diff --git a/nimbus/config.nim b/nimbus/config.nim
index 3c78677e6..5802eaf23 100644
--- a/nimbus/config.nim
+++ b/nimbus/config.nim
@@ -176,6 +176,12 @@ type
       defaultValueDesc: ""
       name: "verify-from" }: Option[uint64]
 
+    evm* {.
+      desc: "Load alternative EVM from EVMC-compatible shared library (.so/.dll/.dylib)"
+      defaultValue: ""
+      defaultValueDesc: "Nimbus built-in EVM"
+      name: "evm" }: string
+
     network {.
       separator: "\pETHEREUM NETWORK OPTIONS:"
       desc: "Name or id number of Ethereum network(mainnet(1), ropsten(3), rinkeby(4), goerli(5), kovan(42), other=custom)"
diff --git a/nimbus/nimbus.nim b/nimbus/nimbus.nim
index 2301d2e1f..a93174c6c 100644
--- a/nimbus/nimbus.nim
+++ b/nimbus/nimbus.nim
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import
   ./p2p/blockchain_sync, eth/net/nat, eth/p2p/peer_pool,
   ./sync/protocol_eth65,
   config, genesis, rpc/[common, p2p, debug], p2p/chain,
+  transaction/evmc_dynamic_loader,
   eth/trie/db, metrics, metrics/[chronos_httpserver, chronicles_support],
   graphql/ethapi, context,
   "."/[conf_utils, sealer, constants]
@@ -198,6 +199,8 @@ proc start(nimbus: NimbusNode, conf: NimbusConf) =
     defaultChroniclesStream.output.outFile = nil # to avoid closing stdout
     discard defaultChroniclesStream.output.open(logFile, fmAppend)
 
+  evmcSetLibraryPath(conf.evm)
+
   createDir(string conf.dataDir)
   let trieDB = trieDB newChainDb(string conf.dataDir)
   var chainDB = newBaseChainDB(trieDB,
diff --git a/nimbus/transaction/evmc_dynamic_loader.nim b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_dynamic_loader.nim
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..555b52cdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_dynamic_loader.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Nimbus - Dynamic loader for EVM modules as shared libraries / DLLs
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2019-2021 Status Research & Development GmbH
+# Licensed under either of
+#  * Apache License, version 2.0, ([LICENSE-APACHE](LICENSE-APACHE) or http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0)
+#  * MIT license ([LICENSE-MIT](LICENSE-MIT) or http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
+# at your option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed except according to those terms.
+
+#{.push raises: [Defect].}
+
+import
+  std/[dynlib, strformat, strutils, os],
+  chronicles,
+  evmc/evmc, ../config
+
+# The built-in Nimbus EVM, via imported C function.
+proc evmc_create_nimbus_evm(): ptr evmc_vm {.cdecl, importc.}
+
+# Import this module to pull in the definition of `evmc_create_nimbus_evm`.
+# Nim thinks the module is unused because the function is only called via
+# `.exportc` -> `.importc`.
+{.warning[UnusedImport]: off.}:
+  import ./evmc_vm_glue
+
+var evmcLibraryPath {.threadvar.}: string
+  ## Library path set by `--evm` command line option.
+  ## Like the loaded EVMs themselves, this is thread-local for Nim simplicity.
+
+proc evmcSetLibraryPath*(path: string) =
+  evmcLibraryPath = path
+
+proc evmcLoadVMGetCreateFn(): (evmc_create_vm_name_fn, string) =
+  var path = evmcLibraryPath
+  if path.len == 0:
+    path = getEnv("NIMBUS_EVM")
+
+  # Use built-in EVM if no other is specified.
+  if path.len == 0:
+    return (evmc_create_nimbus_evm, "built-in")
+
+  # The steps below match the EVMC Loader documentation, copied here:
+  #
+  # - The filename is used to guess the EVM name and the name of the create
+  #   function. The create function name is constructed by the following
+  #   rules. Consider example path: "/ethereum/libexample-interpreter.so.1.0".
+  # - The filename is taken from the path: "libexample-interpreter.so.1.0".
+  # - The "lib" prefix and all file extensions are stripped from the name:
+  #   "example-interpreter".
+  # - All "-" are replaced with "_" to construct base name:
+  #   "example_interpreter"
+  # - The function name "evmc_create_" + base name is searched in the library:
+  #   "evmc_create_example_interpreter",
+  # - If the function is not found, the function name "evmc_create" is searched
+  #   in the library.
+
+  # Load the library.
+  let lib = loadLib(path, false)
+  if lib.isNil:
+    warn "Error loading EVM library", path
+    return (nil, "")
+
+  # Find filename in the path.
+  var symbolName = os.extractFilename(path)
+  # Skip "lib" prefix if present.  Note, `removePrefix` only removes at the
+  # start despite its documentation.
+  symbolName.removePrefix("lib")
+  # Trim all file extesnsions.  (`os.splitFile` only removes the last.)
+  symbolName = symbolName.split('.', 1)[0]
+  # Replace all "-" with "_".
+  symbolName = symbolName.replace('-', '_')
+
+  # Search for the built function name.
+  symbolName = "evmc_create_" & symbolName
+  var sym = symAddr(lib, symbolName)
+  if sym.isNil:
+    const fallback = "evmc_create"
+    sym = symAddr(lib, fallback)
+    if sym.isNil:
+      warn "EVMC create function not found in library", path
+      warn "Tried this library symbol", symbol=symbolName
+      warn "Tried this library symbol", symbol=fallback
+      return (nil, "")
+
+  return (cast[evmc_create_vm_name_fn](sym), path)
+
+proc evmcLoadVMShowDetail(): ptr evmc_vm =
+  let (vmCreate, vmDescription) = evmcLoadVMGetCreateFn()
+  if vmCreate.isNil:
+    return nil
+
+  {.gcsafe.}:
+    let vm: ptr evmc_vm = vmCreate()
+
+  if vm.isNil:
+    warn "The loaded EVM did not create a VM when requested",
+      `from`=vmDescription
+    return nil
+
+  if vm.abi_version != EVMC_ABI_VERSION:
+    warn "The loaded EVM is for an incompatible EVMC ABI",
+      requireABI=EVMC_ABI_VERSION, loadedABI=vm.abi_version,
+      `from`=vmDescription
+    warn "The loaded EVM will not be used", `from`=vmDescription
+    return nil
+
+  let name = if vm.name.isNil: "<nil>" else: $vm.name
+  let version = if vm.version.isNil: "<nil>" else: $vm.version
+  info "Using EVM", name=name, version=version, `from`=vmDescription
+  return vm
+
+proc evmcLoadVMCached*(): ptr evmc_vm =
+  # TODO: Make this open the VM library once per process.  Currently it does
+  # so once per thread, but at least this is thread-safe.
+  var vm {.threadvar.}: ptr evmc_vm
+  var triedLoading {.threadvar.}: bool
+  if not triedLoading:
+    triedLoading = true
+    vm = evmcLoadVMShowDetail()
+  return vm
diff --git a/nimbus/transaction/evmc_host_glue.nim b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_host_glue.nim
index 150f0b91c..e2d9cb911 100644
--- a/nimbus/transaction/evmc_host_glue.nim
+++ b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_host_glue.nim
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 when not declaredInScope(included_from_host_services):
   {.error: "Do not import this file directly, import host_services instead".}
 
-import evmc/evmc
+import evmc/evmc, ./evmc_dynamic_loader
 
 template toHost(p: evmc_host_context): TransactionHost =
   cast[TransactionHost](p)
@@ -94,19 +94,12 @@ let hostInterface = evmc_host_interface(
   access_storage: accessStorage,
 )
 
-# The built-in Nimbus EVM, via imported C function.
-proc evmc_create_nimbus_evm(): ptr evmc_vm {.cdecl, importc.}
-
-# Pull in the definition of the above function because we're not building it as
-# a separate library yet.
-import ./evmc_vm_glue
-
 proc evmcExecComputation*(host: TransactionHost): EvmcResult {.inline.} =
   host.showCallEntry(host.msg)
 
-  let vm = evmc_create_nimbus_evm()
+  let vm = evmcLoadVMCached()
   if vm.isNil:
-    echo "Warning: No EVM"
+    warn "No EVM"
     # Nim defaults are fine for all other fields in the result object.
     result = EvmcResult(status_code: EVMC_INTERNAL_ERROR)
     host.showCallReturn(result)
@@ -138,3 +131,9 @@ proc evmcExecComputation*(host: TransactionHost): EvmcResult {.inline.} =
                         host.code.len.csize_t)
 
   host.showCallReturn(result)
+
+# This code assumes fields, methods and types of ABI version 9, and must be
+# checked for compatibility if the `import evmc/evmc` major version is updated.
+when EVMC_ABI_VERSION != 9:
+  {.error: ("This code assumes EVMC_ABI_VERSION 9;" &
+            " update the code to use EVMC_ABI_VERSION " & $EVMC_ABI_VERSION).}
diff --git a/nimbus/transaction/evmc_vm_glue.nim b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_vm_glue.nim
index a90318112..ae83e4d45 100644
--- a/nimbus/transaction/evmc_vm_glue.nim
+++ b/nimbus/transaction/evmc_vm_glue.nim
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ proc evmc_create_nimbus_evm(): ptr evmc_vm {.cdecl, exportc.} =
   ## This is an exported C function.  EVMC specifies the function must
   ## have this name format when exported from a shared library.
   let vm = (ref evmc_vm)(
-    abi_version:      7,     # Not 8, we don't support ABI version 8 yet.
+    abi_version:      EVMC_ABI_VERSION,
     name:             evmcName,
     version:          evmcVersion,
     destroy:          evmcDestroy,
@@ -103,3 +103,9 @@ proc evmc_create_nimbus_evm(): ptr evmc_vm {.cdecl, exportc.} =
   # Keep an extra reference on this, until `evmcDestroy` is called.
   GC_ref(vm)
   return cast[ptr evmc_vm](vm)
+
+# This code assumes fields, methods and types of ABI version 9, and must be
+# checked for compatibility if the `import evmc/evmc` major version is updated.
+when EVMC_ABI_VERSION != 9:
+  {.error: ("This code assumes EVMC_ABI_VERSION 9;" &
+            " update the code to use EVMC_ABI_VERSION " & $EVMC_ABI_VERSION).}