diff --git a/app/internal_packages/activity/package.json b/app/internal_packages/activity/package.json
index b6dda0fa1..a9f04a6df 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/activity/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/activity/package.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   },
 
   "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
 
   "title":"Activity Notifications and Dashboard",
   "icon":"./assets/icon.png",
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/link-tracking/package.json b/app/internal_packages/link-tracking/package.json
index 1560929a4..37c4608d0 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/link-tracking/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/link-tracking/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
   "description": "Track when links in an email have been clicked by recipients.",
   "icon": "./icon.png",
   "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
   "supportedEnvs": ["development", "staging", "production"],
 
   "repository": {
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/open-tracking/package.json b/app/internal_packages/open-tracking/package.json
index cb64e7d83..f41bb694a 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/open-tracking/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/open-tracking/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
   "description": "Track when email messages have been opened by recipients.",
   "icon": "./icon.png",
   "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
   "supportedEnvs": ["development", "staging", "production"],
 
   "repository": {
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/participant-profile/package.json b/app/internal_packages/participant-profile/package.json
index 4480103b7..40c4617d1 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/participant-profile/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/participant-profile/package.json
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@
   "title": "Participant Profile",
   "description": "Information about a participant",
 
-  "isOptional": false,
+  "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
 
   "main": "lib/main",
   "windowTypes": {
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/send-reminders/package.json b/app/internal_packages/send-reminders/package.json
index f0477af41..7a8e44055 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/send-reminders/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/send-reminders/package.json
@@ -3,10 +3,12 @@
   "version": "1.0.0",
   "title": "Send Reminders",
   "description": "Get reminded if you don't receive a reply for a message within a specified time in the future",
-  "isHiddenOnPluginsPage": true,
   "icon": "./icon.png",
   "main": "lib/main",
   "supportedEnvs": ["development", "staging", "production"],
+
+  "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
   "scripts": {
     "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
   },
@@ -14,7 +16,6 @@
     "default": true,
     "composer": true
   },
-  "isOptional": true,
   "engines": {
     "mailspring": "*"
   },
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/thread-sharing/package.json b/app/internal_packages/thread-sharing/package.json
index bb378105e..774f0d9f8 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/thread-sharing/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/thread-sharing/package.json
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
     "production": "https://share.getmailspring.com"
   },
 
+  "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
   "title": "Thread Sharing",
   "description": "Share a thread through the web.",
   "main": "./lib/main",
diff --git a/app/internal_packages/thread-snooze/package.json b/app/internal_packages/thread-snooze/package.json
index d8d67bb47..9caf4ad7b 100644
--- a/app/internal_packages/thread-snooze/package.json
+++ b/app/internal_packages/thread-snooze/package.json
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
   "title": "Thread Snooze",
   "description": "Snooze mail!",
   "main": "lib/main",
+  "isOptional": true,
+  "isIdentityRequired": true,
   "scripts": {
     "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
   },
diff --git a/app/src/package-manager.ts b/app/src/package-manager.ts
index 833c97975..4b9ec6153 100644
--- a/app/src/package-manager.ts
+++ b/app/src/package-manager.ts
@@ -11,10 +11,12 @@ export default class PackageManager {
   active: { [packageName: string]: Package } = {};
   resourcePath: string;
   configDirPath: string;
+  identityPresent: boolean;
 
   constructor({ configDirPath, devMode, safeMode, resourcePath, specMode }) {
     this.resourcePath = resourcePath;
     this.configDirPath = configDirPath;
+    this.identityPresent = !!AppEnv.config.get('identity');
 
     if (specMode) {
       this.packageDirectories.push(path.join(resourcePath, 'spec', 'fixtures', 'packages'));
@@ -29,6 +31,20 @@ export default class PackageManager {
     }
 
     this.discoverPackages();
+
+    // If the user starts without a Mailspring ID and then links one, immediately turn on the
+    // packages that require it. (Note: When you log OUT we currently just reboot the app, so
+    // this only goes one way, which is also convenient because unloading the built-in packages
+    // hasn't been tested much.)
+
+    // Note: Ideally we'd use the IdentityStore here but we can't load it this early in app
+    // launch without introducing a circular import.
+    AppEnv.config.onDidChange('identity', () => {
+      if (!this.identityPresent && !!AppEnv.config.get('identity')) {
+        this.identityPresent = true;
+        this.activatePackages(AppEnv.getLoadSettings().windowType);
+      }
+    });
   }
 
   discoverPackages() {
@@ -58,7 +74,7 @@ export default class PackageManager {
     }
   }
 
-  activatePackages(windowType) {
+  activatePackages(windowType: string) {
     for (const name of Object.keys(this.available)) {
       const pkg = this.available[name];
 
@@ -79,7 +95,7 @@ export default class PackageManager {
     }, 2500);
   }
 
-  activatePackage(pkg) {
+  activatePackage(pkg: Package) {
     if (this.active[pkg.name]) {
       return;
     }
@@ -93,7 +109,11 @@ export default class PackageManager {
       return;
     }
 
-    if (!pkg.json.engines.mailspring) {
+    if (pkg.isIdentityRequired() && !this.identityPresent) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (!pkg.isEngineSet()) {
       // don't use AppEnv.reportError, I don't want to know about these.
       console.error(
         localized(
@@ -119,10 +139,14 @@ export default class PackageManager {
     return Object.values(this.active);
   }
 
-  getPackageNamed(packageName) {
+  getPackageNamed(packageName: string) {
     return this.available[packageName];
   }
 
+  isPackageActive(packageName: string) {
+    return packageName in this.active;
+  }
+
   // Installing and Creating Packages
 
   installPackageManually() {
@@ -154,7 +178,7 @@ export default class PackageManager {
     );
   }
 
-  installPackageFromPath(packagePath, callback) {
+  installPackageFromPath(packagePath: string, callback) {
     // check that the path contains a package.json file
     let json = null;
     try {
diff --git a/app/src/package.ts b/app/src/package.ts
index 24109342c..a3dcb1775 100644
--- a/app/src/package.ts
+++ b/app/src/package.ts
@@ -81,6 +81,14 @@ export default class Package {
     return !!this.json.isOptional;
   }
 
+  isEngineSet() {
+    return !!this.json.engines.mailspring;
+  }
+
+  isIdentityRequired() {
+    return !!this.json.isIdentityRequired;
+  }
+
   isDefault() {
     return !!this.json.isDefault;
   }