diff --git a/text/0000-ember-cli-build-pipeline.md b/text/0000-ember-cli-build-pipeline.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bba8642e6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/text/0000-ember-cli-build-pipeline.md
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+- Start Date: 2020-01-10
+- Relevant Team(s): Ember CLI
+- RFC PR: https://github.com/emberjs/rfcs/pull/578
+- Tracking:
+
+# Ability to hook into build process without addons
+
+## Summary
+
+This RFC proposes adding the `treeFor<Type>` hooks to the options passed to the `EmberApp` class.
+These hooks would run during the build process and allow developers to affect the build
+pipelines for each of the trees (app, vendor, public, etc).
+
+## Motivation
+
+Currently, the recommended way to affect the Broccoli tree during build time is by hooking into
+the `treeFor*` APIs provided by addons. Although it is technically possible to [merge additional
+trees by passing in more trees into the `toTree()` method][1] of `EmberApp` in `ember-cli-build.js`,
+this feature is not documented well and it's not clear if the core team would like to see it used.
+
+Developers that want to use the `treeFor` APIs have to develope an addon or in-repo addon.
+This is problematic for a few reasons:
+
+- An addon is a full npm package. Even if it’s an in-repo addon, it comes with its own name and
+dependency tree. The burden of maintaining another package to write a few lines
+of code perpetuates the perception that Ember is "bloated" and has a steep learning curve.
+- Writing code in an addon (or `lib/`) requires relying Ember CLI to invoke the code. There is no
+guarantee of when or how the code will be called, so it keeps developers locked into the Ember
+ecosystem. This feeling of being trapped in a build system means under-investment,
+or worse: moving away.
+- The entry point of the Ember build is the `ember-cli-build.js` file. The full power of a good
+program should always be available in the entry point of the program. Being able to add modules
+into the program should be treated as a progressive enhancement rather than a requirement.
+- Although any number of addons can be added into the build process and any number of them could
+affect the build process, there is no good way to guarantee the order of these addons. With hooks
+exposed in a single place, it would be simple to execute code in the desired order.
+- Any framework-agnostic business logic, configuration, or data needed by the build pipeline
+must first be deployed independently as a module and then wrapped again in an ember-specific addon. This is a maintenance nightmare.
+
+## Detailed design
+
+The high level of Ember application build looks like this:
+
+```js
+const app = new EmberApp(defaults, {});
+return app.toTree();
+```
+
+The `toTree()` method gathers the trees of each type from each addon and merges them together [like this][3]:
+
+```js
+const trees = [
+  this.getAddonTemplates(),
+  this.getStyles(),
+  this.getTests(),
+  this.getExternalTree(),
+  this.getPublic(),
+  this.getAppJavascript(this._isPackageHookSupplied),
+].filter(Boolean);
+
+mergeTrees(trees, {
+  overwrite: true,
+  annotation: 'Full Application',
+});
+```
+
+Each of the individual `trees` (template, style, etc) gathers both explicit and implicit trees
+from each addon. Explicit trees are the return value of the `treeFor()` and `treeFor<Type>` hooks
+in the index.js file, whereas implicit trees are the contents of the correlated directories in the
+addon (e.g. the `public/` directory for the public tree). Currently, the [order that these three sets
+of trees][4] are gathered is this:
+
+1. Explicit tree from `treeFor` hook
+1. Implicit tree from directory
+1. Explicit tree from `treeFor<Type>` hook
+
+The `treeFor<Type>` hook receives the implicit tree as an argument.
+
+This RFC proposes that after Ember CLI has merged all addon and app trees for each type (but before
+it calls `postProcessTree` hooks from addons), it call `treeFor<Type>` on the `app` instance and
+passes the merged tree of that type as an argument.
+
+The end user experience would look roughly like this:
+
+```js
+const writeFile = require('broccoli-file-creator');
+const path = require('path')
+const fs = require('fs');
+
+const app = new EmberApp(defaults, {
+  /**
+   * @param tree The merged tree from the app and all addons
+   */
+  treeForPublic(tree) {
+    const dataPath = path.join(tree.outputPath, 'data.json');
+    if (fs.existsSync(dataPath)) {
+      return writeFile('data.json', JSON.stringify({ foo: 'bar' }));
+    }
+  },
+
+  treeForApp(/* tree */) {},
+  treeFor(/* tree */) {},
+  // ...etc
+});
+
+return app.toTree();
+```
+
+## How we teach this
+
+The Ember CLI documentation currently does not introduce Ember CLI as a build pipeline. Rather,
+it explains Ember CLI as an ecosystem of addons, and covers common use cases such as asset compilation
+and minification. This can make it challenging to dive into the build pipeline, when it is necessary.
+
+Teaching these `treeFor` hooks would require first making the decision to expose the build pipeline
+as a first-class citizen of the Ember CLI ecosystem.
+
+## Drawbacks
+
+None.
+
+## Alternatives
+
+Wait for Embroider and see what it offers?
+
+## Unresolved questions
+
+None
+
+[1]: https://github.com/ember-cli/ember-cli/blob/v3.15.1/lib/broccoli/ember-app.js#L1791-L1799
+[2]: https://github.com/ember-cli/ember-cli/blob/v3.18.0/lib/broccoli/ember-app.js#L697-L711
+[3]: https://github.com/ember-cli/ember-cli/blob/v3.18.0/lib/broccoli/ember-app.js#L1646-L1649
+[4]: https://github.com/ember-cli/ember-cli/blob/v3.18.0/lib/models/addon.js#L627-L632