diff --git a/transformer_engine/common/__init__.py b/transformer_engine/common/__init__.py
index 6b276d22a8..84b4e65f3f 100644
--- a/transformer_engine/common/__init__.py
+++ b/transformer_engine/common/__init__.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 import sys
 import sysconfig
 from typing import Optional, Tuple
+import warnings
 
 
 @functools.lru_cache(maxsize=None)
@@ -191,6 +192,31 @@ def load_framework_extension(framework: str) -> None:
     sys.modules[module_name] = solib
     spec.loader.exec_module(solib)
 
+    # Plugin system: set NVTE_PLUGIN=<module_name> to let plugin stub take over
+    # transformer_engine_torch and register original pybind as _nv for CUDA backend.
+    # Only applies to the PyTorch extension — JAX has no plugin stub.
+    _nvte_plugin = os.environ.get("NVTE_PLUGIN")
+    if _nvte_plugin and framework == "torch":
+        _original_module = sys.modules.get(module_name)
+        try:
+            # Register _nv alias BEFORE importing the plugin, because the
+            # plugin module may import transformer_engine_torch_nv at top level.
+            sys.modules[module_name + "_nv"] = solib
+            _plugin = importlib.import_module(_nvte_plugin)
+            _plugin.load_plugins()
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Rollback to pre-plugin state if plugin failed to fully initialize
+            sys.modules.pop(module_name + "_nv", None)
+            if _original_module is not None:
+                sys.modules[module_name] = _original_module
+            else:
+                sys.modules.pop(module_name, None)
+            warnings.warn(
+                f"NVTE_PLUGIN={_nvte_plugin} but plugin loading failed: {e}",
+                RuntimeWarning,
+                stacklevel=2,
+            )
+
 
 def sanity_checks_for_pypi_installation() -> None:
     """Ensure that package is installed correctly if using PyPI."""
diff --git a/transformer_engine/pytorch/attention/dot_product_attention/dot_product_attention.py b/transformer_engine/pytorch/attention/dot_product_attention/dot_product_attention.py
index d5adbbcadf..43f0b2d788 100644
--- a/transformer_engine/pytorch/attention/dot_product_attention/dot_product_attention.py
+++ b/transformer_engine/pytorch/attention/dot_product_attention/dot_product_attention.py
@@ -244,6 +244,18 @@ def _delayed_scaling_recipe() -> Optional[DelayedScaling]:
 _dpa_fp8ds_reduce_amax = os.getenv("NVTE_DPA_FP8DS_REDUCE_AMAX", "1") == "1"
 
 
+# Plugin system: override FlashAttention and get_attention_backend if enabled
+if os.environ.get("NVTE_PLUGIN"):
+    import transformer_engine_torch as tex
+
+    _FlashAttentionNative = FlashAttention
+    FlashAttention = getattr(tex, "flash_attention", _FlashAttentionNative)
+    _plugin_get_attention_backend = getattr(tex, "get_attention_backend", None)
+    if _plugin_get_attention_backend is not None:
+        dpa_utils._original_get_attention_backend = dpa_utils.get_attention_backend
+        dpa_utils.get_attention_backend = _plugin_get_attention_backend
+
+
 __all__ = ["DotProductAttention"]