diff --git a/lib/less/tree/import.js b/lib/less/tree/import.js
index a6c980e75..18e439285 100644
--- a/lib/less/tree/import.js
+++ b/lib/less/tree/import.js
@@ -82,9 +82,11 @@ Import.prototype.isVariableImport = function () {
 };
 Import.prototype.evalForImport = function (context) {
     var path = this.path;
+
     if (path instanceof URL) {
         path = path.value;
     }
+
     return new Import(path.eval(context), this.features, this.options, this.index, this.currentFileInfo);
 };
 Import.prototype.evalPath = function (context) {
@@ -108,6 +110,14 @@ Import.prototype.eval = function (context) {
     var ruleset, registry,
         features = this.features && this.features.eval(context);
 
+    if (this.options.plugin) {
+        registry = context.frames[0] && context.frames[0].functionRegistry;
+        if ( registry && this.root && this.root.functions ) {
+            registry.addMultiple( this.root.functions );
+        }
+        return [];
+    }
+
     if (this.skip) {
         if (typeof this.skip === "function") {
             this.skip = this.skip();
@@ -117,13 +127,7 @@ Import.prototype.eval = function (context) {
         }
     }
 
-    if (this.options.plugin) {
-        registry = context.frames[0] && context.frames[0].functionRegistry;
-        if ( registry && this.root.functions ) {
-            registry.addMultiple( this.root.functions );
-        }
-        return [];
-    } else if (this.options.inline) {
+    if (this.options.inline) {
         var contents = new Anonymous(this.root, 0, {filename: this.importedFilename}, true, true);
         return this.features ? new Media([contents], this.features.value) : [contents];
     } else if (this.css) {
diff --git a/lib/less/tree/media.js b/lib/less/tree/media.js
index 1514f0b53..054d7715e 100644
--- a/lib/less/tree/media.js
+++ b/lib/less/tree/media.js
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ Media.prototype.eval = function (context) {
     context.mediaPath.push(media);
     context.mediaBlocks.push(media);
 
+    this.rules[0].functionRegistry = context.frames[0].functionRegistry.inherit();
     context.frames.unshift(this.rules[0]);
     media.rules = [this.rules[0].eval(context)];
     context.frames.shift();
diff --git a/lib/less/tree/mixin-definition.js b/lib/less/tree/mixin-definition.js
index 9a92ed01b..2f2b9dc1b 100644
--- a/lib/less/tree/mixin-definition.js
+++ b/lib/less/tree/mixin-definition.js
@@ -43,8 +43,10 @@ Definition.prototype.evalParams = function (context, mixinEnv, args, evaldArgume
         params = this.params.slice(0),
         i, j, val, name, isNamedFound, argIndex, argsLength = 0;
 
+    if (mixinEnv.frames && mixinEnv.frames[0] && mixinEnv.frames[0].functionRegistry) {
+        frame.functionRegistry = mixinEnv.frames[0].functionRegistry.inherit();
+    }
     mixinEnv = new contexts.Eval(mixinEnv, [frame].concat(mixinEnv.frames));
-    frame.functionRegistry = context.frames[0].functionRegistry.inherit();
 
     if (args) {
         args = args.slice(0);
diff --git a/lib/less/tree/ruleset.js b/lib/less/tree/ruleset.js
index 2b2da9358..43151024c 100644
--- a/lib/less/tree/ruleset.js
+++ b/lib/less/tree/ruleset.js
@@ -69,7 +69,16 @@ Ruleset.prototype.eval = function (context) {
 
     // inherit a function registry from the frames stack when possible;
     // otherwise from the global registry
-    ruleset.functionRegistry = ((context.frames[0] && context.frames[0].functionRegistry) || globalFunctionRegistry).inherit();
+    ruleset.functionRegistry = (function (frames) {
+        var i = 0,
+            n = frames.length,
+            found;
+        for ( ; i !== n ; ++i ) {
+            found = frames[ i ].functionRegistry;
+            if ( found ) { return found; }
+        }
+        return globalFunctionRegistry;
+    }(context.frames)).inherit();
 
     // push the current ruleset to the frames stack
     var ctxFrames = context.frames;
diff --git a/lib/less/visitors/import-visitor.js b/lib/less/visitors/import-visitor.js
index 8ddddb6b3..e643117c2 100644
--- a/lib/less/visitors/import-visitor.js
+++ b/lib/less/visitors/import-visitor.js
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ ImportVisitor.prototype = {
 
         var importVisitor = this,
             inlineCSS = importNode.options.inline,
+            isPlugin = importNode.options.plugin,
             duplicateImport = importedAtRoot || fullPath in importVisitor.recursionDetector;
 
         if (!context.importMultiple) {
@@ -123,7 +124,7 @@ ImportVisitor.prototype = {
             importNode.root = root;
             importNode.importedFilename = fullPath;
 
-            if (!inlineCSS && (context.importMultiple || !duplicateImport)) {
+            if (!inlineCSS && !isPlugin && (context.importMultiple || !duplicateImport)) {
                 importVisitor.recursionDetector[fullPath] = true;
 
                 var oldContext = this.context;
@@ -144,7 +145,16 @@ ImportVisitor.prototype = {
         }
     },
     visitRule: function (ruleNode, visitArgs) {
-        visitArgs.visitDeeper = false;
+        if (ruleNode.value.type === "DetachedRuleset") {
+            this.context.frames.unshift(ruleNode);
+        } else {
+            visitArgs.visitDeeper = false;
+        }
+    },
+    visitRuleOut : function(ruleNode) {
+        if (ruleNode.value.type === "DetachedRuleset") {
+            this.context.frames.shift();
+        }
     },
     visitDirective: function (directiveNode, visitArgs) {
         this.context.frames.unshift(directiveNode);
diff --git a/test/css/import-plugin-scoped.css b/test/css/import-plugin-scoped.css
deleted file mode 100644
index e42ec6478..000000000
--- a/test/css/import-plugin-scoped.css
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-.in-scope {
-  result: PASS;
-}
-.out-of-scope {
-  result: test();
-}
diff --git a/test/css/import-plugin-tiered.css b/test/css/import-plugin-tiered.css
deleted file mode 100644
index 7960b9f3f..000000000
--- a/test/css/import-plugin-tiered.css
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-.test {
-  result: PASS;
-}
-.test-again {
-  result: PASS;
-}
diff --git a/test/css/import-plugin.css b/test/css/import-plugin.css
deleted file mode 100644
index 1c337756a..000000000
--- a/test/css/import-plugin.css
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-.test {
-  result: PASS;
-}
diff --git a/test/css/plugin.css b/test/css/plugin.css
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b837dc63e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/css/plugin.css
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+.other {
+  trans: transitive;
+}
+.class {
+  trans: transitive;
+  global: global;
+  local: test-local();
+  shadow: global;
+}
+.class .local {
+  global: global;
+  local: local;
+  shadow: local;
+}
+.class {
+  ns-mixin-global: global;
+  ns-mixin-local: local;
+  ns-mixin-shadow: local;
+  mixin-local: local;
+  mixin-global: global;
+  mixin-shadow: local;
+  ruleset-local: local;
+  ruleset-global: global;
+  ruleset-shadow: local;
+  class-local: test-local();
+}
+@media screen {
+  .test {
+    result: global;
+  }
+}
+@font-face {
+  result: global;
+}
+@media screen and (min-width: 100px) and (max-width: 400px) {
+  .test {
+    result: global;
+  }
+}
+@media screen {
+  .test {
+    result: local;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/less/import-plugin-scoped.less b/test/less/import-plugin-scoped.less
deleted file mode 100644
index 7c0fa7825..000000000
--- a/test/less/import-plugin-scoped.less
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-.in-scope {
-  @plugin "./plugins/test";
-  result : test();
-}
-
-.out-of-scope {
-  result : test();
-}
-
diff --git a/test/less/import-plugin-tiered.less b/test/less/import-plugin-tiered.less
deleted file mode 100644
index eb487738b..000000000
--- a/test/less/import-plugin-tiered.less
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-@import "import-plugin";
-
-.test-again {
-  result : test();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/less/import-plugin.less b/test/less/import-plugin.less
deleted file mode 100644
index 7ee43e30a..000000000
--- a/test/less/import-plugin.less
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-@plugin "./plugins/test";
-
-.test {
-  result : test();
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/less/plugin.less b/test/less/plugin.less
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..17524a400
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/less/plugin.less
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// importing plugin globally
+@plugin "./plugin/plugin-global";
+
+// transitively include plugins from importing another sheet
+@import "./plugin/plugin-transitive";
+
+
+// `test-global` function should be reachable
+// `test-local`  function should not be reachable
+// `test-shadow` function should return global version
+.class {
+  trans  : test-transitive();
+  global : test-global();
+  local  : test-local();
+  shadow : test-shadow();
+
+  // `test-global` function should propagate and be reachable
+  // `test-local`  function should be reachable
+  // `test-shadow` function should return local version, shadowing global version
+  .local {
+    @plugin "./plugin/plugin-local";
+    global : test-global();
+    local  : test-local();
+    shadow : test-shadow();
+  }
+}
+
+// calling a mixin or detached ruleset should not bubble local plugins
+// imported inside either into the parent scope.
+.mixin() {
+  @plugin "./plugin/plugin-local";
+  mixin-local  : test-local();
+  mixin-global : test-global();
+  mixin-shadow : test-shadow();
+}
+@ruleset : {
+  @plugin "./plugin/plugin-local";
+  ruleset-local  : test-local();
+  ruleset-global : test-global();
+  ruleset-shadow : test-shadow();
+};
+#ns {
+  @plugin "./plugin/plugin-local";
+  .mixin() {
+    ns-mixin-global : test-global();
+    ns-mixin-local  : test-local();
+    ns-mixin-shadow : test-shadow();
+  }
+}
+.class {
+  #ns > .mixin();
+  .mixin();
+  @ruleset();
+  class-local : test-local();
+}
+
+
+// `test-global` function should propagate into directive scope
+@media screen {
+  .test {
+    result : test-global();
+  }
+}
+@font-face {
+  result : test-global();
+}
+
+// `test-global` function should propagate into nested directive scopes
+@media screen and (min-width:100px) {
+  @media (max-width:400px) {
+		.test {
+			result : test-global();
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+.test {
+  @media screen {
+    @plugin "./plugin/plugin-local";
+    result : test-local();
+  }
+}
+
+
+
diff --git a/test/less/plugin/plugin-global.js b/test/less/plugin/plugin-global.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..adc828c49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/less/plugin/plugin-global.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+
+functions.addMultiple({
+    "test-shadow" : function() {
+        return new tree.Anonymous( "global" );
+    },
+    "test-global" : function() {
+        return new tree.Anonymous( "global" );
+    }
+});
diff --git a/test/less/plugin/plugin-local.js b/test/less/plugin/plugin-local.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b54ca97a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/less/plugin/plugin-local.js
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+functions.addMultiple({
+    "test-shadow" : function() {
+        return new tree.Anonymous( "local" );
+    },
+    "test-local" : function() {
+        return new tree.Anonymous( "local" );
+    }
+});
diff --git a/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.js b/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1da1864c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.js
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+functions.addMultiple({
+    "test-transitive" : function() {
+        return new tree.Anonymous( "transitive" );
+    }
+});
diff --git a/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.less b/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.less
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8e4ca00bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/less/plugin/plugin-transitive.less
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+@plugin "plugin-transitive";
+
+.other {
+  trans : test-transitive();
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/less/plugins/test.js b/test/less/plugins/test.js
deleted file mode 100644
index f54ee82b1..000000000
--- a/test/less/plugins/test.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-
-functions.add("test", function() {
-    return new tree.Anonymous( "PASS" );
-});