diff --git a/.vscode/launch.json b/.vscode/launch.json
index 107c629..5e144c2 100644
--- a/.vscode/launch.json
+++ b/.vscode/launch.json
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@
             "type": "cppdbg",
             "request": "launch",
             "program": "${workspaceFolder}/build/mana_auto_replay",
-            "args": ["~/Documents/is690-9Li_3H_run094_241020_124254_part001.zip"],
+            "args": [
+                "~/Documents/is690-9Li_3H_run094_241020_124254_part001.zip",
+                "--plugin=src/libmana-plugin-c-test.so"
+            ],
             "stopAtEntry": false,
-            "cwd": "${fileDirname}",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/build",
             "environment": [],
             "externalConsole": false,
             "MIMode": "gdb",
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index f1e0c46..fb34c23 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@ if (MNODE_BUILD_TESTS)
 endif()
 
 
+add_library(rxi-logc INTERFACE)
+target_sources(rxi-logc INTERFACE internal/rxi/log.c)
+
 add_library(mana-plugin-c-test SHARED mana_plugin_c_test.c)
+target_link_libraries(mana-plugin-c-test PRIVATE rxi-logc)
 
 find_package(ROOT COMPONENTS Hist)
 if (ROOT_FOUND)
diff --git a/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp b/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
index e73fef5..0d57806 100644
--- a/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
+++ b/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ struct ManaCPlugin: public ManaPlugin
     mana_plugin_t plugin_;
     void *context_ = nullptr;
 
-    ManaCPlugin(mana_plugin_t plugin)
+    explicit ManaCPlugin(mana_plugin_t plugin)
         : plugin_(plugin)
     {
     }
diff --git a/src/mana_plugin_c_test.c b/src/mana_plugin_c_test.c
index a4c9642..f22cceb 100644
--- a/src/mana_plugin_c_test.c
+++ b/src/mana_plugin_c_test.c
@@ -1,27 +1,47 @@
 #include "internal/mana_api.h"
+#include "internal/rxi/log.h"
 #include <string.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 
 struct Context
 {
 };
 
-struct Context ctx_;
-
 MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_INIT(init)
 {
-    memset(&ctx_, 0, sizeof(ctx_));
-    return &ctx_;
+    struct Context *ctx = calloc(1, sizeof(*ctx));
+    log_debug("init: ctx=%p", ctx);
+    return ctx;
 }
 
-MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_SHUTDOWN(shutdown) {}
+MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_SHUTDOWN(shutdown)
+{
+    (void)context;
+    log_debug("shutdown");
+}
 
-MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_BEGIN_RUN(begin_run) {}
+MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_BEGIN_RUN(begin_run)
+{
+    log_debug("begin_run: ctx=%p, descriptor_json=%s", context, descriptor_json);
+    /* pretty useless as the json needs to be parsed back into some c structure describing the input
+     */
+}
 
-MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_END_RUN(end_run) {}
+MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_END_RUN(end_run)
+{
+    log_debug("end: ctx=%p, descriptor_json=%s", context, descriptor_json);
+}
 
-MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_EVENT_DATA(process_event) {}
+MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_EVENT_DATA(process_event)
+{
+    log_trace("event: ctx=%p, eventIndex=%d, arrayCount=%zu, totalBytes=%zu", context, eventIndex,
+              arrayCount, totalBytes);
+}
 
-MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_SYSTEM_EVENT(process_system_event) {}
+MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_SYSTEM_EVENT(process_system_event)
+{
+    log_debug("system_event: ctx=%p, size=%zu", context, size);
+}
 
 MANA_DEFINE_GET_PLUGIN(mana_get_plugin)
 {
diff --git a/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc b/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
index d220191..a8cc34e 100644
--- a/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
+++ b/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 //      - create root trees or the new rntuples(?)
 //    -> want plugins. similar to the mvme listfile_reader but on analysis data
 
+#include <boost/dll.hpp>
 #include <cmrc/cmrc.hpp> // mnode::resources
 #include <mesytec-mvlc/mesytec-mvlc.h>
 #include <mesytec-mnode/mnode_cpp_types.h>
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
 #include <list>
 #include <sstream>
+#include "internal/argh.h"
 #include "internal/mana_arena.h"
 #include "internal/mana_lib.hpp"
 #include "internal/mana_analysis.h"
@@ -157,21 +159,50 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     auto f = cmrc::mnode::resources::get_filesystem().open("data/vme_module_data_sources.json");
     const auto jModuleDataSources = nlohmann::json::parse(f.begin(), f.end());
 
-    if (argc < 2)
+    argh::parser parser({"-h", "--help", "--plugin"});
+    parser.parse(argv);
+
+    auto filename = parser[1];
+
+    if (parser["-h"] || parser["--help"] || filename.empty())
     {
-        std::cout << fmt::format("Usage: {} <listfile.zip>\n", argv[0]);
-        return 1;
+        std::cout << fmt::format("usage: {} [--plugin=<plugin.so>] <zipfile>\n", argv[0]);
+        return 0;
     }
 
-    std::string filename = argv[1];
     auto listfileContext = make_listfile_context(filename);
 
     if (!listfileContext)
+    {
+        std::cerr << fmt::format("Error: could not open {}\n", filename);
         return 1;
+    }
+
+    std::unique_ptr<mana::ManaPlugin> manaPlugin;
+    boost::dll::shared_library pluginHandle;
+
+    if (parser("--plugin"))
+    {
+        auto pluginFile = parser("--plugin").str();
+        try
+        {
+            pluginHandle = boost::dll::shared_library(pluginFile);
+            manaPlugin = std::make_unique<mana::ManaCPlugin>(
+                pluginHandle.get<mana_plugin_t()>("mana_get_plugin")());
+        }
+        catch (const std::exception &e)
+        {
+            std::cerr << fmt::format("Error loading plugin: {}\n", e.what());
+            return 1;
+        }
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        manaPlugin = std::make_unique<mana::ManaCountingSink>();
+    }
 
-    mana::ManaCountingSink manaPlugin;
     auto mana = mana::make_module_data_stage(filename, mana::Arena(), listfileContext->crateConfig,
-                                             jModuleDataSources, &manaPlugin, nullptr);
+                                             jModuleDataSources, manaPlugin.get(), nullptr);
 
     auto event_data = [](void *ctx_, int crateIndex, int eventIndex,
                          const mvlc::readout_parser::ModuleData *moduleDataList,
@@ -235,18 +266,22 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     mana.sink->end_run(mana.sinkContext, mana.runDescriptor.dump().c_str());
     mana.sink->shutdown(mana.sinkContext);
 
-    spdlog::info(
-        "ManaCountingSink: eventCounts=[{}], totalBytes={}, systemEvents={}, systemEventBytes={}",
-        fmt::join(manaPlugin.eventCounts, ", "), manaPlugin.totalBytes, manaPlugin.systemEventCount,
-        manaPlugin.systemEventBytes);
-
-    for (size_t ei = 0; ei < manaPlugin.eventArrayHits.size(); ++ei)
+    if (auto cp = dynamic_cast<mana::ManaCountingSink *>(manaPlugin.get()))
     {
-        spdlog::info("event[{}]: {} hits", ei, manaPlugin.eventCounts[ei]);
-        for (size_t ai = 0; ai < manaPlugin.eventArrayHits[ei].size(); ++ai)
+
+        spdlog::info("ManaCountingSink: eventCounts=[{}], totalBytes={}, systemEvents={}, "
+                     "systemEventBytes={}",
+                     fmt::join(cp->eventCounts, ", "), cp->totalBytes, cp->systemEventCount,
+                     cp->systemEventBytes);
+
+        for (size_t ei = 0; ei < cp->eventArrayHits.size(); ++ei)
         {
-            auto name = mana.runDescriptor["events"][ei]["outputs"][ai]["name"];
-            spdlog::info("  {}: {}", name, manaPlugin.eventArrayHits[ei][ai]);
+            spdlog::info("event[{}]: {} hits", ei, cp->eventCounts[ei]);
+            for (size_t ai = 0; ai < cp->eventArrayHits[ei].size(); ++ai)
+            {
+                auto name = mana.runDescriptor["events"][ei]["outputs"][ai]["name"];
+                spdlog::info("  {}: {}", name, cp->eventArrayHits[ei][ai]);
+            }
         }
     }