diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 21ffaa00ce..ba26a9e544 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -533,6 +533,7 @@ set (USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_SOCI FALSE CACHE BOOL "Build the soci driver as a plugin ra
 set (USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_OCI FALSE CACHE BOOL "Build the oci driver as a plugin rather than embedding")
 set (USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_MRSID FALSE CACHE BOOL "Build the MrSID driver as a plugin rather than embedding")
 set (USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_CARIS FALSE CACHE BOOL "Build the Caris driver as a plugin rather than embedding")
+set (USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_NITRO FALSE CACHE BOOL "Build the NITF writer as a plugin rather than embedding")
 
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/cmake/modules/FindNitro.cmake b/cmake/modules/FindNitro.cmake
index 38a463f185..4b6617db3f 100644
--- a/cmake/modules/FindNitro.cmake
+++ b/cmake/modules/FindNitro.cmake
@@ -45,11 +45,8 @@ FIND_LIBRARY(NITRO_CPP_LIBRARY
   /usr/lib
   /usr/local/lib)
 
-  message(STATUS "cpplib: ${NITRO_CPP_LIBRARY}")
-  message(STATUS "clib: ${NITRO_C_LIBRARY}")
-
 SET(NITRO_FOUND 1)
-  SET(NITRO_LIBRARIES ${NITRO_CPP_LIBRARY} ${NITRO_C_LIBRARY})
+SET(NITRO_LIBRARIES ${NITRO_CPP_LIBRARY} ${NITRO_C_LIBRARY})
 
 
 IF(NITRO_INCLUDE_DIR)
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index e8f9acb174..5a3d5c7fc4 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -578,6 +578,12 @@ target_link_libraries(${APPS_CPP_DEPENDENCIES} ${ORACLE_LIBRARY})
 endif()
 endif()
 
+if (WITH_NITRO)
+if (NOT USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_NITRO)
+target_link_libraries(${APPS_CPP_DEPENDENCIES} ${NITRO_LIBRARIES})
+endif()
+endif()
+
 if (WIN32)
   target_link_libraries(${APPS_CPP_DEPENDENCIES} LINK_PUBLIC general
     ${PDAL_LIB_NAME}
@@ -607,8 +613,7 @@ else()
     ${P2G_LIBRARY}
     ${GEOS_LIBRARY}
     ${FLANN_LIBRARIES}
-    ${HEXER_LIBRARY}
-    ${NITRO_LIBRARIES})
+    ${HEXER_LIBRARY})
 endif()
 
 message(STATUS "Using boost lib: ${Boost_LIBRARIES}")
diff --git a/src/StageFactory.cpp b/src/StageFactory.cpp
index 0bd946b966..296d8bdde9 100644
--- a/src/StageFactory.cpp
+++ b/src/StageFactory.cpp
@@ -66,6 +66,12 @@
 #endif
 #endif
 
+#ifdef PDAL_HAVE_NITRO
+#ifndef USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_NITF
+#include <pdal/drivers/nitf/Writer.hpp>
+#endif
+#endif
+
 #ifdef PDAL_HAVE_P2G
 #include <pdal/drivers/p2g/Writer.hpp>
 #endif
@@ -195,6 +201,11 @@ MAKE_WRITER_CREATOR(SociWriter, pdal::drivers::soci::Writer)
 #endif
 #endif
 
+#ifdef PDAL_HAVE_NITRO
+#ifndef USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_NITF
+MAKE_WRITER_CREATOR(NitfWriter, pdal::drivers::nitf::Writer)
+#endif
+#endif    
 
 StageFactory::StageFactory()
 {
@@ -255,7 +266,8 @@ std::string StageFactory::inferWriterDriver(const std::string& filename, pdal::O
     drivers["laz"] = "drivers.las.writer";
     drivers["xyz"] = "drivers.text.writer";
     drivers["txt"] = "drivers.text.writer";
-
+    drivers["ntf"] = "drivers.nitf.writer";
+    
     if (boost::algorithm::iequals(filename, "STDOUT"))
     {
         return drivers["txt"];
@@ -473,6 +485,12 @@ void StageFactory::registerKnownWriters()
 #endif
 #endif
 
+#ifdef PDAL_HAVE_NITRO
+#ifndef USE_PDAL_PLUGIN_NITF
+    REGISTER_WRITER(NitfWriter, pdal::drivers::nitf::Writer);
+#endif
+#endif
+
 }
 
 void StageFactory::loadPlugins()
diff --git a/test/data/pipeline/pipeline_nitf.xml b/test/data/pipeline/pipeline_nitf.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6ed802d887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/data/pipeline/pipeline_nitf.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<Pipeline version="1.0">
+    <Writer type="drivers.nitf.writer">
+        <Option name="filename">
+            pdal-compressed.ntf
+        </Option>
+        <Option name="compression">
+            false
+        </Option>
+        <Filter type="filters.crop">
+            <Option name="bounds">
+                ([0,1000000],[0,1000000],[0,1000000])
+            </Option>
+            <Reader type="drivers.las.reader">
+                <Option name="filename">
+                    ../1.2-with-color.las
+                </Option>
+            </Reader>
+        </Filter>
+    </Writer>
+</Pipeline>