diff --git a/firmware/vcv_plugin/export/src/plugin/Plugin.cpp b/firmware/vcv_plugin/export/src/plugin/Plugin.cpp
index 4460af126..2c1174d00 100644
--- a/firmware/vcv_plugin/export/src/plugin/Plugin.cpp
+++ b/firmware/vcv_plugin/export/src/plugin/Plugin.cpp
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ Plugin::~Plugin() {
 		// In VCV Rack: don't delete model because it's allocated once and referenced by a global.
 
 		// In MetaModule: we need to delete the models when the Plugin is removed
-		pr_dbg("Deleting Model %s\n", model->slug.c_str());
+		pr_trace("Deleting Model %s\n", model->slug.c_str());
 		delete model;
 
 		MetaModule::ModuleFactory::unregisterBrand(slug);
diff --git a/firmware/vcv_ports/CMakeLists.txt b/firmware/vcv_ports/CMakeLists.txt
index 2db48f98e..62a99537c 100644
--- a/firmware/vcv_ports/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/firmware/vcv_ports/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ target_include_directories(vcv_ports INTERFACE
 	${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/glue
 )
 
+if (NOT TARGET simulator)
+	target_include_directories(vcv_ports INTERFACE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/glue/ext_plugin)
+endif()
+
 # Get list of brands
 include(${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/brands.cmake)
 
@@ -72,7 +76,7 @@ foreach(brand ${brands})
 
 	target_link_libraries(_vcv_ports_internal PUBLIC ${brand}Library)
 
-	endif()
+endif()
 
 endforeach()
 
diff --git a/firmware/vcv_ports/glue/ext_plugin/ext_plugin_builtin.hh b/firmware/vcv_ports/glue/ext_plugin/ext_plugin_builtin.hh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8eea5604
--- /dev/null
+++ b/firmware/vcv_ports/glue/ext_plugin/ext_plugin_builtin.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+// do nothing in firmware:
+inline void load_ext_builtin_plugins(auto &internal_plugins) {
+}
diff --git a/firmware/vcv_ports/internal_plugin_manager.hh b/firmware/vcv_ports/internal_plugin_manager.hh
index 2eb05068a..947477865 100644
--- a/firmware/vcv_ports/internal_plugin_manager.hh
+++ b/firmware/vcv_ports/internal_plugin_manager.hh
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #pragma once
 #include "convert_plugins.hh"
+#include "ext_plugin_builtin.hh"
 #include "fat_file_io.hh"
 #include "fs/asset_drive/asset_fs.hh"
 #include "fs/asset_drive/untar.hh"
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ struct InternalPluginManager {
 		prepare_ramdisk();
 		load_internal_assets();
 		load_internal_plugins();
+		load_ext_builtin_plugins(internal_plugins);
 	}
 
 	void prepare_ramdisk() {
diff --git a/simulator/CMakeLists.txt b/simulator/CMakeLists.txt
index 47b22adee..45f7f89e2 100644
--- a/simulator/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/simulator/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ if (CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Clang" OR CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "Ap
   set(DEBUG_COMMAND ${CMAKE_DEBUGGER_BINARY} $<TARGET_FILE:simulator> -- 
     --sdcarddir ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/patches
     --flashdir ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../patches/default
-    --assets ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../firmware/build/assets.uimg
+    --assets ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/build/assets.uimg
   )
 
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ elseif (CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID STREQUAL "GNU")
     --args $<TARGET_FILE:simulator> 
     --sdcarddir ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/patches
     --flashdir ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../shared/patch/default
-    --assets ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../firmware/build/assets.uimg
+    --assets ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/build/assets.uimg
   )
 else ()
   set(DEBUG_COMMAND echo "Compiler is ${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER_ID}, but must be Clang, AppleClang, or GNU to debug")
@@ -191,3 +191,4 @@ add_custom_target(
   USES_TERMINAL
 )
 
+include(ext-plugins.cmake)
diff --git a/simulator/ext-plugins.cmake b/simulator/ext-plugins.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..601ab7d70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simulator/ext-plugins.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Two steps to build an external plugin into the simulator:
+#
+# 1. Copy/paste the two `list APPEND commands` below, puttting in the path to the
+#    plugin (where the CMakeLists.txt lives), and the plugin cmake library name
+#
+# 2. In the plugin, find the file where init(rack::Plugin*) is defined, and rename it to init_Brand
+#    You can use #if defined(METAMODULE_BUILTIN) so that it's still called init() when building as a plugin for Rack or MM.
+#    `Brand` in init_Brand must match the plugin cmake library name you used in step 1.
+
+# Example with Venom:
+# list(APPEND ext_builtin_brand_paths "${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/../../metamodule-plugin-examples/Venom")
+# list(APPEND ext_builtin_brand_libname "Venom")
+
+
+#
+# Asset dir
+#
+
+cmake_path(SET ASSET_DIR "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/assets")
+set(ASSET_IMG_FILENAME assets.uimg)
+cmake_path(APPEND ASSET_IMG_PATH "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}" "${ASSET_IMG_FILENAME}")
+
+message("set ASSET_DIR to ${ASSET_DIR}")
+message("set ASSET_IMG_PATH to ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}")
+
+add_custom_command(
+  OUTPUT ${ASSET_DIR}
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo Copying "${FWDIR}/assets" to "${ASSET_DIR}"
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory "${FWDIR}/assets" "${ASSET_DIR}"
+  COMMENT "Copying assets/ dir from ${FWDIR}/assets to ${ASSET_DIR}"
+  VERBATIM USES_TERMINAL
+)
+
+add_custom_command(
+  OUTPUT ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}
+  COMMAND cd ${ASSET_DIR} && ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E tar -cf ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}.tar .
+  COMMAND cd ${FWDIR} && flashing/uimg_header.py --name Assets ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}.tar ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}
+  COMMENT "Creating assets uimg file at ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}"
+  DEPENDS ${ASSET_DIR}
+  VERBATIM USES_TERMINAL
+)
+
+ add_custom_target(asset-image ALL 
+	DEPENDS ${ASSET_IMG_PATH}
+ )
+
+ set(EXT_PLUGIN_INIT_CALLS "")
+
+foreach(branddir brand IN ZIP_LISTS ext_builtin_brand_paths ext_builtin_brand_libname)
+	set(METAMODULE_SDK_DIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR})
+	add_subdirectory(${branddir} ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/builtins/${brand})
+
+	target_link_libraries(${brand} PRIVATE metamodule::vcv-plugin-interface)
+	target_link_libraries(${brand} PRIVATE cpputil::cpputil)
+	target_compile_definitions(${brand} PRIVATE METAMODULE METAMODULE_BUILTIN)
+
+	target_link_libraries(_vcv_ports_internal PUBLIC ${brand})
+	add_dependencies(asset-image ${brand}-assets)
+
+	string(APPEND EXT_PLUGIN_INIT_CALLS "\textern void init_${brand}(rack::plugin::Plugin *);\n\tinit_${brand}(&internal_plugins.emplace_back(\"${brand}\"));")
+endforeach()
+
+configure_file(src/ext_plugin_builtin.hh.in ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ext_plugin/ext_plugin_builtin.hh)
+target_include_directories(simulator PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/ext_plugin)
+
diff --git a/simulator/plugin.cmake b/simulator/plugin.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..647250c36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simulator/plugin.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# TODO: Get cmake to copy the source file that contains init() and rename that function to init_BRAND()
+# Also see if Cmake can generate the calls to init (currently manually written into simulator/src/ext_plugin_builtin.hh)
+
+# file(WRITE "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/replace.cmake"
+# [=[
+# file(READ "${SOURCE}" TEXT)
+# string(REPLACE "foo" "bar" TEXT "${TEXT}")
+# file(WRITE "${TARGET}" "${TEXT}")
+# ]=])
+
+# add_custom_command(
+#     OUTPUT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/plugin.cpp"
+#     COMMAND "${CMAKE_COMMAND}"
+#         "-DSOURCE=${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/plugin.cpp"
+#         "-DTARGET=${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/plugin.cpp"
+#         -P "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/replace.cmake"
+#     DEPENDS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/plugin.cpp" "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/replace.cmake"
+# )
+
+
+function(create_plugin)
+	message("Building ${brand} as built-in plugin (create_plugin)")
+
+	# target_sources(${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_SOURCE_LIB} PRIVATE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/plugin.cpp)
+
+    set(oneValueArgs SOURCE_LIB SOURCE_ASSETS DESTINATION PLUGIN_NAME PLUGIN_JSON)
+    cmake_parse_arguments(PLUGIN_OPTIONS "" "${oneValueArgs}" "" ${ARGN} )
+
+	add_custom_command(
+		OUTPUT "${ASSET_DIR}/${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_PLUGIN_NAME}" 
+		COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory "${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_SOURCE_ASSETS}" "${ASSET_DIR}/${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_PLUGIN_NAME}"
+		COMMENT "Copying ${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_SOURCE_ASSETS} to ${ASSET_DIR}/${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_PLUGIN_NAME}"
+		VERBATIM
+	)
+
+	add_custom_target(${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_SOURCE_LIB}-assets
+		DEPENDS "${ASSET_DIR}/${PLUGIN_OPTIONS_PLUGIN_NAME}" 
+	)
+
+
+endfunction()
diff --git a/simulator/src/ext_plugin_builtin.hh.in b/simulator/src/ext_plugin_builtin.hh.in
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..abb830732
--- /dev/null
+++ b/simulator/src/ext_plugin_builtin.hh.in
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+inline void load_ext_builtin_plugins(auto &internal_plugins) {
+${EXT_PLUGIN_INIT_CALLS}
+}
diff --git a/simulator/src/settings.hh b/simulator/src/settings.hh
index 1b38697ba..bdfee0972 100644
--- a/simulator/src/settings.hh
+++ b/simulator/src/settings.hh
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ struct Settings {
 	unsigned zoom = 100;
 	std::string sdcard_path = "patches/";
 	std::string flash_path = "../patches/default/";
-	std::string asset_file = "../firmware/build/assets.uimg";
+	std::string asset_file = "build/assets.uimg";
 	int audioout_dev = 0;
 
 	void parse(int argc, char *argv[]) {