diff --git a/rclcpp_components/CMakeLists.txt b/rclcpp_components/CMakeLists.txt
index e7eacd6043..92f089e878 100644
--- a/rclcpp_components/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/rclcpp_components/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ if(BUILD_TESTING)
     APPEND_LIBRARY_DIRS "${append_library_dirs}")
   if(TARGET test_component_manager)
     target_link_libraries(test_component_manager component_manager)
-    target_include_directories(test_component_manager PRIVATE src)
   endif()
 
   ament_add_gtest(test_component_manager_api test/test_component_manager_api.cpp
@@ -97,7 +96,6 @@ if(BUILD_TESTING)
     APPEND_LIBRARY_DIRS "${append_library_dirs}")
   if(TARGET test_component_manager_api)
     target_link_libraries(test_component_manager_api component_manager)
-    target_include_directories(test_component_manager_api PRIVATE src)
   endif()
 endif()
 
diff --git a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_package_hook.cmake b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_package_hook.cmake
index 4833d02a71..4d5b162e28 100644
--- a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_package_hook.cmake
+++ b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_package_hook.cmake
@@ -13,6 +13,11 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 
 # register node plugins
-ament_index_register_resource(
-  "rclcpp_components" CONTENT "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS__NODES}")
+list(REMOVE_DUPLICATES _RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_PACKAGE_RESOURCE_INDICES)
+foreach(resource_index ${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_PACKAGE_RESOURCE_INDICES})
+  #message(WARNING "registered index: ${resource_index}")
+  #message(WARNING "content for index: ${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES}")
+  ament_index_register_resource(
+    ${resource_index} CONTENT "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES}")
+endforeach()
 
diff --git a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_node.cmake b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_node.cmake
index e7fa3e2fd7..70443e9c81 100644
--- a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_node.cmake
+++ b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_node.cmake
@@ -22,15 +22,24 @@
 # :type target: string
 # :param PLUGIN: the plugin name
 # :type PLUGIN: string
-# :type EXECUTABLE: the node's executable name
+# :param EXECUTABLE: the node's executable name
 # :type EXECUTABLE: string
+# :param RESOURCE_INDEX: the ament resource index to register the components
+# :type RESOURCE_INDEX: string
 #
 macro(rclcpp_components_register_node target)
-  cmake_parse_arguments(ARGS "" "PLUGIN;EXECUTABLE" "" ${ARGN})
+  cmake_parse_arguments(ARGS "" "PLUGIN;EXECUTABLE;RESOURCE_INDEX" "" ${ARGN})
   if(ARGS_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS)
     message(FATAL_ERROR "rclcpp_components_register_node() called with unused "
       "arguments: ${ARGS_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS}")
   endif()
+  # default to rclcpp_components if not specified otherwise
+  set(resource_index "rclcpp_components")
+  if(NOT "${ARGS_RESOURCE_INDEX}" STREQUAL "")
+    set(resource_index ${ARGS_RESOURCE_INDEX})
+    message(STATUS "Setting component resource index to non-default value ${resource_index}")
+  endif()
+
   set(component ${ARGS_PLUGIN})
   set(node ${ARGS_EXECUTABLE})
   _rclcpp_components_register_package_hook()
@@ -39,8 +48,10 @@ macro(rclcpp_components_register_node target)
   if(WIN32)
     set(_path "bin")
   endif()
-  set(_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS__NODES
-    "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS__NODES}${component};${_path}/$<TARGET_FILE_NAME:${target}>\n")
+  set(_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES
+    "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES}${component};${_path}/$<TARGET_FILE_NAME:${target}>\n")
+  list(APPEND _RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_PACKAGE_RESOURCE_INDICES ${resource_index})
+
   configure_file(${rclcpp_components_NODE_TEMPLATE}
     ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/rclcpp_components/node_main_configured_${node}.cpp.in)
   file(GENERATE OUTPUT ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/rclcpp_components/node_main_${node}.cpp
diff --git a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_nodes.cmake b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_nodes.cmake
index eac3841fda..d52c58e9bc 100644
--- a/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_nodes.cmake
+++ b/rclcpp_components/cmake/rclcpp_components_register_nodes.cmake
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 # :type target: string
 # :param ARGN: the unique plugin names being exported using class_loader
 # :type ARGN: list of strings
+# :param RESOURCE_INDEX: the ament resource index to register the components
+# :type RESOURCE_INDEX: string
 #
 macro(rclcpp_components_register_nodes target)
   if(NOT TARGET ${target})
@@ -29,6 +31,17 @@ macro(rclcpp_components_register_nodes target)
       "rclcpp_components_register_nodes() first argument "
       "'${target}' is not a target")
   endif()
+  cmake_parse_arguments(ARGS "" "RESOURCE_INDEX" "" ${ARGN})
+  if(ARGS_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "rclcpp_components_register_node() called with unused "
+      "arguments: ${ARGS_UNPARSED_ARGUMENTS}")
+  endif()
+  # default to rclcpp_components if not specified otherwise
+  set(resource_index "rclcpp_components")
+  if(NOT "${ARGS_RESOURCE_INDEX}" STREQUAL "")
+    set(resource_index ${ARGS_RESOURCE_INDEX})
+    message(STATUS "Setting component resource index to non-default value ${resource_index}")
+  endif()
   get_target_property(_target_type ${target} TYPE)
   if(NOT _target_type STREQUAL "SHARED_LIBRARY")
     message(
@@ -54,8 +67,9 @@ macro(rclcpp_components_register_nodes target)
       else()
         set(_path "lib")
       endif()
-      set(_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS__NODES
-        "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS__NODES}${_arg};${_path}/$<TARGET_FILE_NAME:${target}>\n")
+      set(_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES
+        "${_RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_${resource_index}__NODES}${_arg};${_path}/$<TARGET_FILE_NAME:${target}>\n")
+      list(APPEND _RCLCPP_COMPONENTS_PACKAGE_RESOURCE_INDICES ${resource_index})
     endforeach()
   endif()
 endmacro()