diff --git a/plugins/README.md b/plugins/README.md
index 55c8725..24bb34d 100644
--- a/plugins/README.md
+++ b/plugins/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ Ok, you already know what is a plugin, and now you may be wondering: **What I ca
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-Before we start to develop plugins, we need two files: [scope.lua](scope.lua) and [shell.lua](shell.lua). These two files could be found at `plugins` folder of the `Scope` repository. These files must be at same folder of our plugin. Think that files as the standard libraries of our plugin.
+Plugins rely on two standard libraries — [scope.lua](scope.lua) and [shell.lua](shell.lua) — which provide the `require("scope")` and `require("shell")` modules used throughout this guide.
+
+You don't need to copy them next to your plugin. When you load a plugin, `Scope` copies it into `<config_dir>/scope/plugins/` (e.g. `~/.config/scope/plugins/`) and writes the standard libraries there alongside it, so `require(...)` resolves automatically. Because your plugin is loaded from that directory, `reload` re-copies it from the original path — keep editing the file you loaded and reload as usual. (Both libraries also live in the `plugins` folder of the `Scope` repository if you want to read them.)
 
 ## Getting Started
 
diff --git a/src/plugin/engine.rs b/src/plugin/engine.rs
index 07a7846..cbeb582 100644
--- a/src/plugin/engine.rs
+++ b/src/plugin/engine.rs
@@ -32,6 +32,55 @@ use tokio::{
 };
 pub type PluginEngine = Task<(), PluginEngineCommand>;
 
+/// The Scope standard-library Lua modules, embedded so they can be provisioned
+/// into the plugins directory even when the source tree isn't present (installed
+/// binary). Every loaded plugin sits next to these, so `require("scope")` /
+/// `require("shell")` resolve without the user staging them by hand.
+const STDLIB: &[(&str, &str)] = &[
+    ("scope.lua", include_str!("../../plugins/scope.lua")),
+    ("shell.lua", include_str!("../../plugins/shell.lua")),
+];
+
+/// The directory scope copies loaded plugins into (alongside the bundled
+/// `scope.lua`): `<config_dir>/scope/plugins`, e.g. `~/.config/scope/plugins`.
+/// Falls back to a relative `scope/plugins` when the config dir is unknown,
+/// mirroring the crash-backup directory.
+fn plugins_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    dirs::config_dir()
+        .map(|dir| dir.join("scope").join("plugins"))
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| PathBuf::from("scope").join("plugins"))
+}
+
+/// Stage a plugin for loading: ensure the plugins directory and the bundled
+/// standard libraries exist (each written only when missing, so repeated loads
+/// don't rewrite them and a user's local copy survives), copy the plugin in
+/// (unless the source already *is* the destination), and return the path to
+/// load it from. Pure filesystem work, unit-tested below.
+fn stage_plugin(dir: &Path, source: &Path, name: &str) -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(dir)
+        .map_err(|err| format!("Cannot create plugins directory {:?}: {}", dir, err))?;
+
+    for (lib_name, contents) in STDLIB {
+        let lib = dir.join(lib_name);
+        if !lib.exists() {
+            std::fs::write(&lib, contents)
+                .map_err(|err| format!("Cannot write {:?}: {}", lib, err))?;
+        }
+    }
+
+    let dest = dir.join(format!("{}.lua", name));
+    let same_file = match (std::fs::canonicalize(source), std::fs::canonicalize(&dest)) {
+        (Ok(s), Ok(d)) => s == d,
+        _ => false,
+    };
+    if !same_file {
+        std::fs::copy(source, &dest)
+            .map_err(|err| format!("Cannot copy plugin to {:?}: {}", dest, err))?;
+    }
+
+    Ok(dest)
+}
+
 pub enum PluginEngineCommand {
     SetLogLevel {
         plugin_name: String,
@@ -781,7 +830,13 @@ impl PluginEngine {
         plugin_list: &mut HashMap<Arc<String>, Plugin>,
         logger: Logger,
     ) -> Result<(), String> {
-        let filepath = match filepath.extension() {
+        // These names belong to the embedded standard-library modules the engine
+        // writes into the plugins directory; a plugin may not shadow them.
+        if matches!(plugin_name.as_str(), "scope" | "shell") {
+            return Err(format!("\"{}\" is a reserved plugin name", plugin_name));
+        }
+
+        let source = match filepath.extension() {
             Some(extension) if extension.as_encoded_bytes() != b"lua" => {
                 return Err(format!("Invalid plugin extension: {:?}", extension));
             }
@@ -789,13 +844,21 @@ impl PluginEngine {
             None => filepath.with_extension("lua"),
         };
 
-        if !filepath.exists() {
-            return Err(format!("Filepath \"{:?}\" doesn't exist!", filepath));
+        if !source.exists() {
+            return Err(format!("Filepath \"{:?}\" doesn't exist!", source));
         }
 
+        // Stage the plugin into the known plugins directory next to the bundled
+        // standard libraries and load it from there, so `require("scope")` /
+        // `require("shell")` resolve without the user staging them by hand
+        // (issue #206). The original path is kept as the plugin's identity so
+        // `!plugin reload` re-copies the (possibly edited) source.
+        let dest = stage_plugin(&plugins_dir(), &source, plugin_name.as_str())?;
+
         let mut plugin = Plugin::new(
             plugin_name.clone(),
-            filepath,
+            source,
+            dest,
             logger.with_source((*plugin_name).clone()),
         )?;
         plugin.spawn_method_call(gate, "on_load", (), false);
@@ -829,3 +892,113 @@ impl PluginEngineConnections {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::{STDLIB, stage_plugin};
+    use std::fs;
+    use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+
+    /// A self-cleaning unique temp directory (this crate has no tempfile dev-dep).
+    struct TempDir(PathBuf);
+
+    impl TempDir {
+        fn new(tag: &str) -> Self {
+            let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("scope-stage-test-{tag}"));
+            let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+            fs::create_dir_all(&dir).unwrap();
+            TempDir(dir)
+        }
+
+        fn path(&self) -> &Path {
+            &self.0
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl Drop for TempDir {
+        fn drop(&mut self) {
+            let _ = fs::remove_dir_all(&self.0);
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn stdlib(name: &str) -> &'static str {
+        STDLIB.iter().find(|(n, _)| *n == name).unwrap().1
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_provisions_stdlib_and_copies_plugin() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new("provision");
+        let src = tmp.path().join("src");
+        fs::create_dir_all(&src).unwrap();
+        let source = src.join("myplug.lua");
+        fs::write(&source, "-- plugin body\n").unwrap();
+
+        let plugins = tmp.path().join("plugins");
+        let dest = stage_plugin(&plugins, &source, "myplug").unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(dest, plugins.join("myplug.lua"));
+        assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&dest).unwrap(), "-- plugin body\n");
+        assert_eq!(
+            fs::read_to_string(plugins.join("scope.lua")).unwrap(),
+            stdlib("scope.lua")
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            fs::read_to_string(plugins.join("shell.lua")).unwrap(),
+            stdlib("shell.lua")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_does_not_overwrite_existing_stdlib() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new("no-overwrite");
+        let plugins = tmp.path().join("plugins");
+        fs::create_dir_all(&plugins).unwrap();
+        // A user-customized scope.lua already in place.
+        fs::write(plugins.join("scope.lua"), "-- CUSTOM\n").unwrap();
+
+        let source = tmp.path().join("p.lua");
+        fs::write(&source, "-- p\n").unwrap();
+        stage_plugin(&plugins, &source, "p").unwrap();
+
+        // The existing scope.lua is preserved; the missing shell.lua is written.
+        assert_eq!(
+            fs::read_to_string(plugins.join("scope.lua")).unwrap(),
+            "-- CUSTOM\n"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            fs::read_to_string(plugins.join("shell.lua")).unwrap(),
+            stdlib("shell.lua")
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn restage_recopies_edited_source() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new("recopy");
+        let plugins = tmp.path().join("plugins");
+        let source = tmp.path().join("p.lua");
+
+        fs::write(&source, "-- v1\n").unwrap();
+        let dest = stage_plugin(&plugins, &source, "p").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&dest).unwrap(), "-- v1\n");
+
+        // Editing the source and re-staging re-copies it (the reload path).
+        fs::write(&source, "-- v2\n").unwrap();
+        let dest2 = stage_plugin(&plugins, &source, "p").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(dest2, dest);
+        assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&dest).unwrap(), "-- v2\n");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_is_noop_copy_when_source_is_destination() {
+        let tmp = TempDir::new("same-file");
+        let plugins = tmp.path().join("plugins");
+        fs::create_dir_all(&plugins).unwrap();
+        // Loading directly from the plugins dir: source == destination.
+        let source = plugins.join("p.lua");
+        fs::write(&source, "-- inplace\n").unwrap();
+
+        let dest = stage_plugin(&plugins, &source, "p").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(dest, source);
+        assert_eq!(fs::read_to_string(&dest).unwrap(), "-- inplace\n");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/plugin/mod.rs b/src/plugin/mod.rs
index 7f5774b..ac09efb 100644
--- a/src/plugin/mod.rs
+++ b/src/plugin/mod.rs
@@ -32,11 +32,22 @@ pub enum PluginUnloadMode {
 }
 
 impl Plugin {
-    pub fn new(name: Arc<String>, filepath: PathBuf, logger: Logger) -> Result<Self, String> {
+    /// `source_filepath` is where the plugin came from — it is stored as the
+    /// plugin's identity and re-read on reload. `load_filepath` is where the
+    /// code is actually read from and whose directory is added to Lua's
+    /// `package.path` (so `require("scope")` resolves against the `scope.lua`
+    /// sitting next to it). They differ when the engine copies the plugin into
+    /// the known plugins directory before loading it.
+    pub fn new(
+        name: Arc<String>,
+        source_filepath: PathBuf,
+        load_filepath: PathBuf,
+        logger: Logger,
+    ) -> Result<Self, String> {
         let lua = Lua::new_with(mlua::StdLib::ALL_SAFE, LuaOptions::default())
             .map_err(|err| err.to_string())?;
-        let plugin_dir = filepath.parent().unwrap_or(Path::new("/"));
-        let code = std::fs::read_to_string(&filepath).map_err(|err| err.to_string())?;
+        let plugin_dir = load_filepath.parent().unwrap_or(Path::new("/"));
+        let code = std::fs::read_to_string(&load_filepath).map_err(|err| err.to_string())?;
         lua.load(format!(
             "package.path = package.path .. ';{}/?.lua'",
             plugin_dir.to_str().unwrap_or("")
@@ -50,7 +61,7 @@ impl Plugin {
 
         Ok(Self {
             name,
-            filepath,
+            filepath: source_filepath,
             lua: Rc::new(lua),
             index: 0,
             log_level: LogLevel::Info,
@@ -159,6 +170,7 @@ mod tests {
         let _plugin = Plugin::new(
             Arc::new("echo".to_string()),
             PathBuf::from("plugins/echo.lua"),
+            PathBuf::from("plugins/echo.lua"),
             Logger::new("test".to_string()).0,
         );
     }