diff --git a/ipalib/plugable.py b/ipalib/plugable.py
index 9025c1db6..f298e97e8 100644
--- a/ipalib/plugable.py
+++ b/ipalib/plugable.py
@@ -49,6 +49,16 @@ class Plugin(object):
 	Base class for all plugins.
 	"""
 
+	def __init__(self, api):
+		self.__api = api
+
+	def __get_api(self):
+		"""
+		Returns the plugable.API object this plugin has been instatiated in.
+		"""
+		return self.__api
+	api = property(__get_api)
+
 	def __get_name(self):
 		"""
 		Returns the class name of this instance.
@@ -132,6 +142,8 @@ class NameSpace(ReadOnly):
 
 	def __init__(self, items):
 		"""
+		`items` should be an iterable providing the members of this
+		NameSpace.
 		"""
 		object.__setattr__(self, '_NameSpace__items', tuple(items))
 
@@ -182,7 +194,6 @@ class NameSpace(ReadOnly):
 		raise KeyError('NameSpace has no item for key %r' % key)
 
 
-
 class Registrar(object):
 	def __init__(self, *allowed):
 		"""
@@ -265,3 +276,9 @@ class Registrar(object):
 		"""
 		for base in self.__allowed:
 			yield (base, self.__d[base.__name__].values())
+
+
+class API(ReadOnly):
+	def __init__(self, registrar):
+		for (base, plugins) in registrar:
+			pass
diff --git a/ipalib/tests/test_plugable.py b/ipalib/tests/test_plugable.py
index fc7fff982..a6f1e7cdc 100644
--- a/ipalib/tests/test_plugable.py
+++ b/ipalib/tests/test_plugable.py
@@ -42,14 +42,17 @@ def test_from_cli():
 
 
 def test_Plugin():
-	p = plugable.Plugin()
-	assert p.name == 'Plugin'
+	api = 'the api instance'
+	p = plugable.Plugin(api)
+	assert read_only(p, 'api') is api
+	assert read_only(p, 'name') == 'Plugin'
 	assert repr(p) == '%s.Plugin()' % plugable.__name__
 
 	class some_plugin(plugable.Plugin):
 		pass
-	p = some_plugin()
-	assert p.name == 'some_plugin'
+	p = some_plugin(api)
+	assert read_only(p, 'api') is api
+	assert read_only(p, 'name') == 'some_plugin'
 	assert repr(p) == '%s.some_plugin()' % __name__
 
 
@@ -302,3 +305,7 @@ def test_NameSpace():
 	raises(KeyError, getitem, ns, cli)
 	raises(AttributeError, getattr, ns, name)
 	no_set(ns, name)
+
+
+def test_API():
+	assert issubclass(plugable.API, plugable.ReadOnly)