diff --git a/config/main.inc.php.dist b/config/main.inc.php.dist
index 01416029a..e092db7a2 100644
--- a/config/main.inc.php.dist
+++ b/config/main.inc.php.dist
@@ -39,10 +39,7 @@ $rcmail_config['log_dir'] = 'logs/';
 // use this folder to store temp files (must be writeable for apache user)
 $rcmail_config['temp_dir'] = 'temp/';
 
-// use this folder to search for plugin sources
-$rcmail_config['plugins_dir'] = 'plugins/';
-
-// List of active plugins. Add the name of a directory found in 'plugins_dir'
+// List of active plugins (in plugins/ directory)
 $rcmail_config['plugins'] = array();
 
 // enable caching of messages and mailbox data in the local database.
diff --git a/program/include/rcube_config.php b/program/include/rcube_config.php
index d4adb7bd1..da6c09495 100644
--- a/program/include/rcube_config.php
+++ b/program/include/rcube_config.php
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ class rcube_config
     // fix paths
     $this->prop['log_dir'] = $this->prop['log_dir'] ? unslashify($this->prop['log_dir']) : INSTALL_PATH . 'logs';
     $this->prop['temp_dir'] = $this->prop['temp_dir'] ? unslashify($this->prop['temp_dir']) : INSTALL_PATH . 'temp';
-    $this->prop['plugins_dir'] = $this->prop['plugins_dir'] ? unslashify($this->prop['plugins_dir']) : INSTALL_PATH . 'plugins';
 
     // fix default imap folders encoding
     foreach (array('drafts_mbox', 'junk_mbox', 'sent_mbox', 'trash_mbox') as $folder)
diff --git a/program/include/rcube_plugin_api.php b/program/include/rcube_plugin_api.php
index c23b1e6f1..5103ce156 100644
--- a/program/include/rcube_plugin_api.php
+++ b/program/include/rcube_plugin_api.php
@@ -61,8 +61,7 @@ class rcube_plugin_api
    */
   private function __construct()
   {
-    $rcmail = rcmail::get_instance();
-    $this->dir = realpath($rcmail->config->get('plugins_dir'));
+    $this->dir = INSTALL_PATH . $this->url;
   }
   
   
diff --git a/program/include/rcube_template.php b/program/include/rcube_template.php
index b597c55b7..dc4b5e1c0 100755
--- a/program/include/rcube_template.php
+++ b/program/include/rcube_template.php
@@ -339,10 +339,10 @@ class rcube_template extends rcube_html_page
             $plugin = $temp[0];
             $name = $temp[1];
             $skin_dir = $plugin . '/skins/' . $this->config['skin'];
-            $skin_path = $this->config['plugins_dir'] . '/' . $skin_dir;
+            $skin_path = $this->app->plugins->dir . $skin_dir;
             if (!is_dir($skin_path)) {  // fallback to default skin
                 $skin_dir = $plugin . '/skins/default';
-                $skin_path = $this->config['plugins_dir'] . '/' . $skin_dir;
+                $skin_path = $this->app->plugins->dir . $skin_dir;
             }
         }