diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/resolve-config.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/resolve-config.ts
index c119b29e4..3a1c0e8d1 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/resolve-config.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/resolve-config.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { DesignSystem } from '../../design-system'
+import type { PluginWithConfig } from '../../plugin-api'
 import { createThemeFn } from '../../theme-fn'
 import { deepMerge, isPlainObject } from './deep-merge'
 import {
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ import {
 interface ResolutionContext {
   design: DesignSystem
   configs: UserConfig[]
+  plugins: PluginWithConfig[]
   theme: Record<string, ThemeValue>
   extend: Record<string, ThemeValue[]>
   result: ResolvedConfig
@@ -18,12 +20,14 @@ interface ResolutionContext {
 
 let minimal: ResolvedConfig = {
   theme: {},
+  plugins: [],
 }
 
 export function resolveConfig(design: DesignSystem, configs: UserConfig[]): ResolvedConfig {
   let ctx: ResolutionContext = {
     design,
-    configs,
+    configs: [],
+    plugins: [],
     theme: {},
     extend: {},
 
@@ -31,11 +35,16 @@ export function resolveConfig(design: DesignSystem, configs: UserConfig[]): Reso
     result: structuredClone(minimal),
   }
 
+  for (let config of configs) {
+    resolveInternal(ctx, config)
+  }
+
   // Merge themes
   mergeTheme(ctx)
 
   return {
     theme: ctx.theme as ResolvedConfig['theme'],
+    plugins: ctx.plugins,
   }
 }
 
@@ -71,6 +80,41 @@ export interface PluginUtils {
   theme(keypath: string, defaultValue?: any): any
 }
 
+function resolveInternal(ctx: ResolutionContext, user: UserConfig): void {
+  let plugins: PluginWithConfig[] = []
+
+  // Normalize plugins so they share the same shape
+  for (let plugin of user.plugins ?? []) {
+    if ('__isOptionsFunction' in plugin) {
+      // Happens with `plugin.withOptions()` when no options were passed:
+      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")` instead of `require("my-plugin")(options)`
+      plugins.push(plugin())
+    } else if ('handler' in plugin) {
+      // Happens with `plugin(…)`:
+      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")`
+      //
+      // or with `plugin.withOptions()` when the user passed options:
+      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")(options)`
+      plugins.push(plugin)
+    } else {
+      // Just a plain function without using the plugin(…) API
+      plugins.push({ handler: plugin })
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Apply configs from plugins
+  for (let plugin of plugins) {
+    ctx.plugins.push(plugin)
+
+    if (plugin.config) {
+      resolveInternal(ctx, plugin.config)
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Then apply the "user" config
+  ctx.configs.push(user)
+}
+
 function mergeTheme(ctx: ResolutionContext) {
   let api: PluginUtils = {
     theme: createThemeFn(ctx.design, () => ctx.theme, resolveValue),
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/types.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/types.ts
index db28725d7..187f2af84 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/types.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/compat/config/types.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
+import type { Plugin, PluginWithConfig } from '../../plugin-api'
 import type { PluginUtils } from './resolve-config'
 
 export type ResolvableTo<T> = T | ((utils: PluginUtils) => T)
 
 export interface UserConfig {
   theme?: ThemeConfig
+  plugins?: Plugin[]
 }
 
 export type ThemeValue = ResolvableTo<Record<string, unknown>> | null | undefined
@@ -15,4 +17,5 @@ export type ThemeConfig = Record<string, ThemeValue> & {
 
 export interface ResolvedConfig {
   theme: Record<string, Record<string, unknown>>
+  plugins: PluginWithConfig[]
 }
diff --git a/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts b/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts
index 9cb2aece3..1a161f956 100644
--- a/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts
+++ b/packages/tailwindcss/src/plugin-api.ts
@@ -326,37 +326,19 @@ function objectToAst(rules: CssInJs | CssInJs[]): AstNode[] {
   return ast
 }
 
-export function registerPlugins(plugins: Plugin[], designSystem: DesignSystem, ast: AstNode[]) {
-  let pluginObjects = []
-
-  for (let plugin of plugins) {
-    if ('__isOptionsFunction' in plugin) {
-      // Happens with `plugin.withOptions()` when no options were passed:
-      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")` instead of `require("my-plugin")(options)`
-      pluginObjects.push(plugin())
-    } else if ('handler' in plugin) {
-      // Happens with `plugin(…)`:
-      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")`
-      //
-      // or with `plugin.withOptions()` when the user passed options:
-      // e.g. `require("my-plugin")(options)`
-      pluginObjects.push(plugin)
-    } else {
-      // Just a plain function without using the plugin(…) API
-      pluginObjects.push({ handler: plugin, config: {} as UserConfig })
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Now merge all the configs and make all that crap work
+export function registerPlugins(
+  plugins: Plugin[],
+  designSystem: DesignSystem,
+  ast: AstNode[],
+) {
   let resolvedConfig = resolveConfig(designSystem, [
     createCompatConfig(designSystem.theme),
-    ...pluginObjects.map(({ config }) => config ?? {}),
+    { plugins },
   ])
 
   let pluginApi = buildPluginApi(designSystem, ast, resolvedConfig)
 
-  // Loop over the handlers and run them all with the resolved config + CSS theme probably somehow
-  for (let { handler } of pluginObjects) {
+  for (let { handler } of resolvedConfig.plugins) {
     handler(pluginApi)
   }