diff --git a/editions/prerelease/tiddlywiki.info b/editions/prerelease/tiddlywiki.info
index 99b5df532..88261c531 100644
--- a/editions/prerelease/tiddlywiki.info
+++ b/editions/prerelease/tiddlywiki.info
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@
 		"tiddlywiki/qrcode",
 		"tiddlywiki/bibtex",
 		"tiddlywiki/savetrail",
-		"tiddlywiki/twitter"
+		"tiddlywiki/twitter",
+		"tiddlywiki/external-attachments"
 	],
 	"themes": [
 		"tiddlywiki/vanilla",
diff --git a/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/config.multids b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/config.multids
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a5f0dc80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/config.multids
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+title: $:/config/ExternalAttachments/
+
+Enable: yes
+UseAbsoluteForDescendents: no
+UseAbsoluteForNonDescendents: no
+
diff --git a/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/plugin.info b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/plugin.info
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a2d4f9bea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/plugin.info
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+	"title": "$:/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments",
+	"description": "External attachment support for TiddlyDesktop et al.",
+	"author": "Jeremy Ruston",
+	"core-version": ">=5.0.0",
+	"list": "readme settings"
+}
diff --git a/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/readme.tid b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/readme.tid
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..44a3c059d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/readme.tid
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+title: $:/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/readme
+
+! Introduction
+
+This plugin provides support for importing tiddlers as external attachments. That means that instead of importing binary files as self-contained tiddlers, they are imported as "skinny" tiddlers that reference the original file via the ''_canonical_uri'' field. This reduces the size of the wiki and thus improves performance. However, it does mean that the wiki is no longer fully self-contained.
+
+! Compatibility
+
+This plugin only works when using TiddlyWiki with platforms such as TiddlyDesktop that support the ''path'' attribute for imported/dragged files.
+
diff --git a/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/settings.tid b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/settings.tid
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ab3c4e27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/settings.tid
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+title: $:/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/settings
+
+When used on platforms that provide the necessary support (such as ~TiddlyDesktop), you can optionally import binary files as external tiddlers that reference the original file via the ''_canonical_uri'' field.
+
+By default, a relative path is used to reference the file. Optionally, you can specify that an absolute path is used instead. You can do this separately for "descendent" attachments -- files that are contained within the directory containing the wiki -- vs. "non-descendent" attachments.
+
+<$checkbox tiddler="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/Enable" field="text" checked="yes" unchecked="no" default="no"> <$link to="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/Enable">Enable importing binary files as external attachments</$link> </$checkbox>
+
+<$checkbox tiddler="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForDescendents" field="text" checked="yes" unchecked="no" default="no"> <$link to="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForDescendents">Use absolute paths for descendent attachments</$link> </$checkbox>
+
+<$checkbox tiddler="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForNonDescendents" field="text" checked="yes" unchecked="no" default="no"> <$link to="$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForNonDescendents">Use absolute paths for non-descendent attachments</$link> </$checkbox>
diff --git a/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/startup.js b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/startup.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..174f43ff2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/startup.js
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+/*\
+title: $:/plugins/tiddlywiki/external-attachments/startup.js
+type: application/javascript
+module-type: startup
+
+Startup initialisation
+
+\*/
+(function(){
+
+/*jslint node: true, browser: true */
+/*global $tw: false */
+"use strict";
+
+var ENABLE_EXTERNAL_ATTACHMENTS_TITLE = "$:/config/ExternalAttachments/Enable",
+	USE_ABSOLUTE_FOR_DESCENDENTS_TITLE = "$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForDescendents",
+	USE_ABSOLUTE_FOR_NON_DESCENDENTS_TITLE = "$:/config/ExternalAttachments/UseAbsoluteForNonDescendents";
+
+// Export name and synchronous status
+exports.name = "external-attachments";
+exports.platforms = ["browser"];
+exports.after = ["startup"];
+exports.synchronous = true;
+
+exports.startup = function() {
+	test_makePathRelative();
+	$tw.hooks.addHook("th-importing-file",function(info) {
+		if(document.location.protocol === "file:" && info.isBinary && info.file.path && $tw.wiki.getTiddlerText(ENABLE_EXTERNAL_ATTACHMENTS_TITLE,"") === "yes") {
+			var locationPathParts = document.location.pathname.split("/").slice(0,-1),
+				filePathParts = info.file.path.split(/[\\\/]/mg).map(encodeURIComponent);
+			info.callback([
+				{
+					title: info.file.name,
+					type: info.type,
+					"_canonical_uri": makePathRelative(
+						filePathParts.join("/"),
+						locationPathParts.join("/"),
+						{
+							useAbsoluteForNonDescendents: $tw.wiki.getTiddlerText(USE_ABSOLUTE_FOR_NON_DESCENDENTS_TITLE,"") === "yes",
+							useAbsoluteForDescendents: $tw.wiki.getTiddlerText(USE_ABSOLUTE_FOR_DESCENDENTS_TITLE,"") === "yes"
+						}
+					)
+				}
+			]);
+			return true;
+		} else {
+			return false;
+		}
+	});
+};
+
+/*
+Given a source absolute path and a root absolute path, returns the source path expressed as a relative path from the root path.
+*/
+function makePathRelative(sourcepath,rootpath,options) {
+	options = options || {};
+	var sourceParts = sourcepath.split("/"),
+		rootParts = rootpath.split("/"),
+		outputParts = [];
+	// Check that each path started with a slash
+	if(sourceParts[0] || rootParts[0]) {
+		throw "makePathRelative: both paths must be absolute";
+	}
+	// Identify any common portion from the start
+	var c = 1,
+		p;
+	while(c < sourceParts.length && c < rootParts.length && sourceParts[c] === rootParts[c]) {
+		c += 1;
+	}
+	// Return "." if there's nothing left
+	if(c === sourceParts.length && c === rootParts.length ) {
+		return "."
+	}
+	// Use an absolute path if required
+	if((options.useAbsoluteForNonDescendents && c < rootParts.length) || (options.useAbsoluteForDescendents && c === rootParts.length)) {
+		return sourcepath;
+	}
+	// Move up a directory for each directory left in the root
+	for(p = c; p < rootParts.length; p++) {
+		outputParts.push("..");
+	}		
+	// Add on the remaining parts of the source path
+	for(p = c; p < sourceParts.length; p++) {
+		outputParts.push(sourceParts[p]);
+	}
+	return outputParts.join("/");
+}
+
+function test_makePathRelative() {
+	var msg = "makePathRelative test failed";
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something","/Users/you/something") !== "../../me/something") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something","/Users/you/something",{useAbsoluteForNonDescendents: true}) !== "/Users/me/something") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something/else","/Users/me/something") !== "else") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something","/Users/me/something/new") !== "..") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something","/Users/me/something/new",{useAbsoluteForNonDescendents: true}) !== "/Users/me/something") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+	if(makePathRelative("/Users/me/something","/Users/me/something") !== ".") {
+		throw msg;
+	}
+}
+
+})();