diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..046d47dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+package nri
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd"
+	"github.com/containerd/containerd/oci"
+	"github.com/containerd/nri/types"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+)
+
+const (
+	// DefaultBinaryPath for nri plugins
+	DefaultBinaryPath = "/opt/nri/bin"
+	// DefaultConfPath for the global nri configuration
+	DefaultConfPath = "/etc/nri/conf.json"
+)
+
+// New nri client
+func New() (*Client, error) {
+	conf, err := loadConfig(DefaultConfPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if err := os.Setenv("PATH", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", os.Getenv("PATH"), DefaultBinaryPath)); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &Client{
+		conf: conf,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// Client for calling nri plugins
+type Client struct {
+	conf *types.ConfigList
+}
+
+// Invoke the ConfList of nri plugins
+func (c *Client) Invoke(ctx context.Context, task containerd.Task, state types.State) ([]*types.Result, error) {
+	spec, err := task.Spec(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	rs, err := createSpec(spec)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var results []*types.Result
+	r := &types.Request{
+		Version: c.conf.Version,
+		ID:      task.ID(),
+		Pid:     int(task.Pid()),
+		State:   state,
+		Spec:    rs,
+	}
+	for _, p := range c.conf.Plugins {
+		r.Conf = p.Conf
+		result, err := c.invokePlugin(ctx, p.Type, r)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		results = append(results, result)
+	}
+	return results, nil
+}
+
+func createSpec(spec *oci.Spec) (*types.Spec, error) {
+	s := types.Spec{
+		Namespaces:  make(map[string]string),
+		Annotations: spec.Annotations,
+	}
+	switch {
+	case spec.Linux != nil:
+		s.CgroupsPath = spec.Linux.CgroupsPath
+		data, err := json.Marshal(spec.Linux.Resources)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		s.Resources = json.RawMessage(data)
+		for _, ns := range spec.Linux.Namespaces {
+			s.Namespaces[string(ns.Type)] = ns.Path
+		}
+	case spec.Windows != nil:
+		data, err := json.Marshal(spec.Windows.Resources)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		s.Resources = json.RawMessage(data)
+	}
+	return &s, nil
+}
+
+func (c *Client) invokePlugin(ctx context.Context, name string, r *types.Request) (*types.Result, error) {
+	payload, err := json.Marshal(r)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, name, "invoke")
+	cmd.Stdin = bytes.NewBuffer(payload)
+	cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
+
+	out, err := cmd.Output()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.Wrapf(err, "%s: %s", name, out)
+	}
+	var result types.Result
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(out, &result); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &result, nil
+}
+
+func loadConfig(path string) (*types.ConfigList, error) {
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return &types.ConfigList{
+				Version: "0.1",
+			}, nil
+		}
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	var c types.ConfigList
+	err = json.NewDecoder(f).Decode(&c)
+	f.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return &c, nil
+}
diff --git a/skel/skel.go b/skel/skel.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b9f9ec6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skel/skel.go
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+package skel
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"os"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/nri/types"
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+)
+
+// Plugin for modifications of resources
+type Plugin interface {
+	// Type or plugin name
+	Type() string
+	// Invoke the plugin
+	Invoke(context.Context, *types.Request) (*types.Result, error)
+}
+
+// Run the plugin from a main() function
+func Run(ctx context.Context, plugin Plugin) error {
+	var (
+		enc = json.NewEncoder(os.Stdout)
+		out interface{}
+	)
+	var request types.Request
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(os.Stdin).Decode(&request); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	switch os.Args[1] {
+	case "invoke":
+		result, err := plugin.Invoke(ctx, &request)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		out = result
+	default:
+		return errors.New("undefined arg")
+	}
+	return enc.Encode(out)
+}
diff --git a/types/types.go b/types/types.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..238a5919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/types/types.go
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+package types
+
+import "encoding/json"
+
+// Plugin type and configuration
+type Plugin struct {
+	// Type of plugin
+	Type string `json:"type"`
+	// Conf for the specific plugin
+	Conf json.RawMessage `json:"conf,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// ConfigList for the global configuration of NRI
+//
+// Normally located at /etc/nri/conf.json
+type ConfigList struct {
+	// Verion of the list
+	Version string `json:"version"`
+	// Plugins
+	Plugins []*Plugin `json:"plugins"`
+}
+
+// Spec for the container being processed
+type Spec struct {
+	// Resources struct from the OCI specification
+	//
+	// Can be WindowsResources or LinuxResources
+	Resources json.RawMessage `json:"resources"`
+	// Namespaces for the container
+	Namespaces map[string]string `json:"namespaces,omitempty"`
+	// CgroupsPath for the container
+	CgroupsPath string `json:"cgroupsPath,omitempty"`
+	// Annotations passed down to the OCI runtime specification
+	Annotations map[string]string `json:"annotations,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// State of the request
+type State string
+
+const (
+	// Create the initial resource for the container
+	Create State = "create"
+	// Delete any resources for the container
+	Delete State = "delete"
+	// Update the resources for the container
+	Update State = "update"
+	// Pause action of the container
+	Pause State = "pause"
+	// Resume action for the container
+	Resume State = "resume"
+)
+
+// Request for a plugin invocation
+type Request struct {
+	// Conf specific for the plugin
+	Conf json.RawMessage `json:"conf"`
+
+	// Version of the plugin
+	Version string `json:"version"`
+	// State action for the request
+	State State `json:"state"`
+	// ID for the container
+	ID string `json:"id"`
+	// SandboxID for the sandbox that the request belongs to
+	//
+	// If ID and SandboxID are the same, this is a request for the sandbox
+	// SandboxID is empty for a non sandboxed container
+	SandboxID string `json:"sandboxID"`
+	// Pid of the container
+	//
+	// -1 if there is no pid
+	Pid int `json:"pid,omitempty"`
+	// Spec generated from the OCI runtime specification
+	Spec *Spec `json:"spec"`
+}
+
+// IsSandbox returns true if the request is for a sandbox
+func (r *Request) IsSandbox() bool {
+	return r.ID == r.SandboxID
+}
+
+// NewResult returns a result from the original request
+func (r *Request) NewResult() *Result {
+	return &Result{
+		ID:          r.ID,
+		State:       r.State,
+		Pid:         r.Pid,
+		Version:     r.Version,
+		CgroupsPath: r.Spec.CgroupsPath,
+	}
+}
+
+// Result of the plugin invocation
+type Result struct {
+	// Version of the plugin
+	Version string `json:"version"`
+	// State of the invocation
+	State State `json:"state"`
+	// ID of the container
+	ID string `json:"id"`
+	// Pid of the container
+	Pid int `json:"pid"`
+	// CgroupsPath of the container
+	CgroupsPath string `json:"cgroupsPath"`
+}