diff --git a/examples/filefeed.js b/examples/filefeed.js
index e76f408..5175c37 100644
--- a/examples/filefeed.js
+++ b/examples/filefeed.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ var feed = {
     "feed_name"         : "test file feed",
     "default_count"     : 1,
     "no_cdata_fields"  : ['description'],
+    "plugins"           : ['kqed', 'content_encoded', 'wfw_slash_comments', 'add_media_thumbnail'],
     "meta" : {
         "title": "Test File Feed",
         "description": "This feed comes from a file",
diff --git a/lib/RssBraider.js b/lib/RssBraider.js
index 96573c5..5183bdd 100644
--- a/lib/RssBraider.js
+++ b/lib/RssBraider.js
@@ -6,43 +6,63 @@ var FeedParser  = require('feedparser'),
     async       = require('async'),
     request     = require('request'),
     RSS         = require('rss'),
-    fs          = require('fs'),
-    util        = require('util'); // DEBUG
-
+    fs          = require('fs');
 
 var logger;
 var RssBraider = function (options) {
-    this.feeds = options.feeds || null; // TOOD validate feed configs
+    this.feeds = options.feeds || null;
     this.logger = logger = options.logger || bunyan.createLogger({name: 'rss-braider'});
-    this.indent = options.indent || "    ";
-    this.dedupe_fields = options.dedupe_fields || [];
+    this.indent = options.indent || "\t";
+    this.dedupe_fields = options.dedupe_fields || []; // The fields to use to identify duplicate articles
     this.date_sort_order = options.date_sort_order || "desc";
+
+    // load plugins from plugins folder
+    // TODO, specify plugins location
+    this.plugins = {};
+    this.loadPlugins();
+
 };
 
-RssBraider.prototype.init = function() {
-    // Validate the feeds?
+// loadup self.plugins with the plugin functions
+RssBraider.prototype.loadPlugins = function () {
+    var self = this,
+        path = __dirname + '/plugins',
+        filenames = fs.readdirSync(path);
+
+    // load up each file and assign it to the plugins
+    filenames.forEach(function(filename){
+        var plugin_name = filename.replace(/.js$/, '');
+        self.plugins[plugin_name] = require(path + '/' + plugin_name);
+        // logger.info("plugin loaded:", plugin_name);
+    });
 };
 
-RssBraider.prototype.feedExists = function (feed_name) {
-    if (this.feeds && this.feeds[feed_name]) {
-        return true;
-    } else {
-        return false;
-    }
-};
+// RssBraider.prototype.feedExists = function (feed_name) {
+//     if (this.feeds && this.feeds[feed_name]) {
+//         return true;
+//     } else {
+//         return false;
+//     }
+// };
 
+// Gather data from all feed sources, process each article/item through plugins,
+// trim down to  desired count, dedupe and sort
 RssBraider.prototype.processFeed = function(feed_name, format, callback)
 {
-    // DEBUG
-    console.time("process");
-
     if (!format) {
-        format = 'json';
+        format = 'rss';
     }
     var self = this,
         feed = this.feeds[feed_name],
         feed_articles = [];
 
+    // set these for the request
+    self.feed_name = feed_name;
+    self.format = format;
+    self.feed = feed;
+
+    // logger.info("DEBUG processFeed: feed is set to " + feed_name);
+
     if (!feed || !feed.sources || feed.sources.length < 1) {
         return callback("No definition for feed name: " + feed_name);
     }
@@ -153,6 +173,8 @@ RssBraider.prototype.processFeed = function(feed_name, format, callback)
 
 // Accepts a feed-parser item and builds a node-rss itemOptions object
 RssBraider.prototype.processItem = function (item) {
+    var self = this;
+
     if (!item) {
         logger.error("processItem: no item passed in");
         return null;
@@ -170,96 +192,33 @@ RssBraider.prototype.processItem = function (item) {
         custom_elements : []
     };
 
-
-    //////////////////
-    // Custom elements    Move to PLUGINS
-    //////////////////
-
-    // kqed source
-    if (item.source_url) {
-        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(
-            { 'kqed:source': item.source_url }
-        );
-    }
-
-    // content:encoded (i.e. description)
-    if (item["content:encoded"] && item["content:encoded"]["#"]){
-        var content_encoded = item["content:encoded"]["#"];
-        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(
-            { "content:encoded":
-                {
-                    _cdata: content_encoded
-                }
-            }
-        );
-    }
-
-    // // wfw
-    if (item["wfw:commentrss"] && item["wfw:commentrss"]["#"]){
-        itemOptions.custom_elements.push({ "wfw:commentRss": item["wfw:commentrss"]["#"]});
-    }
-
-    // // // slash comments
-    if (item["slash:comments"] && item["slash:comments"]["#"]){
-        itemOptions.custom_elements.push({ "slash:comments": item["slash:comments"]["#"]});
-    }
-
-    // Images
-    // Take 'media:thumbnail',
-    //       else
-    //      'media:content'[0]'media:thumbnail'
-    //       else
-    //      'media:thumbnail'
-    var thumbnail;
-    if (item['media:thumbnail'] && item['media:thumbnail']['#']) {
-        thumbnail = {
-            'media:thumbnail': item['media:thumbnail']['#']
-        };
-        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
-    } else {
-        if (item["media:content"]) {
-            var media_contents;
-            if (! _.isArray(item['media:content'])) {
-                media_contents = [item['media:content']];
-            } else {
-                media_contents = item['media:content'];
-            }
-
-            if ( media_contents[0] &&
-                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail'] &&
-                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'] &&
-                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url) {
-
-                thumbnail = {
-                    'media:thumbnail' : [{
-                        _attr: {
-                            url: media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url
-                        }
-                    }]
-                };
-                // itemOptions.custom_elements.push({'media:thumbnail' : { url: media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url}} );
-                itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
-            } else {
-                thumbnail = {
-                    'media:thumbnail' : [{
-                        _attr: {
-                            url: media_contents[0]['@'].url
-                        }
-                    }]
-                };
-                itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
-            }
-        }
-    }
+    // Run the plugins specified by the "plugins" section of the
+    // feed config file to build out any custom elements or
+    // do transforms
+    self.runPlugins(item, itemOptions);
 
     return itemOptions;
 };
 
+RssBraider.prototype.runPlugins = function (item, itemOptions) {
+    var self = this,
+        feed_plugins = self.feed.plugins || [];
+
+    // Process the item through the desired feed plugins
+    feed_plugins.forEach(function(plugin_name){
+        if (self.plugins[plugin_name]) {
+            // logger.info("DEBUG runPlugins running " + plugin_name);
+            self.plugins[plugin_name](item, itemOptions);
+        } else {
+            logger.error("A plugin named '" + plugin_name + "' hasn't been registered");
+        }
+    });
+};
+
 // Dedupe articles in node-rss itemOptions format
 // Accepts an array of fields to dedupe on, or does a basic uniq
 // operation on the articles array
 RssBraider.prototype.dedupe = function(articles_arr, fields){
-    // logger.info("dedupe fields", fields);
     if ( !fields || fields.length < 1 ) {
         return _.uniq(articles_arr);
     } else {
diff --git a/lib/plugins/add_media_thumbnail.js b/lib/plugins/add_media_thumbnail.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f24d916
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/plugins/add_media_thumbnail.js
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+// Add a media:thumbnail element
+// Take 'media:thumbnail',
+//       else
+//      'media:content'[0]'media:thumbnail'
+//       else
+//      'media:thumbnail'
+var _ = require('lodash');
+module.exports = function (item, itemOptions) {
+    if (!item || !itemOptions) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    var thumbnail;
+    if (item['media:thumbnail'] && item['media:thumbnail']['#']) {
+        thumbnail = {
+            'media:thumbnail': item['media:thumbnail']['#']
+        };
+        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
+    } else {
+        if (item["media:content"]) {
+            var media_contents;
+            if (! _.isArray(item['media:content'])) {
+                media_contents = [item['media:content']];
+            } else {
+                media_contents = item['media:content'];
+            }
+
+            if ( media_contents[0] &&
+                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail'] &&
+                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'] &&
+                 media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url) {
+
+                thumbnail = {
+                    'media:thumbnail' : [{
+                        _attr: {
+                            url: media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url
+                        }
+                    }]
+                };
+                // itemOptions.custom_elements.push({'media:thumbnail' : { url: media_contents[0]['media:thumbnail']['@'].url}} );
+                itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
+            } else {
+                thumbnail = {
+                    'media:thumbnail' : [{
+                        _attr: {
+                            url: media_contents[0]['@'].url
+                        }
+                    }]
+                };
+                itemOptions.custom_elements.push(thumbnail);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/plugins/content_encoded.js b/lib/plugins/content_encoded.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea1efa4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/plugins/content_encoded.js
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+module.exports = function (item, itemOptions) {
+    if (!item || !itemOptions) {
+        return;
+    }
+    // content:encoded (i.e. description)
+    if (item["content:encoded"] && item["content:encoded"]["#"]){
+        var content_encoded = item["content:encoded"]["#"];
+        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(
+            { "content:encoded":
+                {
+                    _cdata: content_encoded
+                }
+            }
+        );
+    }
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/plugins/kqed.js b/lib/plugins/kqed.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d25e6c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/plugins/kqed.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+// define kqed source
+module.exports = function (item, itemOptions) {
+    if (!item || !itemOptions) {
+        return;
+    }
+    if (item.source_url) {
+        itemOptions.custom_elements.push(
+            { 'kqed:source': item.source_url }
+        );
+    }
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/plugins/wfw_slash_comments.js b/lib/plugins/wfw_slash_comments.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bc7e2f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/plugins/wfw_slash_comments.js
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+module.exports = function (item, itemOptions) {
+    if (!item || !itemOptions) {
+        return;
+    }
+    // wfw
+    if (item["wfw:commentrss"] && item["wfw:commentrss"]["#"]){
+        itemOptions.custom_elements.push({ "wfw:commentRss": item["wfw:commentrss"]["#"]});
+    }
+
+    // // // slash comments
+    if (item["slash:comments"] && item["slash:comments"]["#"]){
+        itemOptions.custom_elements.push({ "slash:comments": item["slash:comments"]["#"]});
+    }
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/input_files/date_sort.js b/test/input_files/date_sort.js
index e17be6e..6cd2efa 100644
--- a/test/input_files/date_sort.js
+++ b/test/input_files/date_sort.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ var feed = {
     "feed_name"         : "test file feed",
     "default_count"     : 1,
     "no_cdata_fields"  : ['description'],
+    "plugins"           : ['kqed', 'content_encoded', 'wfw_slash_comments', 'add_media_thumbnail'],
     "meta" : {
         "title": "Test File Feed",
         "description": "This feed comes from a file",
diff --git a/test/input_files/sample_feed.js b/test/input_files/sample_feed.js
index b3382cb..b8ce504 100644
--- a/test/input_files/sample_feed.js
+++ b/test/input_files/sample_feed.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 var feed = {
     "feed_name"         : "test file feed",
     "default_count"     : 1,
-    "no_cdata_fields"  : ['description'],
+    "no_cdata_fields"   : ['description'],
+    "plugins"           : ['kqed', 'content_encoded', 'wfw_slash_comments', 'add_media_thumbnail'],
     "meta" : {
         "title": "Test File Feed",
         "description": "This feed comes from a file",
diff --git a/test/input_files/sample_feed_duplicates.js b/test/input_files/sample_feed_duplicates.js
index 027b18e..ca4b2e4 100644
--- a/test/input_files/sample_feed_duplicates.js
+++ b/test/input_files/sample_feed_duplicates.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ var feed = {
     "feed_name"         : "test file feed",
     "default_count"     : 1,
     "no_cdata_fields"  : ['description'],
+    "plugins"           : ['kqed', 'content_encoded', 'wfw_slash_comments', 'add_media_thumbnail'],
     "meta" : {
         "title": "Test File Feed",
         "description": "This feed comes from a file",