diff --git a/app/commands.js b/app/commands.js
index 498573cba54d..2cdb6f9588a1 100644
--- a/app/commands.js
+++ b/app/commands.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 const {app} = require('electron');
+const uuid = require('uuid');
 const {openConfig} = require('./config');
 const {updatePlugins} = require('./plugins');
 const {installCLI} = require('./utils/cli-install');
@@ -10,16 +11,16 @@ const commands = {
   },
   'tab:new': focusedWindow => {
     if (focusedWindow) {
-      focusedWindow.rpc.emit('termgroup add req');
+      focusedWindow.rpc.emit('termgroup add req', {termGroupUid: uuid.v4(), sessionUid: uuid.v4()});
     } else {
       setTimeout(app.createWindow, 0);
     }
   },
   'pane:splitVertical': focusedWindow => {
-    focusedWindow && focusedWindow.rpc.emit('split request vertical');
+    focusedWindow && focusedWindow.rpc.emit('split request vertical', {sessionUid: uuid.v4()});
   },
   'pane:splitHorizontal': focusedWindow => {
-    focusedWindow && focusedWindow.rpc.emit('split request horizontal');
+    focusedWindow && focusedWindow.rpc.emit('split request horizontal', {sessionUid: uuid.v4()});
   },
   'pane:close': focusedWindow => {
     focusedWindow && focusedWindow.rpc.emit('termgroup close req');
diff --git a/app/plugins.js b/app/plugins.js
index b32e172144fd..c4e3eb56f17a 100644
--- a/app/plugins.js
+++ b/app/plugins.js
@@ -332,6 +332,19 @@ exports.onWindow = win => {
   });
 };
 
+exports.extendSession = (window, opts, newSession) => {
+  modules.forEach(plugin => {
+    if (plugin.extendSession) {
+      try {
+        newSession = plugin.extendSession(window, opts, newSession);
+      } catch (e) {
+        notify('Plugin error!', `"${plugin._name}" has encountered an error. Check Developer Tools for details.`);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  return newSession;
+};
+
 // decorates the base object by calling plugin[key]
 // for all the available plugins
 function decorateObject(base, key) {
diff --git a/app/session.js b/app/session.js
index 82fd69817a5f..d867221fe8e3 100644
--- a/app/session.js
+++ b/app/session.js
@@ -22,9 +22,12 @@ try {
 const envFromConfig = config.getConfig().env || {};
 
 module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
-  constructor({rows, cols: columns, cwd, shell, shellArgs}) {
-    const osLocale = require('os-locale');
+  constructor() {
     super();
+  }
+
+  init({rows, cols: columns, cwd, shell, shellArgs}) {
+    const osLocale = require('os-locale');
     const baseEnv = Object.assign(
       {},
       process.env,
@@ -68,7 +71,7 @@ module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
       if (this.ended) {
         return;
       }
-      this.emit('data', decoder.write(data));
+      this.read(decoder.write(data));
     });
 
     this.pty.on('exit', () => {
@@ -85,6 +88,10 @@ module.exports = class Session extends EventEmitter {
     this.destroy();
   }
 
+  read(data) {
+    this.emit('data', data);
+  }
+
   write(data) {
     this.pty.write(data);
   }
diff --git a/app/ui/window.js b/app/ui/window.js
index ec2bc1975c42..a1bd39011f41 100644
--- a/app/ui/window.js
+++ b/app/ui/window.js
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ module.exports = class Window {
       // If no callback is passed to createWindow,
       // a new session will be created by default.
       if (!fn) {
-        fn = win => win.rpc.emit('termgroup add req');
+        fn = win => win.rpc.emit('termgroup add req', {termGroupUid: uuid.v4(), sessionUid: uuid.v4()});
       }
 
       // app.windowCallback is the createWindow callback
@@ -99,7 +99,10 @@ module.exports = class Window {
       );
 
       const initSession = (opts, fn_) => {
-        fn_(uuid.v4(), new Session(opts));
+        const session = new Session();
+        const newSession = app.plugins.extendSession(window, opts, session);
+        newSession.init(opts);
+        fn_(opts.sessionUid, newSession);
       };
 
       initSession(sessionOpts, (uid, session) => {
@@ -110,11 +113,13 @@ module.exports = class Window {
           uid,
           splitDirection: sessionOpts.splitDirection,
           shell: session.shell,
-          pid: session.pty.pid
+          pid: session.pty ? session.pty.pid : null,
+          termGroupUid: sessionOpts.termGroupUid,
+          activeUid: sessionOpts.activeUid
         });
 
         session.on('data', data => {
-          rpc.emit('session data', uid + data);
+          rpc.emit('session data', {uid, data});
         });
 
         session.on('exit', () => {
@@ -188,8 +193,8 @@ module.exports = class Window {
     const deleteSessions = () => {
       sessions.forEach((session, key) => {
         session.removeAllListeners();
-        session.destroy();
         sessions.delete(key);
+        session.destroy();
       });
     };
     // we reset the rpc channel only upon
diff --git a/lib/actions/sessions.js b/lib/actions/sessions.js
index b48b9165aaca..146e444c8a5f 100644
--- a/lib/actions/sessions.js
+++ b/lib/actions/sessions.js
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {
   SESSION_SET_XTERM_TITLE
 } from '../constants/sessions';
 
-export function addSession({uid, shell, pid, cols, rows, splitDirection}) {
+export function addSession({uid, shell, pid, cols, rows, splitDirection, termGroupUid, activeUid}) {
   return (dispatch, getState) => {
     const {sessions} = getState();
     const now = Date.now();
@@ -30,8 +30,9 @@ export function addSession({uid, shell, pid, cols, rows, splitDirection}) {
       cols,
       rows,
       splitDirection,
-      activeUid: sessions.activeUid,
-      now
+      activeUid: activeUid ? activeUid : sessions.activeUid,
+      now,
+      termGroupUid
     });
   };
 }
diff --git a/lib/actions/term-groups.js b/lib/actions/term-groups.js
index 3c2940ac7b4a..454111df9329 100644
--- a/lib/actions/term-groups.js
+++ b/lib/actions/term-groups.js
@@ -12,14 +12,16 @@ import getRootGroups from '../selectors';
 import {setActiveSession, ptyExitSession, userExitSession} from './sessions';
 
 function requestSplit(direction) {
-  return () => (dispatch, getState) => {
+  return (sessionUid, activeUid) => (dispatch, getState) => {
     dispatch({
       type: SESSION_REQUEST,
       effect: () => {
-        const {ui} = getState();
+        const {ui, sessions} = getState();
         rpc.emit('new', {
           splitDirection: direction,
-          cwd: ui.cwd
+          cwd: ui.cwd,
+          sessionUid,
+          activeUid: activeUid ? activeUid : sessions.activeUid
         });
       }
     });
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ export function resizeTermGroup(uid, sizes) {
   };
 }
 
-export function requestTermGroup() {
+export function requestTermGroup(termGroupUid, sessionUid) {
   return (dispatch, getState) => {
     dispatch({
       type: TERM_GROUP_REQUEST,
@@ -48,7 +50,9 @@ export function requestTermGroup() {
           isNewGroup: true,
           cols,
           rows,
-          cwd
+          cwd,
+          termGroupUid,
+          sessionUid
         });
       }
     });
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index 034523c80f37..b6cf99f9a315 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -44,10 +44,7 @@ rpc.on('session add', data => {
   store_.dispatch(sessionActions.addSession(data));
 });
 
-rpc.on('session data', d => {
-  // the uid is a uuid v4 so it's 36 chars long
-  const uid = d.slice(0, 36);
-  const data = d.slice(36);
+rpc.on('session data', ({uid, data}) => {
   store_.dispatch(sessionActions.addSessionData(uid, data));
 });
 
@@ -103,16 +100,16 @@ rpc.on('session break req', () => {
   store_.dispatch(sessionActions.sendSessionData(null, '\x03'));
 });
 
-rpc.on('termgroup add req', () => {
-  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestTermGroup());
+rpc.on('termgroup add req', ({termGroupUid, sessionUid}) => {
+  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestTermGroup(termGroupUid, sessionUid));
 });
 
-rpc.on('split request horizontal', () => {
-  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestHorizontalSplit());
+rpc.on('split request horizontal', ({sessionUid, activeUid}) => {
+  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestHorizontalSplit(sessionUid, activeUid));
 });
 
-rpc.on('split request vertical', () => {
-  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestVerticalSplit());
+rpc.on('split request vertical', ({sessionUid, activeUid}) => {
+  store_.dispatch(termGroupActions.requestVerticalSplit(sessionUid, activeUid));
 });
 
 rpc.on('reset fontSize req', () => {
diff --git a/lib/reducers/term-groups.js b/lib/reducers/term-groups.js
index ad14152e8fe1..c77f859c9b73 100644
--- a/lib/reducers/term-groups.js
+++ b/lib/reducers/term-groups.js
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ const reducer = (state = initialState, action) => {
         return setActiveGroup(state, action);
       }
 
-      const uid = uuid.v4();
+      const uid = action.termGroupUid;
       const termGroup = TermGroup({
         uid,
         sessionUid: action.uid