diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 19c3656e..ca57b16b 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ console_scripts =
     storyboard-migrate = storyboard.migrate.cli:main
 storyboard.worker.task =
     subscription = storyboard.worker.task.subscription:Subscription
+storyboard.plugin.user_preferences =
+
 
 [build_sphinx]
 source-dir = doc/source
diff --git a/storyboard/api/app.py b/storyboard/api/app.py
index 665a6095..ef49e0c8 100644
--- a/storyboard/api/app.py
+++ b/storyboard/api/app.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ from storyboard.api.v1.search import search_engine
 from storyboard.notifications.notification_hook import NotificationHook
 from storyboard.openstack.common.gettextutils import _  # noqa
 from storyboard.openstack.common import log
+from storyboard.plugin.user_preferences import initialize_user_preferences
 
 CONF = cfg.CONF
 
@@ -91,6 +92,9 @@ def setup_app(pecan_config=None):
     search_engine_cls = search_engine_impls.ENGINE_IMPLS[search_engine_name]
     search_engine.set_engine(search_engine_cls())
 
+    # Load user preference plugins
+    initialize_user_preferences()
+
     # Setup notifier
     if CONF.enable_notifications:
         hooks.append(NotificationHook())
diff --git a/storyboard/api/v1/user_preferences.py b/storyboard/api/v1/user_preferences.py
index ad2b0a43..a88daad4 100644
--- a/storyboard/api/v1/user_preferences.py
+++ b/storyboard/api/v1/user_preferences.py
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+from oslo.config import cfg
 from pecan import abort
 from pecan import request
 from pecan import rest
@@ -22,6 +23,11 @@ import wsmeext.pecan as wsme_pecan
 
 from storyboard.api.auth import authorization_checks as checks
 import storyboard.db.api.users as user_api
+from storyboard.openstack.common import log
+
+
+CONF = cfg.CONF
+LOG = log.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 class UserPreferencesController(rest.RestController):
@@ -40,7 +46,11 @@ class UserPreferencesController(rest.RestController):
     @wsme_pecan.wsexpose(types.DictType(unicode, unicode), int,
                          body=types.DictType(unicode, unicode))
     def post(self, user_id, body):
-        """Allow a user to update their preferences.
+        """Allow a user to update their preferences. Note that a user must
+        explicitly set a preference value to Null/None to have it deleted.
+
+        :param user_id The ID of the user whose preferences we're updating.
+        :param body A dictionary of preference values.
         """
         if request.current_user_id != user_id:
             abort(403)
diff --git a/storyboard/db/api/users.py b/storyboard/db/api/users.py
index d28598ed..551d414f 100644
--- a/storyboard/db/api/users.py
+++ b/storyboard/db/api/users.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ from oslo.db import exception as db_exc
 from storyboard.common import exception as exc
 from storyboard.db.api import base as api_base
 from storyboard.db import models
+from storyboard.plugin.user_preferences import PREFERENCE_DEFAULTS
 
 
 def user_get(user_id, filter_non_public=False):
@@ -74,6 +75,11 @@ def user_get_preferences(user_id):
     for pref in preferences:
         pref_dict[pref.key] = pref.cast_value
 
+    # Decorate with plugin defaults.
+    for key in PREFERENCE_DEFAULTS:
+        if key not in pref_dict:
+            pref_dict[key] = PREFERENCE_DEFAULTS[key]
+
     return pref_dict
 
 
diff --git a/storyboard/plugin/__init__.py b/storyboard/plugin/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/storyboard/plugin/base.py b/storyboard/plugin/base.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c26f50d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/storyboard/plugin/base.py
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
+# implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+import abc
+import six
+
+from oslo.config import cfg
+from stevedore.enabled import EnabledExtensionManager
+
+
+CONF = cfg.CONF
+
+
+def is_enabled(ext):
+    """Check to see whether a plugin should be enabled. Assumes that the
+    plugin extends PluginBase.
+
+    :param ext: The extension instance to check.
+    :return: True if it should be enabled. Otherwise false.
+    """
+    return ext.obj.enabled()
+
+
+@six.add_metaclass(abc.ABCMeta)
+class PluginBase(object):
+    """Base class for all storyboard plugins.
+
+    Every storyboard plugin will be provided an instance of the application
+    configuration, and will then be asked whether it should be enabled. Each
+    plugin should decide, given the configuration and the environment,
+    whether it has the necessary resources to operate properly.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, config):
+        self.config = config
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def enabled(self):
+        """A method which indicates whether this plugin is properly
+        configured and should be enabled. If it's ready to go, return True.
+        Otherwise, return False.
+        """
+
+
+class StoryboardPluginLoader(EnabledExtensionManager):
+    """The storyboard plugin loader, a stevedore abstraction that formalizes
+    our plugin contract.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, namespace, on_load_failure_callback=None):
+        super(StoryboardPluginLoader, self) \
+            .__init__(namespace=namespace,
+                      check_func=is_enabled,
+                      invoke_on_load=True,
+                      invoke_args=(CONF,),
+                      on_load_failure_callback=on_load_failure_callback)
diff --git a/storyboard/plugin/user_preferences.py b/storyboard/plugin/user_preferences.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..438c2a67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/storyboard/plugin/user_preferences.py
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
+# implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+import abc
+
+import six
+
+from storyboard.openstack.common import log
+from storyboard.plugin.base import PluginBase
+from storyboard.plugin.base import StoryboardPluginLoader
+
+
+LOG = log.getLogger(__name__)
+PREFERENCE_DEFAULTS = dict()
+
+
+def initialize_user_preferences():
+    """Initialize any plugins that were installed via pip. This will parse
+    out all the default preference values into one dictionary for later
+    use in the API.
+    """
+    manager = StoryboardPluginLoader(
+        namespace='storyboard.plugin.user_preferences')
+
+    if manager.extensions:
+        manager.map(load_preferences, PREFERENCE_DEFAULTS)
+
+
+def load_preferences(ext, defaults):
+    """Load all plugin default preferences into our cache.
+
+    :param ext: The extension that's handling this event.
+    :param defaults: The current dict of default preferences.
+    """
+
+    plugin_defaults = ext.obj.get_default_preferences()
+
+    for key in plugin_defaults:
+        if key in defaults:
+            # Let's not error out here.
+            LOG.error("Duplicate preference key %s found." % (key,))
+        else:
+            defaults[key] = plugin_defaults[key]
+
+
+@six.add_metaclass(abc.ABCMeta)
+class UserPreferencesPluginBase(PluginBase):
+    """Base class for a plugin that provides a set of expected user
+    preferences and their default values. By extending this plugin, you can
+    add preferences for your own storyboard plugins and workers, and have
+    them be manageable via your web client (Your client may need to be
+    customized).
+    """
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def get_default_preferences(self):
+        """Return a dictionary of preferences and their default values."""
diff --git a/storyboard/tests/plugin/__init__.py b/storyboard/tests/plugin/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_base.py b/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_base.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79aaa8bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_base.py
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
+# implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+from stevedore.extension import Extension
+
+import storyboard.plugin.base as plugin_base
+import storyboard.tests.base as base
+
+
+class TestPluginBase(base.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(TestPluginBase, self).setUp()
+
+        self.extensions = []
+        self.extensions.append(Extension(
+            'test_one', None, None,
+            TestBasePlugin(dict())
+        ))
+
+    def test_extensibility(self):
+        """Assert that we can actually instantiate a plugin."""
+
+        plugin = TestBasePlugin(dict())
+        self.assertIsNotNone(plugin)
+        self.assertTrue(plugin.enabled())
+
+    def test_plugin_loader(self):
+        manager = plugin_base.StoryboardPluginLoader.make_test_instance(
+            self.extensions,
+            namespace='storyboard.plugin.testing'
+        )
+
+        results = manager.map(self._count_invocations)
+
+        # One must exist.
+        self.assertEqual(1, len(manager.extensions))
+
+        # One should be invoked.
+        self.assertEqual(1, len(results))
+
+    def _count_invocations(self, ext):
+        return 1
+
+
+class TestBasePlugin(plugin_base.PluginBase):
+    def enabled(self):
+        return True
diff --git a/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_user_preferences.py b/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_user_preferences.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7cc76dd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/storyboard/tests/plugin/test_user_preferences.py
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
+# implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+from stevedore.extension import Extension
+
+import storyboard.plugin.base as plugin_base
+import storyboard.plugin.user_preferences as prefs_base
+import storyboard.tests.base as base
+
+
+class TestUserPreferencesPluginBase(base.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(TestUserPreferencesPluginBase, self).setUp()
+
+        self.extensions = []
+        self.extensions.append(Extension(
+            'test_one', None, None,
+            TestPreferencesPlugin(dict())
+        ))
+        self.extensions.append(Extension(
+            'test_two', None, None,
+            TestOtherPreferencesPlugin(dict())
+        ))
+
+    def test_extensibility(self):
+        """Assert that we can actually instantiate a plugin."""
+
+        plugin = TestPreferencesPlugin(dict())
+        self.assertIsNotNone(plugin)
+        self.assertTrue(plugin.enabled())
+
+    def test_plugin_loader(self):
+        """Perform a single plugin loading run, including two plugins and a
+        couple of overlapping preferences.
+        """
+        manager = plugin_base.StoryboardPluginLoader.make_test_instance(
+            self.extensions,
+            namespace='storyboard.plugin.user_preferences')
+
+        loaded_prefs = dict()
+
+        self.assertEqual(2, len(manager.extensions))
+        manager.map(prefs_base.load_preferences, loaded_prefs)
+
+        self.assertTrue("foo" in loaded_prefs)
+        self.assertTrue("omg" in loaded_prefs)
+        self.assertTrue("lol" in loaded_prefs)
+
+        self.assertEqual(loaded_prefs["foo"], "baz")
+        self.assertEqual(loaded_prefs["omg"], "wat")
+        self.assertEqual(loaded_prefs["lol"], "cat")
+
+
+class TestPreferencesPlugin(prefs_base.UserPreferencesPluginBase):
+    def get_default_preferences(self):
+        return {
+            "foo": "baz",
+            "omg": "wat"
+        }
+
+    def enabled(self):
+        return True
+
+
+class TestOtherPreferencesPlugin(prefs_base.UserPreferencesPluginBase):
+    def get_default_preferences(self):
+        return {
+            "foo": "bar",
+            "lol": "cat"
+        }
+
+    def enabled(self):
+        return True