diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/ClassicPluginStrategy.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/ClassicPluginStrategy.java
index 00171687008109d9c2efc129e6960d42a881ccbf..437579869106bb534fa23c69f116c380a746a767 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/ClassicPluginStrategy.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/ClassicPluginStrategy.java
@@ -169,11 +169,6 @@ public class ClassicPluginStrategy implements PluginStrategy {
 	}
 
 	public void load(PluginWrapper wrapper) throws IOException {
-        String className = wrapper.getPluginClass();
-        if(className ==null) {
-            throw new IOException("Plugin installation failed. No 'Plugin-Class' entry in the manifest of "+wrapper.getShortName());
-        }
-
 		loadPluginDependencies(wrapper.getDependencies(),
 				wrapper.getOptionalDependencies());
 
@@ -185,19 +180,25 @@ public class ClassicPluginStrategy implements PluginStrategy {
         ClassLoader old = Thread.currentThread().getContextClassLoader();
         Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(wrapper.classLoader);
         try {
-            try {
-                Class clazz = wrapper.classLoader.loadClass(className);
-                Object o = clazz.newInstance();
-                if(!(o instanceof Plugin)) {
-                    throw new IOException(className+" doesn't extend from hudson.Plugin");
+            String className = wrapper.getPluginClass();
+            if(className==null) {
+                // use the default dummy instance
+                wrapper.setPlugin(Plugin.NONE);
+            } else {
+                try {
+                    Class clazz = wrapper.classLoader.loadClass(className);
+                    Object o = clazz.newInstance();
+                    if(!(o instanceof Plugin)) {
+                        throw new IOException(className+" doesn't extend from hudson.Plugin");
+                    }
+                    wrapper.setPlugin((Plugin) o);
+                } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+                    throw new IOException2("Unable to load " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
+                } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
+                    throw new IOException2("Unable to create instance of " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
+                } catch (InstantiationException e) {
+                    throw new IOException2("Unable to create instance of " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
                 }
-				wrapper.setPlugin((Plugin) o);
-            } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
-                throw new IOException2("Unable to load " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
-            } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
-                throw new IOException2("Unable to create instance of " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
-            } catch (InstantiationException e) {
-                throw new IOException2("Unable to create instance of " + className + " from " + wrapper.getShortName(),e);
             }
 
             // initialize plugin
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Plugin.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Plugin.java
index fb0cbd48cef6ab9169ab45049680ee060ed5f9dd..c281fe947749505fd9d9e04a9a5cc4ba19e2513a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Plugin.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Plugin.java
@@ -229,4 +229,12 @@ public abstract class Plugin implements Saveable {
         return new XmlFile(Hudson.XSTREAM,
                 new File(Hudson.getInstance().getRootDir(),wrapper.getShortName()+".xml"));
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Dummy instance of {@link Plugin} to be used when a plugin didn't
+     * supply one on its own.
+     *
+     * @since 1.288
+     */
+    public static final Plugin NONE = new Plugin() {};
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/PluginWrapper.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/PluginWrapper.java
index 6e3274ccb29af98ac4d569dad549368bb6709140..6e45587c3f02b5135ba38d0b3ef685c7b1c17e13 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/PluginWrapper.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/PluginWrapper.java
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ import java.io.FileOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.OutputStream;
 import java.net.URL;
-import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.jar.Manifest;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;