diff --git a/.changeset/many-hounds-punch.md b/.changeset/many-hounds-punch.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b591d6ae6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/many-hounds-punch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'houdini': patch
+---
+
+Plugin runtimes are now generated before documents are collected
diff --git a/packages/houdini-react/package.json b/packages/houdini-react/package.json
index 542906f7d..cc1918b8c 100644
--- a/packages/houdini-react/package.json
+++ b/packages/houdini-react/package.json
@@ -74,4 +74,4 @@
     },
     "main": "./build/plugin-cjs/index.js",
     "types": "./build/plugin/index.d.ts"
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/houdini-svelte/package.json b/packages/houdini-svelte/package.json
index 8d6f15185..998dba006 100644
--- a/packages/houdini-svelte/package.json
+++ b/packages/houdini-svelte/package.json
@@ -72,4 +72,4 @@
     },
     "main": "./build/plugin-cjs/index.js",
     "types": "./build/plugin/index.d.ts"
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/houdini/package.json b/packages/houdini/package.json
index a57c6b0d1..65785d460 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/package.json
+++ b/packages/houdini/package.json
@@ -110,4 +110,4 @@
     "bin": "./build/cmd-esm/index.js",
     "main": "./build/lib-cjs/index.js",
     "types": "./build/lib/index.d.ts"
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/codegen/generators/runtime/index.ts b/packages/houdini/src/codegen/generators/runtime/index.ts
index 83f556515..fa146c312 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/codegen/generators/runtime/index.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/codegen/generators/runtime/index.ts
@@ -7,18 +7,11 @@ import { generatePluginIndex } from './pluginIndex'
 import { injectConfig } from './runtimeConfig'
 
 export default async function runtimeGenerator(config: Config, docs: Document[]) {
-	const importStatement =
-		config.module === 'commonjs'
-			? importDefaultFrom
-			: (where: string, as: string) => `import ${as} from '${where}'`
-
-	const exportStatement =
-		config.module === 'commonjs' ? exportDefault : (as: string) => `export default ${as}`
-
-	const exportStar =
-		config.module === 'commonjs'
-			? exportStarFrom
-			: (where: string) => `export * from '${where}'`
+	const {
+		importStatement,
+		exportDefaultStatement: exportStatement,
+		exportStarStatement: exportStar,
+	} = moduleStatments(config)
 
 	// copy the appropriate runtime first so we can generate files over it
 	await Promise.all([
@@ -47,83 +40,105 @@ ${exportStatement('config')}
 				content
 			) => injectPlugins({ config, content, importStatement, exportStatement }),
 		}),
-		...config.plugins
-			.filter((plugin) => plugin.includeRuntime)
-			.map((plugin) =>
-				generatePluginRuntime({
-					config,
-					docs,
-					plugin,
-					importStatement,
-					exportDefaultStatement: exportStatement,
-					exportStarStatement: exportStar,
-				})
-			),
+		transformPluginRuntimes({ config, docs }),
 		generatePluginIndex({ config, exportStatement: exportStar }),
 	])
 
 	await generateGraphqlReturnTypes(config, docs)
 }
 
-async function generatePluginRuntime({
-	config,
-	docs,
-	plugin,
-	importStatement,
-	exportDefaultStatement,
-	exportStarStatement,
-}: {
-	config: Config
-	docs: Document[]
-	plugin: Config['plugins'][number]
-	importStatement: (where: string, as: string) => string
-	exportDefaultStatement: (val: string) => string
-	exportStarStatement: (val: string) => string
-}) {
-	if (houdini_mode.is_testing || !plugin.includeRuntime) {
-		return
-	}
+export async function generatePluginRuntimes({ config }: { config: Config }) {
+	await Promise.all(
+		config.plugins
+			.filter((plugin) => plugin.includeRuntime)
+			.map(async (plugin) => {
+				if (houdini_mode.is_testing || !plugin.includeRuntime) {
+					return
+				}
+
+				// a plugin has told us to include a runtime then the path is relative to the plugin file
+				const runtime_path = path.join(
+					path.dirname(plugin.filepath),
+					typeof plugin.includeRuntime === 'string'
+						? plugin.includeRuntime
+						: plugin.includeRuntime[config.module]
+				)
+
+				try {
+					await fs.stat(runtime_path)
+				} catch {
+					throw new HoudiniError({
+						message: 'Cannot find runtime to generate for ' + plugin.name,
+						description: 'Maybe it was bundled?',
+					})
+				}
 
-	// a plugin has told us to include a runtime then the path is relative to the plugin file
-	const runtime_path = path.join(
-		path.dirname(plugin.filepath),
-		typeof plugin.includeRuntime === 'string'
-			? plugin.includeRuntime
-			: plugin.includeRuntime[config.module]
+				// copy the runtime
+				const pluginDir = config.pluginRuntimeDirectory(plugin.name)
+
+				await fs.mkdirp(pluginDir)
+				await fs.recursiveCopy(runtime_path, pluginDir)
+			})
 	)
+}
 
-	try {
-		await fs.stat(runtime_path)
-	} catch {
-		throw new HoudiniError({
-			message: 'Cannot find runtime to generate for ' + plugin.name,
-			description: 'Maybe it was bundled?',
-		})
-	}
+async function transformPluginRuntimes({ config, docs }: { config: Config; docs: Document[] }) {
+	const { importStatement, exportDefaultStatement, exportStarStatement } = moduleStatments(config)
 
-	// copy the runtime
-	const pluginDir = config.pluginRuntimeDirectory(plugin.name)
-	let transformMap = plugin.transformRuntime ?? {}
-	if (transformMap && typeof transformMap === 'function') {
-		transformMap = transformMap(docs, { config })
-	}
+	await Promise.all(
+		config.plugins
+			.filter((plugin) => plugin.includeRuntime)
+			.map(async (plugin) => {
+				// the transform map holds a map of files to transform functions
+				let transformMap = plugin.transformRuntime ?? {}
+				if (transformMap && typeof transformMap === 'function') {
+					transformMap = transformMap(docs, { config })
+				}
+
+				// the keys of the transform map are the files we have to transform
+				for (const [target, transform] of Object.entries(transformMap)) {
+					// the path to the file we're transforming
+					const targetPath = path.join(config.pluginRuntimeDirectory(plugin.name), target)
+
+					// read the file
+					const content = await fs.readFile(targetPath)
+					if (!content) {
+						return
+					}
 
-	await fs.mkdirp(pluginDir)
-	await fs.recursiveCopy(
-		runtime_path,
-		pluginDir,
-		Object.fromEntries(
-			Object.entries(transformMap).map(([key, value]) => [
-				path.join(runtime_path, key),
-				(content) =>
-					value({
+					// transform the file
+					const transformed = transform({
 						config,
 						content,
 						importStatement,
 						exportDefaultStatement: exportDefaultStatement,
 						exportStarStatement: exportStarStatement,
-					}),
-			])
-		)
+					})
+
+					// write the file back out
+					await fs.writeFile(targetPath, transformed)
+				}
+			})
 	)
 }
+
+function moduleStatments(config: Config) {
+	const importStatement =
+		config.module === 'commonjs'
+			? importDefaultFrom
+			: (where: string, as: string) => `import ${as} from '${where}'`
+
+	const exportDefaultStatement =
+		config.module === 'commonjs' ? exportDefault : (as: string) => `export default ${as}`
+
+	const exportStarStatement =
+		config.module === 'commonjs'
+			? exportStarFrom
+			: (where: string) => `export * from '${where}'`
+
+	return {
+		importStatement,
+		exportDefaultStatement,
+		exportStarStatement,
+	}
+}
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/codegen/index.ts b/packages/houdini/src/codegen/index.ts
index 59d39f0b6..2550f21ec 100755
--- a/packages/houdini/src/codegen/index.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/codegen/index.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,16 @@ import type { Config, PluginHooks, Document, LogLevels } from '../lib'
 import { runPipeline as run, LogLevel, find_graphql, parseJS, HoudiniError, fs, path } from '../lib'
 import { ArtifactKind, type ArtifactKinds } from '../runtime/lib/types'
 import * as generators from './generators'
+import { generatePluginRuntimes } from './generators/runtime'
 import * as transforms from './transforms'
 import * as validators from './validators'
 
 // the main entry point of the compile script
 export default async function compile(config: Config) {
+	// before we collect the documents, we need to generate the plugin runtimes
+	// so that they can include documents in the user's project
+	await generatePluginRuntimes({ config })
+
 	// grab the graphql documents
 	const documents = await collectDocuments(config)
 
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.test.ts b/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.test.ts
index 2a79ef4d2..4846124c1 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.test.ts
@@ -106,3 +106,19 @@ test(`Files that should not be included`, async () => {
 	expect(config.includeFile(path.join(process.cwd(), 'src/routes/test?'))).toBe(false)
 	expect(config.includeFile(path.join(process.cwd(), 'src/rou?tes/page.nop?s?e'))).toBe(false)
 })
+
+test('Config.include includes plugin runtimes', () => {
+	const config = testConfig()
+
+	config.plugins = [
+		{
+			name: 'test-plugin',
+			filepath: '',
+			includeRuntime: 'foo',
+		},
+	]
+
+	// make sure we are including the plugin runtime
+	const includePath = path.relative(config.projectRoot, config.pluginDirectory('test-plugin'))
+	expect(config.include.some((path) => path.includes(includePath))).toBeTruthy()
+})
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.ts b/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.ts
index a5e73c7ed..4168f9cfa 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/lib/config.ts
@@ -196,8 +196,25 @@ export class Config {
 			this.plugins.flatMap((plugin) => plugin.extensions ?? [])
 		)
 
-		// any file of a valid extension in src is good enough
-		return [`src/**/*{${extensions.join(',')}}`]
+		// by default, any file of a valid extension in src is good enough
+		const include = [`src/**/*{${extensions.join(',')}}`]
+
+		// if any of the plugins specify included runtimes then their paths might have
+		// documents
+		for (const plugin of this.plugins) {
+			// skip plugins that dont' include runtimes
+			if (!plugin.includeRuntime) {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// the include path is relative to root of the vite project
+			const includePath = path.relative(this.projectRoot, this.pluginDirectory(plugin.name))
+
+			// add the plugin's directory to the include pile
+			include.push(`${includePath}/**/*{${extensions.join(',')}}`)
+		}
+
+		return include
 	}
 
 	pluginConfig<ConfigType extends {}>(name: string): ConfigType {
diff --git a/packages/houdini/src/lib/types.ts b/packages/houdini/src/lib/types.ts
index 97f8b3111..f9a2a5f40 100644
--- a/packages/houdini/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/packages/houdini/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -137,6 +137,13 @@ export type PluginHooks = {
 
 	includeRuntime?: string | { esm: string; commonjs: string }
 
+	/**
+	 * A relative path from the file exporting your plugin to a runtime that can be
+	 * added to the project before generating artifacts. This is useful for plugins
+	 * that want to add third-party documents to the user's application.
+	 */
+	staticRuntime?: string | { esm: string; commonjs: string }
+
 	/**
 	 * Transform the plugin's runtime while houdini is copying it .
 	 * You must have passed a value to includeRuntime for this hook to matter.
diff --git a/packages/plugin-svelte-global-stores/package.json b/packages/plugin-svelte-global-stores/package.json
index 601b13b5a..1a9271999 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-svelte-global-stores/package.json
+++ b/packages/plugin-svelte-global-stores/package.json
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@
     },
     "main": "./build/plugin-cjs/index.js",
     "types": "./build/plugin/index.d.ts"
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file