diff --git a/lib/core/engine.js b/lib/core/engine.js
index fe346a00f..393c16018 100644
--- a/lib/core/engine.js
+++ b/lib/core/engine.js
@@ -210,11 +210,9 @@ class Engine {
     });
   }
 
-  fileWatchService(_options) {
-    this.events.emit("status", "Watching for changes");
-    const Watch = require('../pipeline/watch.js');
-    this.watch = new Watch({logger: this.logger, events: this.events});
-    this.watch.start();
+  fileWatchService() {
+    this.registerModule('watcher');
+    this.events.request('watcher:start');
   }
 
   webServerService() {
diff --git a/lib/modules/pipeline/webpackProcess.js b/lib/modules/pipeline/webpackProcess.js
index 73051261f..4303ebb42 100644
--- a/lib/modules/pipeline/webpackProcess.js
+++ b/lib/modules/pipeline/webpackProcess.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ const fs = require('../../core/fs');
 const ProcessWrapper = require('../../core/processes/processWrapper');
 const webpack = require('webpack');
 const writeFile = require('util').promisify(require('fs').writeFile);
-const {errorMessage, recursiveMerge} = require('../utils/utils');
+const {errorMessage, recursiveMerge} = require('../../utils/utils');
 
 // TODO: refactor into lib/core/config once pipeline is a proper embark module
 const defaultPipelineConfig = {
diff --git a/lib/pipeline/watch.js b/lib/modules/watcher/index.js
similarity index 77%
rename from lib/pipeline/watch.js
rename to lib/modules/watcher/index.js
index 703273142..26dc1ee4f 100644
--- a/lib/pipeline/watch.js
+++ b/lib/modules/watcher/index.js
@@ -1,15 +1,23 @@
 let chokidar = require('chokidar');
 let path = require('path');
 
-let fs = require('../core/fs.js');
+let fs = require('../../core/fs.js');
+
+const DAPP_PIPELINE_CONFIG_FILE = 'pipeline.js';
+const DAPP_WEBPACK_CONFIG_FILE = 'webpack.config.js';
+const DAPP_BABEL_LOADER_OVERRIDES_CONFIG_FILE = 'babel-loader-overrides.js';
 
 // TODO: this should be receiving the config object not re-reading the
 // embark.json file
-class Watch {
-  constructor(options) {
-    this.logger = options.logger;
-    this.events = options.events;
+class Watcher {
+  constructor(embark) {
+    this.logger = embark.logger;
+    this.events = embark.events;
     this.fileWatchers = [];
+
+    this.events.setCommandHandler('watcher:start', () => this.start());
+    this.events.setCommandHandler('watcher:stop', () => this.stop());
+    this.events.setCommandHandler('watcher:restart', () => this.restart());
   }
 
   start() {
@@ -30,6 +38,10 @@ class Watch {
       self.logger.trace('ready to watch contract config changes');
     });
 
+    this.watchPipelineConfig(embarkConfig, function () {
+      self.logger.trace('ready to watch pipeline config changes');
+    });
+
     this.watchWebserverConfig(embarkConfig, function () {
       self.logger.trace('ready to watch webserver config changes');
     });
@@ -150,6 +162,25 @@ class Watch {
     );
   }
 
+  watchPipelineConfig(embarkConfig, callback) {
+    let filesToWatch = [
+      fs.dappPath('', DAPP_WEBPACK_CONFIG_FILE),
+      fs.dappPath('', DAPP_BABEL_LOADER_OVERRIDES_CONFIG_FILE)
+    ];
+
+    if (typeof embarkConfig.config === 'object' && embarkConfig.config.pipeline) {
+      filesToWatch.push(embarkConfig.config.pipeline);
+    } else if (typeof embarkConfig.config === 'string') {
+      filesToWatch.push(fs.dappPath(embarkConfig.config, DAPP_PIPELINE_CONFIG_FILE));
+    }
+
+    this.watchFiles(filesToWatch, (eventName, path) => {
+      this.logger.info(`${eventName}: ${path}`);
+      this.events.emit('file-' + eventName, 'config', path);
+      this.events.emit('file-event', 'config', path);
+    }, callback);
+  }
+
   watchFiles(files, changeCallback, doneCallback) {
     this.logger.trace('watchFiles');
     this.logger.trace(files);
@@ -172,4 +203,5 @@ class Watch {
 
 }
 
-module.exports = Watch;
+module.exports = Watcher;
+