diff --git a/openstackclient/common/clientmanager.py b/openstackclient/common/clientmanager.py
index 0542b47..09c5c25 100644
--- a/openstackclient/common/clientmanager.py
+++ b/openstackclient/common/clientmanager.py
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ from openstackclient.identity import client as identity_client
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+PLUGIN_MODULES = []
+
 
 class ClientCache(object):
     """Descriptor class for caching created client handles."""
@@ -123,11 +125,13 @@ class ClientManager(object):
         return endpoint
 
 
-def get_extension_modules(group):
-    """Add extension clients"""
+# Plugin Support
+
+def get_plugin_modules(group):
+    """Find plugin entry points"""
     mod_list = []
     for ep in pkg_resources.iter_entry_points(group):
-        LOG.debug('found extension %r', ep.name)
+        LOG.debug('Found plugin %r', ep.name)
 
         __import__(ep.module_name)
         module = sys.modules[ep.module_name]
@@ -136,6 +140,7 @@ def get_extension_modules(group):
         if init_func:
             init_func('x')
 
+        # Add the plugin to the ClientManager
         setattr(
             ClientManager,
             module.API_NAME,
@@ -144,3 +149,22 @@ def get_extension_modules(group):
             ),
         )
     return mod_list
+
+
+def build_plugin_option_parser(parser):
+    """Add plugin options to the parser"""
+
+    # Loop through extensions to get parser additions
+    for mod in PLUGIN_MODULES:
+        parser = mod.build_option_parser(parser)
+    return parser
+
+
+# Get list of base plugin modules
+PLUGIN_MODULES = get_plugin_modules(
+    'openstack.cli.base',
+)
+# Append list of external plugin modules
+PLUGIN_MODULES.extend(get_plugin_modules(
+    'openstack.cli.extension',
+))
diff --git a/openstackclient/shell.py b/openstackclient/shell.py
index 626e3f7..1f9eb32 100644
--- a/openstackclient/shell.py
+++ b/openstackclient/shell.py
@@ -68,19 +68,6 @@ class OpenStackShell(app.App):
         # Assume TLS host certificate verification is enabled
         self.verify = True
 
-        # Get list of base modules
-        self.ext_modules = clientmanager.get_extension_modules(
-            'openstack.cli.base',
-        )
-        # Append list of extension modules
-        self.ext_modules.extend(clientmanager.get_extension_modules(
-            'openstack.cli.extension',
-        ))
-
-        # Loop through extensions to get parser additions
-        for mod in self.ext_modules:
-            self.parser = mod.build_option_parser(self.parser)
-
         # NOTE(dtroyer): This hack changes the help action that Cliff
         #                automatically adds to the parser so we can defer
         #                its execution until after the api-versioned commands
@@ -170,6 +157,7 @@ class OpenStackShell(app.App):
         parser = super(OpenStackShell, self).build_option_parser(
             description,
             version)
+
         # service token auth argument
         parser.add_argument(
             '--os-url',
@@ -214,7 +202,7 @@ class OpenStackShell(app.App):
             help="Print API call timing info",
         )
 
-        return parser
+        return clientmanager.build_plugin_option_parser(parser)
 
     def authenticate_user(self):
         """Verify the required authentication credentials are present"""
@@ -332,7 +320,7 @@ class OpenStackShell(app.App):
         self.default_domain = self.options.os_default_domain
 
         # Loop through extensions to get API versions
-        for mod in self.ext_modules:
+        for mod in clientmanager.PLUGIN_MODULES:
             version_opt = getattr(self.options, mod.API_VERSION_OPTION, None)
             if version_opt:
                 api = mod.API_NAME