New("plugin.Open: could not find symbol " + symName + ": " + C.GoString(cErr))
+		}
+		valp := (*[2]unsafe.Pointer)(unsafe.Pointer(&sym))
+		if isFunc {
+			(*valp)[1] = unsafe.Pointer(&p)
+		} else {
+			(*valp)[1] = p
+		}
+		syms[symName] = sym
+	}
+	close(p.loaded)
+	return p, nil
+}
+
+func lookup(p *Plugin, symName string) (Symbol, error) {
+	if s := p.syms[symName]; s != nil {
+		return s, nil
+	}
+	return nil, errors.New("plugin: symbol " + symName + " not found in plugin " + p.name)
+}
+
+var (
+	pluginsMu sync.Mutex
+	plugins   map[string]*Plugin
+)
+
+func lastmoduleinit() map[string]interface{} // in package runtime
diff --git a/src/plugin/plugin_stubs.go b/src/plugin/plugin_stubs.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1b935bffa91c7f641a81cc3676d6cbacae083b92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/plugin/plugin_stubs.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+// Copyright 2016 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// +build !linux !cgo
+
+package plugin
+
+import "errors"
+
+func lookup(p *Plugin, symName string) (interface{}, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("plugin: not implemented")
+}
+
+func open(name string) (*Plugin, error) {
+	return nil, errors.New("plugin: not implemented")
+}
diff --git a/src/runtime/plugin.go b/src/runtime/plugin.go
index f5f3aa2e5b80f369a8b36ee32554aef85eb11486..2e0165082420597a24f691a534089f0d0929bc00 100644
--- a/src/runtime/plugin.go
+++ b/src/runtime/plugin.go
@@ -4,6 +4,57 @@
 
 package runtime
 
+import "unsafe"
+
+//go:linkname plugin_lastmoduleinit plugin.lastmoduleinit
+func plugin_lastmoduleinit() map[string]interface{} {
+	md := firstmoduledata.next
+	if md == nil {
+		throw("runtime: no plugin module data")
+	}
+	for md.next != nil {
+		md = md.next
+	}
+	if md.typemap != nil {
+		throw("runtime: plugin already initialized")
+	}
+
+	// Initialize the freshly loaded module.
+	typelinksinit()
+	md.gcdatamask = progToPointerMask((*byte)(unsafe.Pointer(md.gcdata)), md.edata-md.data)
+	md.gcbssmask = progToPointerMask((*byte)(unsafe.Pointer(md.gcbss)), md.ebss-md.bss)
+
+	lock(&ifaceLock)
+	for _, i := range md.itablinks {
+		additab(i, true, false)
+	}
+	unlock(&ifaceLock)
+
+	// Build a map of symbol names to symbols. Here in the runtime
+	// we fill out the first word of the interface, the type. We
+	// pass these zero value interfaces to the plugin package,
+	// where the symbol value is filled in (usually via cgo).
+	//
+	// Because functions are handled specially in the plugin package,
+	// function symbol names are prefixed here with '.' to avoid
+	// a dependency on the reflect package.
+	syms := make(map[string]interface{}, len(md.ptab))
+	for _, ptab := range md.ptab {
+		symName := resolveNameOff(unsafe.Pointer(md.types), ptab.name)
+		t := (*_type)(unsafe.Pointer(md.types)).typeOff(ptab.typ)
+		var val interface{}
+		valp := (*[2]unsafe.Pointer)(unsafe.Pointer(&val))
+		(*valp)[0] = unsafe.Pointer(t)
+
+		name := symName.name()
+		if t.kind&kindMask == kindFunc {
+			name = "." + name
+		}
+		syms[name] = val
+	}
+	return syms
+}
+
 // A ptabEntry is generated by the compiler for each exported function
 // and global variable in the main package of a plugin. It is used to
 // initialize the plugin module's symbol map.