diff --git a/server/core/lib/plugins/plugin-manager.ts b/server/core/lib/plugins/plugin-manager.ts
index 66b5c5b18..2919b7e3e 100644
--- a/server/core/lib/plugins/plugin-manager.ts
+++ b/server/core/lib/plugins/plugin-manager.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { decachePlugin } from '@server/helpers/decache.js'
 import { ApplicationModel } from '@server/models/application/application.js'
 import { MOAuthTokenUser, MUser } from '@server/types/models/index.js'
 import { isLibraryCodeValid, isPackageJSONValid } from '../../helpers/custom-validators/plugins.js'
+import { execShell } from '../../helpers/core-utils.js'
 import { logger } from '../../helpers/logger.js'
 import { CONFIG } from '../../initializers/config.js'
 import { PLUGIN_GLOBAL_CSS_PATH } from '../../initializers/constants.js'
@@ -334,13 +335,93 @@ export class PluginManager implements ServerHook {
 
   // ###################### Installation ######################
 
+  async installDeclarativePlugins () {
+    const pluginDirectory = CONFIG.STORAGE.PLUGINS_DIR
+    let declaredPlugins
+    try {
+      declaredPlugins = await readJSON(join(pluginDirectory, "declarative_plugins.json"));
+    }
+    catch (err) {
+      logger.info("No declarative plugins file found.")
+      return
+    }
+
+    const existingDeclaredPlugins: PluginModel[] = await PluginModel.listDeclarativePluginsAndThemes()
+
+    for (const plugin of existingDeclaredPlugins) {
+      const npmName = PluginModel.buildNpmName(plugin.name, plugin.type)
+      if (!(npmName in declaredPlugins)) {
+        logger.info("Removing previously declared plugin %s", npmName)
+        await this.uninstall({npmName: npmName, unregister: false})
+      }
+      else {
+        logger.info("Keeping still-declared plugin %s.", npmName)
+      }
+    }
+
+    for (const npmName of Object.keys(declaredPlugins)) {
+      const {
+        pluginPath = null,
+        version = null,
+        extraArgs = null,
+        preInstall = null,
+        postInstall = null
+      } = declaredPlugins[npmName];
+
+      if (preInstall != null) {
+        logger.info("Running pre-install command for plugin %s.", npmName)
+        try {
+          await execShell(preInstall, { cwd: pluginDirectory })
+        } catch (result) {
+          logger.error("Cannot exec pre-install command.", { preInstall, err: result.err, stderr: result.stderr })
+
+          throw result.err
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (pluginPath != null) {
+        logger.info("Installing declared plugin %s from disk (path %s).", npmName, pluginPath)
+        await this.install({
+          toInstall: pluginPath,
+          fromDisk: true,
+          declarative: true,
+          extraArgs: extraArgs,
+        })
+      }
+      else if (version != null) {
+        logger.info("Installing declared plugin %s (version %s) from npm.", npmName, version)
+        await this.install({
+          toInstall: npmName,
+          version: version,
+          declarative: true,
+          extraArgs: extraArgs,
+        })
+      }
+
+      if (postInstall != null) {
+        logger.info("Running post-install command for plugin %s.", npmName)
+        try {
+          await execShell(postInstall, { cwd: pluginDirectory })
+        } catch (result) {
+          logger.error("Cannot exec post-install command.", { postInstall, err: result.err, stderr: result.stderr })
+
+          throw result.err
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    this.sortHooksByPriority()
+  }
+
   async install (options: {
     toInstall: string
     version?: string
     fromDisk?: boolean // default false
     register?: boolean // default true
+    declarative?: boolean // default false
+    extraArgs?: string // default empty
   }) {
-    const { toInstall, version, fromDisk = false, register = true } = options
+    const { toInstall, version, fromDisk = false, register = true, declarative = false, extraArgs = null } = options
 
     let plugin: PluginModel
     let npmName: string
@@ -349,8 +430,8 @@ export class PluginManager implements ServerHook {
 
     try {
       fromDisk
-        ? await installNpmPluginFromDisk(toInstall)
-        : await installNpmPlugin(toInstall, version)
+        ? await installNpmPluginFromDisk(toInstall, extraArgs)
+        : await installNpmPlugin(toInstall, version, extraArgs)
 
       npmName = fromDisk ? basename(toInstall) : toInstall
       const pluginType = PluginModel.getTypeFromNpmName(npmName)
@@ -368,6 +449,7 @@ export class PluginManager implements ServerHook {
         version: packageJSON.version,
         enabled: true,
         uninstalled: false,
+        declarative: declarative,
         peertubeEngine: packageJSON.engine.peertube
       }, { returning: true })
 
diff --git a/server/core/lib/plugins/yarn.ts b/server/core/lib/plugins/yarn.ts
index 470880f44..6943b8716 100644
--- a/server/core/lib/plugins/yarn.ts
+++ b/server/core/lib/plugins/yarn.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { logger } from '../../helpers/logger.js'
 import { CONFIG } from '../../initializers/config.js'
 import { getLatestPluginVersion } from './plugin-index.js'
 
-async function installNpmPlugin (npmName: string, versionArg?: string) {
+async function installNpmPlugin (npmName: string, versionArg?: string, extraArgs?: string) {
   // Security check
   checkNpmPluginNameOrThrow(npmName)
   if (versionArg) checkPluginVersionOrThrow(versionArg)
@@ -15,13 +15,15 @@ async function installNpmPlugin (npmName: string, versionArg?: string) {
 
   let toInstall = npmName
   if (version) toInstall += `@${version}`
+  if (extraArgs) toInstall += ` ${extraArgs}`
 
   const { stdout } = await execYarn('add ' + toInstall)
 
   logger.debug('Added a yarn package.', { yarnStdout: stdout })
 }
 
-async function installNpmPluginFromDisk (path: string) {
+async function installNpmPluginFromDisk (path: string, extraArgs?: string) {
+  if (extraArgs) path += ` ${extraArgs}`
   await execYarn('add file:' + path)
 }
 
diff --git a/server/core/models/server/plugin.ts b/server/core/models/server/plugin.ts
index daf31b808..3753c3399 100644
--- a/server/core/models/server/plugin.ts
+++ b/server/core/models/server/plugin.ts
@@ -86,6 +86,10 @@ export class PluginModel extends SequelizeModel<PluginModel> {
   @Column(DataType.JSONB)
   storage: any
 
+  @AllowNull(true)
+  @Column
+  declarative: boolean
+
   @CreatedAt
   createdAt: Date
 
@@ -103,6 +107,17 @@ export class PluginModel extends SequelizeModel<PluginModel> {
     return PluginModel.findAll(query)
   }
 
+  static listDeclarativePluginsAndThemes (): Promise<MPlugin[]> {
+    const query = {
+      where: {
+        declarative: true,
+        uninstalled: false
+      }
+    }
+
+    return PluginModel.findAll(query)
+  }
+
   static loadByNpmName (npmName: string): Promise<MPlugin> {
     const name = this.normalizePluginName(npmName)
     const type = this.getTypeFromNpmName(npmName)
diff --git a/server/server.ts b/server/server.ts
index 23e6cb1e6..5c75befec 100644
--- a/server/server.ts
+++ b/server/server.ts
@@ -352,6 +352,7 @@ async function startApplication () {
   server.listen(port, hostname, async () => {
     if (cliOptions.plugins) {
       try {
+        await PluginManager.Instance.installDeclarativePlugins()
         await PluginManager.Instance.rebuildNativePluginsIfNeeded()
 
         await PluginManager.Instance.registerPluginsAndThemes()