diff --git a/cli/bitcore-node.js b/cli/bitcore-node.js
index e53ffdb2..a99704ed 100755
--- a/cli/bitcore-node.js
+++ b/cli/bitcore-node.js
@@ -2,84 +2,43 @@
 
 'use strict';
 
-var program = require('commander');
-var version = require(__dirname + '/../package.json').version;
-var bitcore = require('bitcore');
-var $ = bitcore.util.preconditions;
-var path = require('path');
-var create = require('../lib/scaffold/create');
-var add = require('../lib/scaffold/add');
-var start = require('../lib/scaffold/start');
-var findConfig = require('../lib/scaffold/find-config');
-var defaultConfig = require('../lib/scaffold/default-config');
+var semver = require('semver');
+var Liftoff = require('liftoff');
+var cliPackage = require('../package.json');
 
-program
-  .version(version);
+var liftoff = new Liftoff({
+  name: 'bitcore-node',
+  moduleName: 'bitcore-node',
+  configName: 'bitcore-node',
+  processTitle: 'bitcore-node'
+}).on('require', function (name, module) {
+  console.log('Loading:', name);
+}).on('requireFail', function (name, err) {
+  console.log('Unable to load:', name, err);
+}).on('respawn', function (flags, child) {
+  console.log('Detected node flags:', flags);
+  console.log('Respawned to PID:', child.pid);
+});
 
-program
-  .command('create <directory> [name]')
-  .description('Create a new node')
-  .option('-d, --datadir <dir>', 'Specify the bitcoin database directory')
-  .action(function(dirname, name, cmd){
-    if (cmd.datadir) {
-      cmd.datadir = path.resolve(process.cwd(), cmd.datadir);
+liftoff.launch({
+  cwd: process.cwd()
+}, function(env){
+
+  var bitcorenode;
+  if (env.modulePackage && env.configPath) {
+    // use the local version
+    if (semver.gt(cliPackage.version, env.modulePackage.version)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'Version mismatch, global bitcore-node is ' + cliPackage.version +
+          ' and local bitcore-node is ' + env.modulePackage.version
+      );
     }
-    var opts = {
-      cwd: process.cwd(),
-      dirname: dirname,
-      name: name,
-      datadir: cmd.datadir || './data',
-      isGlobal: false
-    };
-    create(opts, function(err) {
-      if (err) {
-        throw err;
-      }
-      console.log('Successfully created node in directory: ', dirname);
-    });
-  });
+    bitcorenode = require(env.modulePath);
+  } else {
+    // use the global version
+    bitcorenode = require('..');
+  }
 
-program
-  .command('start')
-  .description('Start the current node')
-  .option('-c, --config <dir>', 'Specify the directory with Bitcore Node configuration')
-  .action(function(cmd){
-    if (cmd.config) {
-      cmd.config = path.resolve(process.cwd(), cmd.config);
-    }
-    var configInfo = findConfig(cmd.config || process.cwd());
-    if (!configInfo) {
-      configInfo = defaultConfig();
-    }
-    start(configInfo);
-  });
+  bitcorenode.cli.main();
 
-program
-  .command('add <modules...>')
-  .alias('install')
-  .description('Install a module for the current node')
-  .action(function(modules){
-    var configInfo = findConfig(process.cwd());
-    if (!configInfo) {
-      throw new Error('Could not find configuration, see `bitcore-node create --help`');
-    }
-    var opts = {
-      path: configInfo.path,
-      modules: modules
-    };
-    add(opts, function() {
-      console.log('Successfully added modules: ', modules.join(', '));
-    });
-  }).on('--help', function() {
-    console.log('  Examples:');
-    console.log();
-    console.log('    $ bitcore-node add wallet-service');
-    console.log('    $ bitcore-node add insight-api');
-    console.log();
-  });
-
-program.parse(process.argv);
-
-if (process.argv.length === 2) {
-  program.help();
-}
+});
diff --git a/cli/main.js b/cli/main.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..33e18c74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/main.js
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+'use strict';
+
+var program = require('commander');
+var path = require('path');
+var bitcorenode = require('..');
+
+function main() {
+
+  // local commands
+  var version = bitcorenode.version;
+  var create = bitcorenode.scaffold.create;
+  var add = bitcorenode.scaffold.add;
+  var start = bitcorenode.scaffold.start;
+  var findConfig = bitcorenode.scaffold.findConfig;
+  var defaultConfig = bitcorenode.scaffold.defaultConfig;
+
+  program
+    .version(version);
+
+  program
+    .command('create <directory> [name]')
+    .description('Create a new node')
+    .option('-d, --datadir <dir>', 'Specify the bitcoin database directory')
+    .action(function(dirname, name, cmd){
+      if (cmd.datadir) {
+        cmd.datadir = path.resolve(process.cwd(), cmd.datadir);
+      }
+      var opts = {
+        cwd: process.cwd(),
+        dirname: dirname,
+        name: name,
+        datadir: cmd.datadir || './data',
+        isGlobal: false
+      };
+      create(opts, function(err) {
+        if (err) {
+          throw err;
+        }
+        console.log('Successfully created node in directory: ', dirname);
+      });
+    });
+
+  program
+    .command('start')
+    .description('Start the current node')
+    .option('-c, --config <dir>', 'Specify the directory with Bitcore Node configuration')
+    .action(function(cmd){
+      if (cmd.config) {
+        cmd.config = path.resolve(process.cwd(), cmd.config);
+      }
+      var configInfo = findConfig(cmd.config || process.cwd());
+      if (!configInfo) {
+        configInfo = defaultConfig();
+      }
+      start(configInfo);
+    });
+
+  program
+    .command('add <modules...>')
+    .alias('install')
+    .description('Install a module for the current node')
+    .action(function(modules){
+      var configInfo = findConfig(process.cwd());
+      if (!configInfo) {
+        throw new Error('Could not find configuration, see `bitcore-node create --help`');
+      }
+      var opts = {
+        path: configInfo.path,
+        modules: modules
+      };
+      add(opts, function() {
+        console.log('Successfully added modules: ', modules.join(', '));
+      });
+    }).on('--help', function() {
+      console.log('  Examples:');
+      console.log();
+      console.log('    $ bitcore-node add wallet-service');
+      console.log('    $ bitcore-node add insight-api');
+      console.log();
+    });
+
+  program.parse(process.argv);
+
+  if (process.argv.length === 2) {
+    program.help();
+  }
+
+}
+
+module.exports = main;
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index eee37c48..49938a63 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -13,5 +13,15 @@ module.exports.errors = require('./lib/errors');
 module.exports.modules = {};
 module.exports.modules.AddressModule = require('./lib/modules/address');
 
+module.exports.scaffold = {};
+module.exports.scaffold.create = require('./lib/scaffold/create');
+module.exports.scaffold.add = require('./lib/scaffold/add');
+module.exports.scaffold.start = require('./lib/scaffold/start');
+module.exports.scaffold.findConfig = require('./lib/scaffold/find-config');
+module.exports.scaffold.defaultConfig = require('./lib/scaffold/default-config');
+
+module.exports.cli = {};
+module.exports.cli.main = require('./cli/main');
+
 module.exports.deps = {};
 module.exports.deps.chainlib = require('chainlib');
diff --git a/lib/scaffold/start.js b/lib/scaffold/start.js
index 4ae6ea6d..c2cac866 100644
--- a/lib/scaffold/start.js
+++ b/lib/scaffold/start.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ var interval = false;
 function start(options) {
   /* jshint maxstatements: 100 */
 
-  var modules = [];
+  var bitcoreModules = [];
 
   var configPath = options.path;
   var config = options.config;
@@ -23,16 +23,31 @@ function start(options) {
   if (config.modules) {
     for (var i = 0; i < config.modules.length; i++) {
       var moduleName = config.modules[i];
-      var module;
+      var bitcoreModule;
       try {
         // first try in the built-in bitcore-node modules directory
-        module = require(path.resolve(__dirname, '../modules/' + moduleName));
+        bitcoreModule = require(path.resolve(__dirname, '../modules/' + moduleName));
       } catch(e) {
-        // then try loading external modules
-        module = require(moduleName);
+
+        // check if the package.json specifies a specific file to use
+        var modulePackage = require(moduleName + '/package.json');
+        var bitcoreNodeModule = moduleName;
+        if (modulePackage.bitcoreNode) {
+          bitcoreNodeModule = moduleName + '/' + modulePackage.bitcoreNode;
+        }
+        bitcoreModule = require(bitcoreNodeModule);
+
       }
 
-      modules.push(module);
+      // check that the module supports expected methods
+      if (!bitcoreModule.prototype ||
+          !bitcoreModule.prototype.start ||
+          !bitcoreModule.prototype.stop) {
+        throw new Error(
+          'Could not load module "' + moduleName + '" as it does not support necessary methods.'
+        );
+      }
+      bitcoreModules.push(bitcoreModule);
     }
   }
 
@@ -46,7 +61,7 @@ function start(options) {
 
   // load the modules
   fullConfig.db = {
-    modules: modules
+    modules: bitcoreModules
   };
 
   var node = new BitcoreNode(fullConfig);
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index dc9aead7..3201eb05 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -50,9 +50,11 @@
     "chainlib": "^0.2.0",
     "commander": "^2.8.1",
     "errno": "^0.1.2",
+    "liftoff": "^2.1.0",
     "memdown": "^1.0.0",
     "mkdirp": "0.5.0",
     "nan": "1.3.0",
+    "semver": "^5.0.1",
     "socket.io": "^1.3.6"
   },
   "devDependencies": {