diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControl.js b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControl.js
index a4c6f22a..a315cb80 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControl.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControl.js
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
 import React, { PropTypes } from 'react';
 import RawEditor from './MarkdownControlElements/RawEditor';
 import VisualEditor from './MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor';
+import { processEditorPlugins } from './richText';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import { switchVisualMode } from '../../actions/editor';
 
 class MarkdownControl extends React.Component {
-  constructor(props) {
-    super(props);
+  constructor(props, context) {
+    super(props, context);
     this.useVisualEditor = this.useVisualEditor.bind(this);
     this.useRawEditor = this.useRawEditor.bind(this);
   }
 
+  componentWillMount() {
+    processEditorPlugins(this.context.plugins.editor);
+  }
+
   useVisualEditor() {
     this.props.switchVisualMode(true);
   }
@@ -70,6 +75,10 @@ MarkdownControl.propTypes = {
   value: PropTypes.node,
 };
 
+MarkdownControl.contextTypes = {
+  plugins: PropTypes.object,
+};
+
 export default connect(
   state => ({ editor: state.editor }),
   { switchVisualMode }
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/BlockTypesMenu.js b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/BlockTypesMenu.js
index 0912ce60..946b486e 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/BlockTypesMenu.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/BlockTypesMenu.js
@@ -88,15 +88,17 @@ export default class BlockTypesMenu extends Component {
   renderBlockTypeButton(type, icon) {
     const onClick = e => this.handleBlockTypeClick(e, type);
     return (
-      <Icon type={icon} onClick={onClick} className={styles.icon} />
+      <Icon key={type} type={icon} onClick={onClick} className={styles.icon} />
     );
   }
 
   renderMenu() {
+    const { plugins } = this.props;
     if (this.state.expanded) {
       return (
         <div className={styles.menu}>
           {this.renderBlockTypeButton('hr', 'dot-3')}
+          {plugins.map(plugin => this.renderBlockTypeButton(plugin.id, plugin.icon))}
           <Icon type="picture" onClick={this.handleFileUploadClick} className={styles.icon} />
           <input
               type="file"
@@ -134,6 +136,7 @@ export default class BlockTypesMenu extends Component {
 
 BlockTypesMenu.propTypes = {
   isOpen: PropTypes.bool.isRequired,
+  plugins: PropTypes.array.isRequired,
   position: PropTypes.shape({
     top: PropTypes.number.isRequired,
     left: PropTypes.number.isRequired
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/index.js b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/index.js
index 86dcc739..09ccc38b 100644
--- a/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/index.js
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/MarkdownControlElements/VisualEditor/index.js
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ import _ from 'lodash';
 import { Editor, Raw } from 'slate';
 import position from 'selection-position';
 import MarkupIt, { SlateUtils } from 'markup-it';
-import getSyntax from '../syntax';
 import { emptyParagraphBlock } from '../constants';
 import { DEFAULT_NODE, SCHEMA } from './schema';
+import { getNodes, getSyntaxes, getPlugins } from '../../richText';
 import StylesMenu from './StylesMenu';
 import BlockTypesMenu from './BlockTypesMenu';
 import styles from './index.css';
@@ -17,12 +17,8 @@ class VisualEditor extends React.Component {
   constructor(props) {
     super(props);
 
-    this.getMedia = this.getMedia.bind(this);
-    const MarkdownSyntax = getSyntax(this.getMedia);
-    this.markdown = new MarkupIt(MarkdownSyntax);
-
-    this.customImageNodeRenderer = this.customImageNodeRenderer.bind(this);
-    SCHEMA.nodes['mediaproxy'] = this.customImageNodeRenderer;
+    SCHEMA.nodes = _.merge(SCHEMA.nodes, getNodes());
+    this.markdown = new MarkupIt(getSyntaxes().markdown);
 
     this.blockEdit = false;
     this.menuPositions = {
@@ -295,6 +291,7 @@ class VisualEditor extends React.Component {
     return (
       <BlockTypesMenu
           isOpen={isOpen}
+          plugins={getPlugins()}
           position={this.menuPositions.blockTypesMenu}
           onClickBlock={this.handleBlockTypeClick}
           onClickImage={this.handleImageClick}
diff --git a/src/components/Widgets/richText.js b/src/components/Widgets/richText.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bb11631d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/Widgets/richText.js
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import { List } from 'immutable';
+import MarkupIt from 'markup-it';
+import markdownSyntax from 'markup-it/syntaxes/markdown';
+import htmlSyntax from 'markup-it/syntaxes/html';
+import { Icon } from '../UI';
+
+/*
+ * All Rich text widgets (Markdown, for example) should use Slate for text editing and
+ * MarkupIt to convert between structured formats (Slate JSON, Markdown, HTML, etc.).
+ * This module Processes and provides Slate nodes and MarkupIt syntaxes augmented with plugins
+ */
+
+let processedPlugins = List([]);
+
+
+const nodes = {};
+const augmentedMarkdownSyntax = markdownSyntax;
+const augmentedHTMLSyntax = htmlSyntax;
+
+function processEditorPlugins(plugins) {
+  // Since the plugin list is immutable, a simple comparisson is enough
+  // to determine whether we need to process again.
+  if (plugins === processedPlugins) return;
+
+  plugins.forEach(plugin => {
+    const markdownRule = MarkupIt.Rule(plugin.id)
+      .regExp(plugin.pattern, function(state, match) { return plugin.fromBlock(match); })
+      .toText(function(state, token) { return plugin.toBlock(token.getData()); });
+
+    const htmlRule = MarkupIt.Rule(plugin.id)
+      .regExp(plugin.pattern, function(state, match) { return plugin.fromBlock(match); })
+      .toText(function(state, token) { return plugin.toPreview(token.getData()); });
+
+    const nodeRenderer = (props) => {
+      /* eslint react/prop-types: 0 */
+      const { node, state } = props;
+      const isFocused = state.selection.hasEdgeIn(node);
+      const className = isFocused ? 'plugin active' : 'plugin';
+      return (
+        <div {...props.attributes} className={className}>
+          <Icon type={plugin.icon}/>
+        </div>
+      );
+    };
+
+    augmentedMarkdownSyntax.addInlineRules(markdownRule);
+    augmentedHTMLSyntax.addInlineRules(htmlRule);
+    nodes[plugin.id] = nodeRenderer;
+  });
+
+  processedPlugins = plugins;
+}
+
+function getPlugins() {
+  return processedPlugins.map(plugin => (
+    { id: plugin.id, icon: plugin.icon }
+  )).toArray();
+}
+
+function getNodes() {
+  return nodes;
+}
+
+function getSyntaxes() {
+  return { markdown: augmentedMarkdownSyntax, html:augmentedHTMLSyntax };
+}
+
+export { processEditorPlugins, getNodes, getSyntaxes, getPlugins };