diff --git a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/IntegrationTestPlugin.groovy b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/IntegrationTestPlugin.groovy
index 8c25f5db8f..a4344bb01f 100644
--- a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/IntegrationTestPlugin.groovy
+++ b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/IntegrationTestPlugin.groovy
@@ -37,11 +37,15 @@ class IntegrationTestPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
       it.extension = extension
     }
 
+    project.tasks.register('prepare-home', PrepareHomeTask) {
+      it.extension = extension
+    }
+
     project.tasks.register("startScmServer", RunTask) {
       it.extension = extension
       it.waitForCompletion = false
       it.frontend = false
-      dependsOn 'write-server-config'
+      dependsOn 'write-server-config', 'prepare-home'
     }
 
     project.tasks.register("stopScmServer", StopScmServer) {
diff --git a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/PrepareHomeTask.groovy b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/PrepareHomeTask.groovy
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e3c7859887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/PrepareHomeTask.groovy
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+package com.cloudogu.scm
+
+
+import com.google.common.io.Files
+import org.gradle.api.DefaultTask
+import org.gradle.api.GradleException
+import org.gradle.api.artifacts.Configuration
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.Nested
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.OutputDirectory
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskAction
+
+class PrepareHomeTask extends DefaultTask {
+
+  @Nested
+  ScmServerExtension extension
+
+  @OutputDirectory
+  File getPluginFolder() {
+    return new File(extension.getHome(), "plugins")
+  }
+
+  @TaskAction
+  void prepareHome() {
+    File pluginFolder = getPluginFolder()
+    if (!pluginFolder.exists() && !pluginFolder.mkdirs()) {
+      throw new GradleException("failed to create plugin folder at ${pluginFolder}")
+    }
+
+    Configuration configuration = extension.getPlugins()
+    if (configuration != null) {
+      List<File> plugins = configuration.resolvedConfiguration
+        .resolvedArtifacts
+        .collect { artifact ->
+          if (artifact.extension == 'smp') {
+            return artifact.file
+          }
+        }.findAll { file ->
+          file != null && file.exists()
+        }
+      plugins.forEach { source ->
+        File target = new File(pluginFolder, source.getName())
+        Files.copy(source, target)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/RunPlugin.groovy b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/RunPlugin.groovy
index 0df333b980..261f625e1a 100644
--- a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/RunPlugin.groovy
+++ b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/RunPlugin.groovy
@@ -44,9 +44,12 @@ class RunPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
     project.tasks.register('write-server-config', WriteServerConfigTask) {
       it.extension = extension
     }
+    project.tasks.register('prepare-home', PrepareHomeTask) {
+      it.extension = extension
+    }
     project.tasks.register("run", RunTask) {
       it.extension = extension
-      dependsOn 'write-server-config', 'yarnSetup'
+      dependsOn 'write-server-config', 'prepare-home', 'yarnSetup'
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/ScmServerExtension.groovy b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/ScmServerExtension.groovy
index ce3ea417a8..6e314fc2c6 100644
--- a/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/ScmServerExtension.groovy
+++ b/build-plugins/src/main/groovy/com/cloudogu/scm/ScmServerExtension.groovy
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ class ScmServerExtension implements Serializable {
   private boolean liveReload = true
   private File warFile
   private File loggingConfiguration
+  private Configuration plugins
 
   ScmServerExtension(Project project) {
     this.project = project
@@ -113,4 +114,14 @@ class ScmServerExtension implements Serializable {
   void setLoggingConfiguration(File loggingConfiguration) {
     this.loggingConfiguration = loggingConfiguration
   }
+
+  @Optional
+  @Classpath
+  Configuration getPlugins() {
+    return plugins
+  }
+
+  void setPlugins(Configuration plugins) {
+    this.plugins = plugins
+  }
 }
diff --git a/scm-it/build.gradle b/scm-it/build.gradle
index ebb8425d2f..d50b2e703c 100644
--- a/scm-it/build.gradle
+++ b/scm-it/build.gradle
@@ -25,11 +25,13 @@
 plugins {
   id 'java-library'
   id 'org.scm-manager.java'
+  id 'org.scm-manager.core-plugins'
   id 'org.scm-manager.integration-tests'
 }
 
 configurations {
   itWebApp
+  itPlugin
 }
 
 dependencies {
@@ -50,12 +52,14 @@ dependencies {
   testImplementation 'org.glassfish:javax.json:1.1.4'
 
   itWebApp project(path: ':scm-webapp', configuration: 'webapp')
+  itPlugin project(path: ':scm-plugins:scm-integration-test-plugin', configuration: 'smp')
 }
 
 scmServer {
   configuration 'itWebApp'
   openBrowser = false
   liveReload = false
+  plugins = configurations.itPlugin
 }
 
 test {
@@ -67,9 +71,7 @@ task integrationTest(type: Test) {
   include '**/*ITCase.class'
   exclude '**/*Test.class'
 
-  dependsOn 'test'
-  doFirst {
-    tasks.getByName('startScmServer').exec()
-  }
+  dependsOn 'test', 'startScmServer'
+  mustRunAfter 'startScmServer'
   finalizedBy 'stopScmServer'
 }