diff --git a/src/internal/mana_analysis.h b/src/internal/mana_analysis.h
index dcd8f25..d2dabf1 100644
--- a/src/internal/mana_analysis.h
+++ b/src/internal/mana_analysis.h
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ struct ManaCountingSink: public IManaSink
         totalBytes = 0;
     }
 
-    void init() override {}
+    void init(int, const char **) override {}
     void shutdown() override {}
     void begin_run(const char *descriptor_json) override
     {
diff --git a/src/internal/mana_c_api.h b/src/internal/mana_c_api.h
index d24932a..18ea5b3 100644
--- a/src/internal/mana_c_api.h
+++ b/src/internal/mana_c_api.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ extern "C"
         size_t size_bytes;
     } mana_offset_array_t;
 
-#define MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_INIT(name) void *name()
+#define MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_INIT(name) void *name(int plugin_argc, const char **plugin_argv)
 
 #define MANA_DEFINE_PLUGIN_SHUTDOWN(name) void name(void *context)
 
diff --git a/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp b/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
index 602ba1f..a5d8dee 100644
--- a/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
+++ b/src/internal/mana_lib.hpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "mana_c_api.h"
 #include <cassert>
 #include <mesytec-mnode/mnode_cpp_types.h>
+#include <mesytec-mnode/mnode_string.hpp>
 #include <mesytec-mvlc/cpp_compat.h>
 #include <mesytec-mvlc/util/data_filter.h>
 #include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
@@ -131,7 +132,7 @@ class IManaSink
   public:
     virtual ~IManaSink() = default;
 
-    virtual void init() = 0;
+    virtual void init(int plugin_argc, const char **plugin_argv) = 0;
     virtual void shutdown() = 0;
     virtual void begin_run(const char *descriptor_json) = 0;
     virtual void end_run(const char *descriptor_json) = 0;
@@ -140,6 +141,14 @@ class IManaSink
 
     virtual void process_system_event(const uint32_t *data, size_t size) = 0;
 
+    template <typename StringHolder> void init(StringHolder args)
+    {
+        std::vector<const char *> cargs(args.size());
+        std::transform(args.begin(), args.end(), cargs.begin(),
+                       [](const std::string &s) { return s.c_str(); });
+        init(cargs.size(), cargs.data());
+    }
+
   protected:
     IManaSink() = default;
 
@@ -159,7 +168,10 @@ struct ManaCSink: public IManaSink
     {
     }
 
-    void init() override { context_ = plugin_.init(); }
+    void init(int plugin_argc, const char **plugin_argv) override
+    {
+        context_ = plugin_.init(plugin_argc, plugin_argv);
+    }
     void shutdown() override { plugin_.shutdown(context_); }
     void begin_run(const char *descriptor_json) override
     {
diff --git a/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc b/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
index abc3cb3..ad72179 100644
--- a/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
+++ b/src/tools/mana_auto_replay.cc
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     // make the analysis instance available to the parser callbacks
     parserContext->parser.userContext = &mana;
 
-    mana.sink->init();
+    mana.sink->init(0, nullptr);
     mana.sink->begin_run(mana.runDescriptor.dump().c_str());
 
     strategy->run(*listfileContext, *parserContext);