diff --git a/lib/bolt/applicator.rb b/lib/bolt/applicator.rb
index eaf4d0da0e..69023210ba 100644
--- a/lib/bolt/applicator.rb
+++ b/lib/bolt/applicator.rb
@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ def apply_ast(raw_ast, targets, options, plan_vars = {})
                   'catalog' => Puppet::Pops::Types::PSensitiveType::Sensitive.new(catalog),
                   'plugins' => Puppet::Pops::Types::PSensitiveType::Sensitive.new(plugins),
                   'apply_settings' => @apply_settings,
+                  'bolt_builtin_content' => @modulepath.full_modulepath - @modulepath.user_modulepath || [],
                   '_task' => catalog_apply_task.name,
                   '_noop' => options[:noop]
                 }
diff --git a/libexec/apply_catalog.rb b/libexec/apply_catalog.rb
index ccf6d62232..de12b8cc44 100755
--- a/libexec/apply_catalog.rb
+++ b/libexec/apply_catalog.rb
@@ -52,6 +52,19 @@
     $LOAD_PATH << dir unless $LOAD_PATH.include?(dir)
   end
 
+  # In the case we are applying on a bolt runner and using bundled-ruby over local transport
+  # we will want to load code shipped with bolt. This is last on the load path and therefore
+  # explicitly packaged plugins should take precedence
+  args['bolt_builtin_content'].each do |builtin_dir|
+    next unless Dir.exist?(builtin_dir)
+    Dir.foreach(builtin_dir) do |dir|
+      unless ['.', '..'].include? dir
+        full_path = File.join(builtin_dir, dir, 'lib')
+        $LOAD_PATH << full_path unless $LOAD_PATH.include?(full_path)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
   if (conn_info = args['_target'])
     unless (type = conn_info['remote-transport'])
       puts "Cannot execute a catalog for a remote target without knowing it's the remote-transport type."