diff --git a/classes/Profile.php b/classes/Profile.php
index a03f53cc7d..00a457a5c9 100644
--- a/classes/Profile.php
+++ b/classes/Profile.php
@@ -861,7 +861,6 @@ class Profile extends Managed_DataObject
     {
         $this->_deleteNotices();
         $this->_deleteSubscriptions();
-        $this->_deleteMessages();
         $this->_deleteTags();
         $this->_deleteBlocks();
         $this->_deleteAttentions();
@@ -937,17 +936,6 @@ class Profile extends Managed_DataObject
         $self->delete();
     }
 
-    function _deleteMessages()
-    {
-        $msg = new Message();
-        $msg->from_profile = $this->id;
-        $msg->delete();
-
-        $msg = new Message();
-        $msg->to_profile = $this->id;
-        $msg->delete();
-    }
-
     function _deleteTags()
     {
         $tag = new Profile_tag();
diff --git a/db/core.php b/db/core.php
index c0aed1d3db..ec3fe7f736 100644
--- a/db/core.php
+++ b/db/core.php
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ $classes = array('Schema_version',
                  'Foreign_link',
                  'Foreign_subscription',
                  'Invitation',
-                 'Message',
                  'Profile_prefs',
                  'Profile_tag',
                  'Profile_list',
diff --git a/lib/accountprofileblock.php b/lib/accountprofileblock.php
index 76e2edb7ce..fe11a0fc15 100644
--- a/lib/accountprofileblock.php
+++ b/lib/accountprofileblock.php
@@ -171,17 +171,6 @@ class AccountProfileBlock extends ProfileBlock
                         $this->out->elementEnd('li');
 
                         if ($this->profile->isLocal() && $cur->mutuallySubscribed($this->profile)) {
-
-                            // message
-
-                            $this->out->elementStart('li', 'entity_send-a-message');
-                            $this->out->element('a', array('href' => common_local_url('newmessage', array('to' => $this->user->id)),
-                                                      // TRANS: Link title for link on user profile.
-                                                      'title' => _('Send a direct message to this user.')),
-                                           // TRANS: Link text for link on user profile.
-                                           _m('BUTTON','Message'));
-                            $this->out->elementEnd('li');
-
                             // nudge
 
                             if ($this->user->email && $this->user->emailnotifynudge) {
diff --git a/lib/personalgroupnav.php b/lib/personalgroupnav.php
index 8c413c6ab9..06bd2474bb 100644
--- a/lib/personalgroupnav.php
+++ b/lib/personalgroupnav.php
@@ -96,19 +96,6 @@ class PersonalGroupNav extends Menu
                                  sprintf(_('Replies to %s'), $name),
                                  $mine && $action =='replies', 'nav_timeline_replies');
 
-
-            if ($scoped instanceof Profile && $scoped->id == $target->id &&
-                !common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
-
-                $this->out->menuItem(common_local_url('inbox', array('nickname' =>
-                                                                     $nickname)),
-                                     // TRANS: Menu item in personal group navigation menu.
-                                     _m('MENU','Messages'),
-                                     // TRANS: Menu item title in personal group navigation menu.
-                                     _('Your incoming messages'),
-                                     $mine && $action =='inbox');
-            }
-
             Event::handle('EndPersonalGroupNav', array($this, $target, $scoped));
         }
         $this->out->elementEnd('ul');
diff --git a/lib/router.php b/lib/router.php
index 54683e986e..8260cb3e2e 100644
--- a/lib/router.php
+++ b/lib/router.php
@@ -249,12 +249,6 @@ class Router
                         array('action' => 'conversation'),
                         array('id' => '[0-9]+'));
 
-            $m->connect('message/new', array('action' => 'newmessage'));
-            $m->connect('message/new?to=:to', array('action' => 'newmessage'), array('to' => Nickname::DISPLAY_FMT));
-            $m->connect('message/:message',
-                        array('action' => 'showmessage'),
-                        array('message' => '[0-9]+'));
-
             $m->connect('user/:id',
                         array('action' => 'userbyid'),
                         array('id' => '[0-9]+'));
@@ -507,21 +501,6 @@ class Router
                               'screen_name' => Nickname::DISPLAY_FMT,
                               'format' => '(xml|json)'));
 
-            // direct messages
-
-            $m->connect('api/direct_messages.:format',
-                        array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessage',
-                              'format' => '(xml|json|rss|atom)'));
-
-            $m->connect('api/direct_messages/sent.:format',
-                        array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessage',
-                              'format' => '(xml|json|rss|atom)',
-                              'sent' => true));
-
-            $m->connect('api/direct_messages/new.:format',
-                        array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessageNew',
-                              'format' => '(xml|json)'));
-
             // friendships
 
             $m->connect('api/friendships/show.:format',
diff --git a/plugins/DirectMessage/DirectMessagePlugin.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/DirectMessagePlugin.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1e717833ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/DirectMessage/DirectMessagePlugin.php
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+<?php
+/*
+ * GNU Social - a federating social network
+ * Copyright (C) 2014, Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+if (!defined('GNUSOCIAL')) { exit(1); }
+
+/**
+ * @maintainer  Mikael Nordfeldth <mmn@hethane.se>
+ */
+class DirectMessagePlugin extends Plugin
+{
+    public function onCheckSchema()
+    {
+        $schema = Schema::get();
+        $schema->ensureTable('message', Message::schemaDef());
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    public function onRouterInitialized(URLMapper $m)
+    {
+        // web front-end actions
+        $m->connect('message/new', array('action' => 'newmessage'));
+        $m->connect('message/new?to=:to', array('action' => 'newmessage'), array('to' => Nickname::DISPLAY_FMT));
+        $m->connect('message/:message',
+                    array('action' => 'showmessage'),
+                    array('message' => '[0-9]+'));
+
+        // direct messages
+        $m->connect('api/direct_messages.:format',
+                    array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessage',
+                          'format' => '(xml|json|rss|atom)'));
+        $m->connect('api/direct_messages/sent.:format',
+                    array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessage',
+                          'format' => '(xml|json|rss|atom)',
+                          'sent' => true));
+        $m->connect('api/direct_messages/new.:format',
+                    array('action' => 'ApiDirectMessageNew',
+                          'format' => '(xml|json)'));
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    public function onEndPersonalGroupNav(Menu $menu, Profile $target, Profile $scoped=null)
+    {
+        if ($scoped instanceof Profile && $scoped->id == $target->id
+                && !common_config('singleuser', 'enabled')) {
+
+            $menu->out->menuItem(common_local_url('inbox', array('nickname' =>
+                                                                 $target->getNickname())),
+                                 // TRANS: Menu item in personal group navigation menu.
+                                 _m('MENU','Messages'),
+                                 // TRANS: Menu item title in personal group navigation menu.
+                                 _('Your incoming messages'),
+                                 $scoped->id === $target->id && $menu->actionName =='inbox');
+        }
+    }
+
+    public function onEndProfilePageActionsElements(HTMLOutputter $out, Profile $profile)
+    {
+        $scoped = Profile::current();
+        if (!$scoped instanceof Profile) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ($profile->isLocal() && $scoped->mutuallySubscribed($profile)) {
+            $out->elementStart('li', 'entity_send-a-message');
+            $out->element('a', array('href' => common_local_url('newmessage', array('to' => $profile->id)),
+                                     // TRANS: Link title for link on user profile.
+                                     'title' => _('Send a direct message to this user.')),
+                                // TRANS: Link text for link on user profile.
+                                _m('BUTTON','Message'));
+            $out->elementEnd('li');
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    public function onProfileDeleteRelated(Profile $profile, &$related)
+    {
+        $msg = new Message();
+        $msg->from_profile = $profile->id;
+        $msg->delete();
+
+        $msg = new Message();
+        $msg->to_profile = $profile->id;
+        $msg->delete();
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    public function onPluginVersion(array &$versions)
+    {
+        $versions[] = array('name' => 'Direct Message',
+                            'version' => GNUSOCIAL_VERSION,
+                            'author' => 'Mikael Nordfeldth',
+                            'homepage' => 'http://gnu.io/',
+                            'rawdescription' =>
+                            // TRANS: Plugin description.
+                            _m('Direct Message to other local users (broken out of core).'));
+
+        return true;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/actions/apidirectmessage.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/apidirectmessage.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/apidirectmessage.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/apidirectmessage.php
diff --git a/actions/apidirectmessagenew.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/apidirectmessagenew.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/apidirectmessagenew.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/apidirectmessagenew.php
diff --git a/actions/inbox.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/inbox.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/inbox.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/inbox.php
diff --git a/actions/newmessage.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/newmessage.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/newmessage.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/newmessage.php
diff --git a/actions/outbox.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/outbox.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/outbox.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/outbox.php
diff --git a/actions/showmessage.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/actions/showmessage.php
similarity index 100%
rename from actions/showmessage.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/actions/showmessage.php
diff --git a/classes/Message.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/classes/Message.php
similarity index 100%
rename from classes/Message.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/classes/Message.php
diff --git a/lib/mailbox.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/lib/mailbox.php
similarity index 100%
rename from lib/mailbox.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/lib/mailbox.php
diff --git a/lib/mailboxmenu.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/lib/mailboxmenu.php
similarity index 100%
rename from lib/mailboxmenu.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/lib/mailboxmenu.php
diff --git a/lib/messageform.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messageform.php
similarity index 100%
rename from lib/messageform.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messageform.php
diff --git a/lib/messagelist.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messagelist.php
similarity index 100%
rename from lib/messagelist.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messagelist.php
diff --git a/lib/messagelistitem.php b/plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messagelistitem.php
similarity index 100%
rename from lib/messagelistitem.php
rename to plugins/DirectMessage/lib/messagelistitem.php