diff --git a/core/plugin_hooks.go b/core/plugin_hooks.go
index 0189d1388..c5636d9c7 100644
--- a/core/plugin_hooks.go
+++ b/core/plugin_hooks.go
@@ -5,16 +5,18 @@ import (
   "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
   "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/plugins"
   "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/log"
+  "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/rlp"
 )
 
 func PluginPreProcessBlock(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, block *types.Block) {
   fnList := pl.Lookup("PreProcessBlock", func(item interface{}) bool {
-    _, ok := item.(func(*types.Block))
+    _, ok := item.(func([]byte))
     return ok
   })
+  encoded, _ = rlp.EncodeToBytes(block)
   for _, fni := range fnList {
-    if fn, ok := fni.(func(*types.Block)); ok {
-      fn(block)
+    if fn, ok := fni.(func([]byte)); ok {
+      fn(encoded)
     }
   }
 }
@@ -27,12 +29,14 @@ func pluginPreProcessBlock(block *types.Block) {
 }
 func PluginPreProcessTransaction(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, tx *types.Transaction, block *types.Block, i int) {
   fnList := pl.Lookup("PreProcessTransaction", func(item interface{}) bool {
-    _, ok := item.(func(*types.Transaction, *types.Block, int))
+    _, ok := item.(func([]byte, []byte, int))
     return ok
   })
+  txBytes, _ := tx.MarshalBinary()
+  blockBytes, _ := rlp.EncodeToBytes(block)
   for _, fni := range fnList {
-    if fn, ok := fni.(func(*types.Transaction, *types.Block, int)); ok {
-      fn(tx, block, i)
+    if fn, ok := fni.(func([]byte, []byte, int)); ok {
+      fn(txBytes, blockBytes, i)
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/core/state/plugin_hooks.go b/core/state/plugin_hooks.go
index 5d11c4602..e55615dfb 100644
--- a/core/state/plugin_hooks.go
+++ b/core/state/plugin_hooks.go
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ import (
   "github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/log"
 )
 
+// TODO (philip): change common.Hash to core.Hash,
+
 func PluginStateUpdate(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, blockRoot, parentRoot common.Hash, destructs map[common.Hash]struct{}, accounts map[common.Hash][]byte, storage map[common.Hash]map[common.Hash][]byte) {
   fnList := pl.Lookup("StateUpdate", func(item interface{}) bool  {
     _, ok := item.(func(common.Hash, common.Hash, map[common.Hash]struct{}, map[common.Hash][]byte, map[common.Hash]map[common.Hash][]byte))
diff --git a/eth/plugin_hooks.go b/eth/plugin_hooks.go
index 6ce5a6015..394b30a90 100644
--- a/eth/plugin_hooks.go
+++ b/eth/plugin_hooks.go
@@ -16,27 +16,28 @@ import (
   "time"
 )
 
-func PluginCreateConsensusEngine(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, stack *node.Node, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, config *ethash.Config, notify []string, noverify bool, db ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine {
-  fnList := pl.Lookup("CreateConsensusEngine", func(item interface{}) bool {
-    _, ok := item.(func(*node.Node, *params.ChainConfig, *ethash.Config, []string, bool, ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine)
-    return ok
-  })
-  for _, fni := range fnList {
-    if fn, ok := fni.(func(*node.Node, *params.ChainConfig, *ethash.Config, []string, bool, ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine); ok {
-      return fn(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
-    }
-  }
-  return ethconfig.CreateConsensusEngine(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
-}
-
-func pluginCreateConsensusEngine(stack *node.Node, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, config *ethash.Config, notify []string, noverify bool, db ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine {
-  if plugins.DefaultPluginLoader == nil {
-		log.Warn("Attempting CreateConsensusEngine, but default PluginLoader has not been initialized")
-		return ethconfig.CreateConsensusEngine(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
-	}
-  return PluginCreateConsensusEngine(plugins.DefaultPluginLoader, stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
-}
+// func PluginCreateConsensusEngine(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, stack *node.Node, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, config *ethash.Config, notify []string, noverify bool, db ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine {
+//   fnList := pl.Lookup("CreateConsensusEngine", func(item interface{}) bool {
+//     _, ok := item.(func(*node.Node, *params.ChainConfig, *ethash.Config, []string, bool, ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine)
+//     return ok
+//   })
+//   for _, fni := range fnList {
+//     if fn, ok := fni.(func(*node.Node, *params.ChainConfig, *ethash.Config, []string, bool, ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine); ok {
+//       return fn(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
+//     }
+//   }
+//   return ethconfig.CreateConsensusEngine(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
+// }
+//
+// func pluginCreateConsensusEngine(stack *node.Node, chainConfig *params.ChainConfig, config *ethash.Config, notify []string, noverify bool, db ethdb.Database) consensus.Engine {
+//   if plugins.DefaultPluginLoader == nil {
+// 		log.Warn("Attempting CreateConsensusEngine, but default PluginLoader has not been initialized")
+// 		return ethconfig.CreateConsensusEngine(stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
+// 	}
+//   return PluginCreateConsensusEngine(plugins.DefaultPluginLoader, stack, chainConfig, config, notify, noverify, db)
+// }
 
+// TODO (philip): Translate to core.Tracer instead of vm.Tracer, with appropriate type adjustments (let me know if this one is too hard)
 type metaTracer struct{
   tracers []vm.Tracer
 }
diff --git a/eth/tracers/plugin_hooks.go b/eth/tracers/plugin_hooks.go
index be6ab2d0d..cbb6ceb5e 100644
--- a/eth/tracers/plugin_hooks.go
+++ b/eth/tracers/plugin_hooks.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
   "reflect"
 )
 
+// TODO (philip): Translate to use core.Tracer instead of vm.Tracer. This will require a wrapper
 func GetPluginTracer(pl *plugins.PluginLoader, name string) (func(*state.StateDB)interfaces.TracerResult, bool) {
   tracers := pl.Lookup("Tracers", func(item interface{}) bool {
     _, ok := item.(*map[string]func(*state.StateDB)interfaces.TracerResult)