diff --git a/packages/embark-code-runner/.npmrc b/packages/embark-code-runner/.npmrc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e031d3432
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/.npmrc
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+engine-strict = true
+package-lock = false
+save-exact = true
+scripts-prepend-node-path = true
diff --git a/packages/embark-code-runner/README.md b/packages/embark-code-runner/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2ca57eddd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# `embark-code-runner`
+
+> Code execution VM for Embark
+
+Visit [embark.status.im](https://embark.status.im/) to get started with
+[Embark](https://github.com/embark-framework/embark).
diff --git a/packages/embark-code-runner/package.json b/packages/embark-code-runner/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f23fd0ba6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+{
+  "name": "embark-code-runner",
+  "version": "4.1.0-beta.1",
+  "author": "Iuri Matias <iuri.matias@gmail.com>",
+  "contributors": [],
+  "description": "Code execution VM for Embark",
+  "homepage": "https://github.com/embark-framework/embark/tree/master/packages/embark-code-runner#readme",
+  "bugs": "https://github.com/embark-framework/embark/issues",
+  "keywords": [
+    "blockchain",
+    "dapps",
+    "ethereum",
+    "ipfs",
+    "serverless",
+    "solc",
+    "solidity"
+  ],
+  "files": [
+    "dist"
+  ],
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "repository": {
+    "directory": "packages/embark-code-runner",
+    "type": "git",
+    "url": "https://github.com/embark-framework/embark.git"
+  },
+  "main": "./dist/index.js",
+  "scripts": {
+    "build": "cross-env BABEL_ENV=node babel src --extensions \".js,.ts\" --out-dir dist --root-mode upward --source-maps",
+    "ci": "npm run qa",
+    "clean": "npm run reset",
+    "lint": "npm-run-all lint:*",
+    "lint:js": "eslint src/",
+    "lint:ts": "tslint -c tslint.json \"src/**/*.ts\"",
+    "package": "npm pack",
+    "qa": "npm-run-all lint typecheck build package",
+    "reset": "npx rimraf dist embark-*.tgz package",
+    "start": "npm run watch",
+    "typecheck": "tsc",
+    "watch": "run-p watch:*",
+    "watch:build": "npm run build -- --verbose --watch",
+    "watch:typecheck": "npm run typecheck -- --preserveWatchOutput --watch"
+  },
+  "eslintConfig": {
+    "extends": "../../.eslintrc.json"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@babel/runtime-corejs2": "7.3.1",
+    "async": "2.6.1",
+    "colors": "1.3.2",
+    "embark-utils": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
+    "embarkjs": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
+    "fs-extra": "7.0.1",
+    "parse-json": "4.0.0",
+    "vm2": "3.6.4",
+    "web3": "1.0.0-beta.37"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@babel/cli": "7.2.3",
+    "@babel/core": "7.2.2",
+    "@types/async": "2.0.50",
+    "cross-env": "5.2.0",
+    "eslint": "5.7.0",
+    "npm-run-all": "4.1.5",
+    "rimraf": "2.6.3",
+    "tslint": "5.16.0",
+    "typescript": "3.4.5"
+  },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=8.12.0",
+    "npm": ">=6.4.1",
+    "yarn": ">=1.12.3"
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/fs.js b/packages/embark-code-runner/src/fs.js
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/fs.js
rename to packages/embark-code-runner/src/fs.js
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/index.ts b/packages/embark-code-runner/src/index.ts
similarity index 98%
rename from packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/index.ts
rename to packages/embark-code-runner/src/index.ts
index a47fbd19a..d5fdc1d7b 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/index.ts
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/src/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,11 @@
+import * as fs from "./fs";
 import VM from "./vm";
-const fs = require("./fs");
+
+export { fs, VM };
+
 import { Callback, Embark, Events, Logger } /* supplied by @types/embark in packages/embark-typings */ from "embark";
 import Web3 from "web3";
+
 const EmbarkJS = require("embarkjs");
 
 export enum ProviderEventType {
@@ -9,7 +13,7 @@ export enum ProviderEventType {
   ProviderSet = "providerSet",
 }
 
-class CodeRunner {
+export default class CodeRunner {
   private ready: boolean = false;
   private blockchainConnected: boolean = false;
   private logger: Logger;
@@ -158,5 +162,3 @@ private resetEmbarkJS(cb: Callback<null>) {
     });
   }
 }
-
-module.exports = CodeRunner;
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/vm.ts b/packages/embark-code-runner/src/vm.ts
similarity index 97%
rename from packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/vm.ts
rename to packages/embark-code-runner/src/vm.ts
index 36465e034..af1d4c0ca 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/modules/codeRunner/vm.ts
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/src/vm.ts
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
 import { each } from "async";
 import { Callback, Logger } /* supplied by @types/embark in packages/embark-typings */ from "embark";
+import { compact, dappPath, isEs6Module, recursiveMerge } from "embark-utils";
+import * as path from "path";
 import { NodeVM, NodeVMOptions } from "vm2";
 
-import { compact, dappPath, recursiveMerge } from "embark-utils";
-
-const path = require("path");
-const { isEs6Module } = require("../../utils/utils");
-
 const WEB3_INVALID_RESPONSE_ERROR: string = "Invalid JSON RPC response";
 
 interface Command {
diff --git a/packages/embark-code-runner/tsconfig.json b/packages/embark-code-runner/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..52d43eaaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tsconfig.json",
+  "include": ["src/**/*"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/embark-code-runner/tslint.json b/packages/embark-code-runner/tslint.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0946f2096
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/embark-code-runner/tslint.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "extends": "../../tslint.json"
+}
diff --git a/packages/embark-utils/index.d.ts b/packages/embark-utils/index.d.ts
index a7f081c42..6a1d36759 100644
--- a/packages/embark-utils/index.d.ts
+++ b/packages/embark-utils/index.d.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ declare module "embark-utils" {
   function embarkPath(...names: string[]): string;
   function exit(code?: any): void;
   function findNextPort(port: number): Promise<number>;
+  function isEs6Module(module: any): boolean;
   function jsonFunctionReplacer(key: any, value: any): any;
   function fuzzySearch(text: string, list: any, filter: any): any;
   function getExternalContractUrl(file: string, provideUrl: string): string;
diff --git a/packages/embark-utils/src/index.js b/packages/embark-utils/src/index.js
index ce584d2ed..2b4ead20b 100644
--- a/packages/embark-utils/src/index.js
+++ b/packages/embark-utils/src/index.js
@@ -259,6 +259,13 @@ function errorMessage(e) {
   return e;
 }
 
+function isConstructor(obj) {
+  return !!obj.prototype && !!obj.prototype.constructor.name;
+}
+
+function isEs6Module(module) {
+  return (typeof module === 'function' && isConstructor(module)) || (typeof module === 'object' && typeof module.default === 'function' && module.__esModule);
+}
 
 const Utils = {
   anchoredValue,
@@ -286,6 +293,7 @@ const Utils = {
   getAddressToContract,
   getTransactionParams,
   isDocker,
+  isEs6Module,
   checkIsAvailable,
   File,
   findNextPort,
diff --git a/packages/embark/package.json b/packages/embark/package.json
index da14d1a9e..baadc799d 100644
--- a/packages/embark/package.json
+++ b/packages/embark/package.json
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@
     "embark-blockchain-listener": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
     "embark-blockchain-process": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
     "embark-code-generator": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
+    "embark-code-runner": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
     "embark-compiler": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
     "embark-console": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
     "embark-console-listener": "^4.1.0-beta.1",
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/engine.js b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/engine.js
index 29cc4eecd..026a5cd1d 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/engine.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/engine.js
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ class Engine {
   }
 
   codeRunnerService(_options) {
-    this.registerModule('codeRunner', {
+    this.registerModulePackage('embark-code-runner', {
       ipc: this.ipc
     });
   }
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/plugin.js b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/plugin.js
index 2579fde83..56012dd8d 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/core/plugin.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/lib/core/plugin.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 const utils = require('../utils/utils.js');
 import { __ } from 'embark-i18n';
-import { dappPath, embarkPath, joinPath } from 'embark-utils';
+import { dappPath, embarkPath, isEs6Module, joinPath } from 'embark-utils';
 const constants = require('embark-core/constants');
 const fs = require('fs-extra');
 const deepEqual = require('deep-equal');
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ Plugin.prototype.loadPlugin = function() {
   if (this.shouldInterceptLogs) {
     this.setUpLogger();
   }
-  if (utils.isEs6Module(this.pluginModule)) {
+  if (isEs6Module(this.pluginModule)) {
     if (this.pluginModule.default) {
       this.pluginModule = this.pluginModule.default;
     }
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ Plugin.prototype.loadPlugin = function() {
 };
 
 Plugin.prototype.loadInternalPlugin = function() {
-  if (utils.isEs6Module(this.pluginModule)) {
+  if (isEs6Module(this.pluginModule)) {
     if (this.pluginModule.default) {
       this.pluginModule = this.pluginModule.default;
     }
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/lib/utils/utils.js b/packages/embark/src/lib/utils/utils.js
index 3c0386463..440774915 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/lib/utils/utils.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/lib/utils/utils.js
@@ -154,14 +154,6 @@ function getWindowSize() {
   return {width: 240, height: 75};
 }
 
-function isConstructor(obj) {
-  return !!obj.prototype && !!obj.prototype.constructor.name;
-}
-
-function isEs6Module(module) {
-  return (typeof module === 'function' && isConstructor(module)) || (typeof module === 'object' && typeof module.default === 'function' && module.__esModule);
-}
-
 module.exports = {
   dirname,
   filesMatchingPattern,
@@ -178,6 +170,5 @@ module.exports = {
   extractZip,
   normalizeInput,
   interceptLogs,
-  getWindowSize,
-  isEs6Module
+  getWindowSize
 };
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/test/vm.js b/packages/embark/src/test/vm.js
index f2dc37da4..4a59813d4 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/test/vm.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/test/vm.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /*globals describe, it*/
 const TestLogger = require('../lib/utils/test_logger');
-const VM = require('../lib/modules/codeRunner/vm').default;
+import { VM } from 'embark-code-runner';
 const {expect} = require('chai');
 
 describe('embark.vm', function () {
diff --git a/packages/embark/src/test/vm_fs.js b/packages/embark/src/test/vm_fs.js
index 05aad3780..db40e46f6 100644
--- a/packages/embark/src/test/vm_fs.js
+++ b/packages/embark/src/test/vm_fs.js
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 /*global after, before, describe, it, require, process*/
+import { fs } from 'embark-code-runner';
 const { embarkPath } = require('embark-utils');
 const {assert} = require('chai');
 const os = require('os');
 const path = require('path');
 const underlyingFs = require('fs-extra');
-const fs = require('../lib/modules/codeRunner/fs');
 
 describe('fs', () => {
   let fsMethods = {};
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ describe('fs', () => {
 
   const helperFunctions = [
     'dappPath',
+    'default', // not a helper function but a property on `fs` due to how it's exported
     'diagramPath',
     'embarkPath',
     'ipcPath',