diff --git a/cmd/micro/initlua.go b/cmd/micro/initlua.go
index 269fbe9d..804f1142 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/initlua.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/initlua.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	luar "layeh.com/gopher-luar"
 
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/action"
+	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/buffer"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/display"
 	ulua "github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/lua"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/screen"
@@ -25,6 +26,8 @@ func LuaImport(pkg string) *lua.LTable {
 		return luaImportMicro()
 	case "micro/shell":
 		return luaImportMicroShell()
+	case "micro/buffer":
+		return luaImportMicroBuffer()
 	case "micro/util":
 		return luaImportMicroUtil()
 	default:
@@ -52,6 +55,22 @@ func luaImportMicroShell() *lua.LTable {
 	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "RunCommand", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.RunCommand))
 	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "RunBackgroundShell", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.RunBackgroundShell))
 	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "RunInteractiveShell", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.RunInteractiveShell))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "JobStart", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.JobStart))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "JobSpawn", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.JobSpawn))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "JobStop", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.JobStop))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "JobSend", luar.New(ulua.L, shell.JobSend))
+
+	return pkg
+}
+
+func luaImportMicroBuffer() *lua.LTable {
+	pkg := ulua.L.NewTable()
+
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "NewMessage", luar.New(ulua.L, buffer.NewMessage))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "NewMessageAtLine", luar.New(ulua.L, buffer.NewMessageAtLine))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "MTInfo", luar.New(ulua.L, buffer.MTInfo))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "MTWarning", luar.New(ulua.L, buffer.MTWarning))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "MTError", luar.New(ulua.L, buffer.MTError))
 
 	return pkg
 }
@@ -61,7 +80,7 @@ func luaImportMicroUtil() *lua.LTable {
 
 	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "RuneAt", luar.New(ulua.L, util.LuaRuneAt))
 	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "GetLeadingWhitespace", luar.New(ulua.L, util.LuaGetLeadingWhitespace))
-	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "IsWordChar", luar.New(ulua.L, util.LuaIsWordChar))
+	ulua.L.SetField(pkg, "", luar.New(ulua.L, util.LuaIsWordChar))
 
 	return pkg
 }
diff --git a/cmd/micro/micro.go b/cmd/micro/micro.go
index 52f69518..06e1f968 100644
--- a/cmd/micro/micro.go
+++ b/cmd/micro/micro.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/buffer"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/config"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/screen"
+	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/shell"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/util"
 	"github.com/zyedidia/tcell"
 )
@@ -231,6 +232,9 @@ func main() {
 
 		// Check for new events
 		select {
+		case f := <-shell.Jobs:
+			// If a new job has finished while running in the background we should execute the callback
+			f.Function(f.Output, f.Args...)
 		case event = <-events:
 		case <-screen.DrawChan:
 		}
diff --git a/internal/config/plugin.go b/internal/config/plugin.go
index 8b9d93e3..8023c266 100644
--- a/internal/config/plugin.go
+++ b/internal/config/plugin.go
@@ -114,3 +114,14 @@ func (p *Plugin) Call(fn string, args ...lua.LValue) (lua.LValue, error) {
 	ulua.L.Pop(1)
 	return ret, nil
 }
+
+func FindPlugin(name string) *Plugin {
+	var pl *Plugin
+	for _, p := range Plugins {
+		if p.Name == name {
+			pl = p
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	return pl
+}
diff --git a/internal/display/statusline.go b/internal/display/statusline.go
index e4a6a1de..059c25d2 100644
--- a/internal/display/statusline.go
+++ b/internal/display/statusline.go
@@ -54,13 +54,7 @@ var statusInfo = map[string]func(*buffer.Buffer) string{
 func SetStatusInfoFnLua(s string, fn string) {
 	luaFn := strings.Split(fn, ".")
 	plName, plFn := luaFn[0], luaFn[1]
-	var pl *config.Plugin
-	for _, p := range config.Plugins {
-		if p.Name == plName {
-			pl = p
-			break
-		}
-	}
+	pl := config.FindPlugin(plName)
 	statusInfo[s] = func(b *buffer.Buffer) string {
 		if pl == nil || !pl.IsEnabled() {
 			return ""
diff --git a/internal/shell/job.go b/internal/shell/job.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d3c33bf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/shell/job.go
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+package shell
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"os/exec"
+	"strings"
+
+	luar "layeh.com/gopher-luar"
+
+	lua "github.com/yuin/gopher-lua"
+	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/config"
+	ulua "github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/lua"
+	"github.com/zyedidia/micro/internal/screen"
+)
+
+var Jobs chan JobFunction
+
+func init() {
+	Jobs = make(chan JobFunction, 100)
+}
+
+// Jobs are the way plugins can run processes in the background
+// A job is simply a process that gets executed asynchronously
+// There are callbacks for when the job exits, when the job creates stdout
+// and when the job creates stderr
+
+// These jobs run in a separate goroutine but the lua callbacks need to be
+// executed in the main thread (where the Lua VM is running) so they are
+// put into the jobs channel which gets read by the main loop
+
+// JobFunction is a representation of a job (this data structure is what is loaded
+// into the jobs channel)
+type JobFunction struct {
+	Function func(string, ...string)
+	Output   string
+	Args     []string
+}
+
+// A CallbackFile is the data structure that makes it possible to catch stderr and stdout write events
+type CallbackFile struct {
+	io.Writer
+
+	callback func(string, ...string)
+	args     []string
+}
+
+func (f *CallbackFile) Write(data []byte) (int, error) {
+	// This is either stderr or stdout
+	// In either case we create a new job function callback and put it in the jobs channel
+	jobFunc := JobFunction{f.callback, string(data), f.args}
+	Jobs <- jobFunc
+	return f.Writer.Write(data)
+}
+
+// JobStart starts a shell command in the background with the given callbacks
+// It returns an *exec.Cmd as the job id
+func JobStart(cmd string, onStdout, onStderr, onExit string, userargs ...string) *exec.Cmd {
+	return JobSpawn("sh", []string{"-c", cmd}, onStdout, onStderr, onExit, userargs...)
+}
+
+// JobSpawn starts a process with args in the background with the given callbacks
+// It returns an *exec.Cmd as the job id
+func JobSpawn(cmdName string, cmdArgs []string, onStdout, onStderr, onExit string, userargs ...string) *exec.Cmd {
+	// Set up everything correctly if the functions have been provided
+	proc := exec.Command(cmdName, cmdArgs...)
+	var outbuf bytes.Buffer
+	if onStdout != "" {
+		proc.Stdout = &CallbackFile{&outbuf, luaFunctionJob(onStdout), userargs}
+	} else {
+		proc.Stdout = &outbuf
+	}
+	if onStderr != "" {
+		proc.Stderr = &CallbackFile{&outbuf, luaFunctionJob(onStderr), userargs}
+	} else {
+		proc.Stderr = &outbuf
+	}
+
+	go func() {
+		// Run the process in the background and create the onExit callback
+		proc.Run()
+		jobFunc := JobFunction{luaFunctionJob(onExit), string(outbuf.Bytes()), userargs}
+		Jobs <- jobFunc
+	}()
+
+	return proc
+}
+
+// JobStop kills a job
+func JobStop(cmd *exec.Cmd) {
+	cmd.Process.Kill()
+}
+
+// JobSend sends the given data into the job's stdin stream
+func JobSend(cmd *exec.Cmd, data string) {
+	stdin, err := cmd.StdinPipe()
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	stdin.Write([]byte(data))
+}
+
+// luaFunctionJob returns a function that will call the given lua function
+// structured as a job call i.e. the job output and arguments are provided
+// to the lua function
+func luaFunctionJob(fn string) func(string, ...string) {
+	luaFn := strings.Split(fn, ".")
+	plName, plFn := luaFn[0], luaFn[1]
+	pl := config.FindPlugin(plName)
+	return func(output string, args ...string) {
+		var luaArgs []lua.LValue
+		for _, v := range args {
+			luaArgs = append(luaArgs, luar.New(ulua.L, v))
+		}
+		_, err := pl.Call(plFn, luaArgs...)
+		if err != nil && err != config.ErrNoSuchFunction {
+			screen.TermMessage(err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func unpack(old []string) []interface{} {
+	new := make([]interface{}, len(old))
+	for i, v := range old {
+		new[i] = v
+	}
+	return new
+}