diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/Cargo.toml b/cli/tauri-cli/Cargo.toml
index 9a2f2ed73..6106388e7 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ lazy_static = { version = "1.4" }
 zip = { version = "0.5" }
 sha2 = { version = "0.8" }
 hex = { version = "0.4" }
+regex = { version = "1" }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 tempfile = "3"
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle.rs
index f3ec36f2b..f05dfd909 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,16 @@ pub fn bundle_project(settings: Settings) -> crate::Result<Vec<PathBuf>> {
       PackageType::Dmg => dmg_bundle::bundle_project(&settings)?,
     });
   }
+
+  // copy external binaries to out dir for testing
+  let out_dir = settings.project_out_directory();
+  for src in settings.external_binaries() {
+    let src = src?;
+    let dest = out_dir.join(src.file_name().expect("failed to extract external binary filename"));
+    common::copy_file(&src, &dest)
+      .map_err(|_| format!("Failed to copy external binary {:?}", src))?;
+  }
+
   Ok(paths)
 }
 
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/deb_bundle.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/deb_bundle.rs
index 7f6625b15..8e7f37a80 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/deb_bundle.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/deb_bundle.rs
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ pub fn generate_folders(settings: &Settings, package_dir: &Path) -> crate::Resul
   common::copy_file(settings.binary_path(), &binary_dest)
     .chain_err(|| "Failed to copy binary file")?;
   transfer_resource_files(settings, &data_dir).chain_err(|| "Failed to copy resource files")?;
+  transfer_external_binaries(settings, &data_dir).chain_err(|| "Failed to copy external binaries")?;
   generate_icon_files(settings, &data_dir).chain_err(|| "Failed to create icon files")?;
   generate_desktop_file(settings, &data_dir).chain_err(|| "Failed to create desktop file")?;
 
@@ -212,6 +213,19 @@ fn transfer_resource_files(settings: &Settings, data_dir: &Path) -> crate::Resul
   Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Copy the bundle's external binaries into an appropriate directory under the
+/// `data_dir`.
+fn transfer_external_binaries(settings: &Settings, data_dir: &Path) -> crate::Result<()> {
+  let bin_dir = data_dir.join("usr/bin");
+  for src in settings.external_binaries() {
+    let src = src?;
+    let dest = bin_dir.join(src.file_name().expect("failed to extract external binary filename"));
+    common::copy_file(&src, &dest)
+      .chain_err(|| format!("Failed to copy external binary {:?}", src))?;
+  }
+  Ok(())
+}
+
 /// Generate the icon files and store them under the `data_dir`.
 fn generate_icon_files(settings: &Settings, data_dir: &PathBuf) -> crate::Result<()> {
   let base_dir = data_dir.join("usr/share/icons/hicolor");
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/osx_bundle.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/osx_bundle.rs
index 775a50651..657ca89e0 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/osx_bundle.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/osx_bundle.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ pub fn bundle_project(settings: &Settings) -> crate::Result<Vec<PathBuf>> {
   })?;
 
   let resources_dir = bundle_directory.join("Resources");
+  let bin_dir = bundle_directory.join("MacOS");
 
   let bundle_icon_file: Option<PathBuf> =
     { create_icns_file(&resources_dir, settings).chain_err(|| "Failed to create app icon")? };
@@ -67,6 +68,13 @@ pub fn bundle_project(settings: &Settings) -> crate::Result<Vec<PathBuf>> {
       .chain_err(|| format!("Failed to copy resource file {:?}", src))?;
   }
 
+  for src in settings.external_binaries() {
+    let src = src?;
+    let dest = bin_dir.join(src.file_name().expect("failed to extract external binary filename"));
+    common::copy_file(&src, &dest)
+      .chain_err(|| format!("Failed to copy external binary {:?}", src))?;
+  }
+
   copy_binary_to_bundle(&bundle_directory, settings)
     .chain_err(|| format!("Failed to copy binary from {:?}", settings.binary_path()))?;
 
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/settings.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/settings.rs
index 09b8dc284..2b8aaf2bb 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/settings.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/settings.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use target_build_utils::TargetInfo;
 use toml;
 use walkdir;
+use crate::platform::{target_triple};
 
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Eq, PartialEq)]
 pub enum PackageType {
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ struct BundleSettings {
   // Bundles for other binaries/examples:
   bin: Option<HashMap<String, BundleSettings>>,
   example: Option<HashMap<String, BundleSettings>>,
+  external_bin: Option<Vec<String>>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -118,7 +120,7 @@ struct PackageSettings {
   description: String,
   homepage: Option<String>,
   authors: Option<Vec<String>>,
-  metadata: Option<MetadataSettings>,
+  metadata: Option<MetadataSettings>
 }
 
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Deserialize)]
@@ -207,7 +209,7 @@ impl Settings {
     } else {
       bail!("No [package.metadata.bundle] section in Cargo.toml");
     };
-    let (bundle_settings, binary_name) = match build_artifact {
+    let (mut bundle_settings, binary_name) = match build_artifact {
       BuildArtifact::Main => (bundle_settings, package.name.clone()),
       BuildArtifact::Bin(ref name) => (
         bundle_settings_from_table(&bundle_settings.bin, "bin", name)?,
@@ -224,6 +226,26 @@ impl Settings {
       binary_name
     };
     let binary_path = target_dir.join(&binary_name);
+
+    let target_triple = target_triple()?;
+    let mut win_paths = Vec::new();
+    match bundle_settings.external_bin {
+      Some(paths) => {
+        for curr_path in paths.iter() {
+          win_paths.push(
+            format!(
+              "{}-{}{}",
+              curr_path,
+              target_triple,
+              if cfg!(windows) { ".exe" } else { "" }
+            )
+          );
+        }
+        bundle_settings.external_bin = Some(win_paths);
+      },
+      None => { }
+    }
+
     Ok(Settings {
       package,
       package_type,
@@ -414,6 +436,15 @@ impl Settings {
     }
   }
 
+  /// Returns an iterator over the external binaries to be included in this
+  /// bundle.
+  pub fn external_binaries(&self) -> ResourcePaths<'_> {
+    match self.bundle_settings.external_bin {
+      Some(ref paths) => ResourcePaths::new(paths.as_slice(), true),
+      None => ResourcePaths::new(&[], true),
+    }
+  }
+
   pub fn version_string(&self) -> &str {
     self
       .bundle_settings
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/templates/main.wxs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/templates/main.wxs
index df0aa492e..b1f14cffc 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/templates/main.wxs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/templates/main.wxs
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@
                     <Component Id="Path" Guid="{{{path_component_guid}}}" Win64="$(var.Win64)" KeyPath="yes">
                         <File Id="PathFile" Source="{{{app_exe_source}}}" />
                     </Component>
+                    {{#each external_binaries as |external_bin| ~}}
+                    <Component Id="{{ external_bin.id }}" Guid="{{external_bin.guid}}" Win64="$(var.Win64)" KeyPath="yes">
+                        <File Id="PathFile_{{ external_bin.id }}" Source="{{external_bin.path}}" />
+                    </Component>
+                    {{/each~}}
                 </Directory>
             </Directory>
         </Directory>
@@ -93,6 +98,9 @@
                     Level="1"
                     Absent="allow">
                 <ComponentRef Id="Path"/>
+                {{#each external_binaries as |external_bin| ~}}
+                <ComponentRef Id="{{ external_bin.id }}"/>
+                {{/each~}}
             </Feature>
         </Feature>
 
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/wix.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/wix.rs
index 8148a4175..aa5b807ce 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/wix.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/bundle/wix.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ use super::common;
 use super::path_utils::{copy, Options};
 use super::settings::Settings;
 
-use handlebars::Handlebars;
+use handlebars::{Handlebars, to_json};
 use lazy_static::lazy_static;
 use sha2::Digest;
+use regex::Regex;
 
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::fs::{create_dir_all, remove_dir_all, write, File};
@@ -153,8 +154,12 @@ fn extract_zip(data: &Vec<u8>, path: &Path) -> crate::Result<()> {
 
 // Generates the UUID for the Wix template.
 fn generate_package_guid(settings: &Settings) -> Uuid {
+  generate_guid(settings.bundle_identifier().as_bytes())
+}
+
+fn generate_guid(key: &[u8]) -> Uuid {
   let namespace = Uuid::from_bytes(UUID_NAMESPACE);
-  Uuid::new_v5(&namespace, settings.bundle_identifier().as_bytes())
+  Uuid::new_v5(&namespace, key)
 }
 
 // Specifically goes and gets Wix and verifies the download via Sha256
@@ -340,37 +345,59 @@ pub fn build_wix_app_installer(
 
   let mut data = BTreeMap::new();
 
-  data.insert("product_name", settings.bundle_name());
-  data.insert("version", settings.version_string());
+  data.insert("product_name", to_json(settings.bundle_name()));
+  data.insert("version", to_json(settings.version_string()));
   let manufacturer = settings.bundle_identifier().to_string();
-  data.insert("manufacturer", manufacturer.as_str());
+  data.insert("manufacturer", to_json(manufacturer.as_str()));
   let upgrade_code = Uuid::new_v5(
     &Uuid::NAMESPACE_DNS,
     format!("{}.app.x64", &settings.binary_name()).as_bytes(),
   )
   .to_string();
 
-  data.insert("upgrade_code", &upgrade_code.as_str());
+  data.insert("upgrade_code", to_json(&upgrade_code.as_str()));
 
   let path_guid = generate_package_guid(settings).to_string();
-  data.insert("path_component_guid", &path_guid.as_str());
+  data.insert("path_component_guid", to_json(&path_guid.as_str()));
 
   let shortcut_guid = generate_package_guid(settings).to_string();
-  data.insert("shortcut_guid", &shortcut_guid.as_str());
+  data.insert("shortcut_guid", to_json(&shortcut_guid.as_str()));
 
   let app_exe_name = settings.binary_name().to_string();
-  data.insert("app_exe_name", &app_exe_name);
+  data.insert("app_exe_name", to_json(&app_exe_name));
+
+  #[derive(Serialize)]
+  struct ExternalBinary {
+    guid: String,
+    id: String,
+    path: String
+  }
+  let mut external_binaries = Vec::new();
+  let regex = Regex::new("[^A-Za-z0-9\\._]").unwrap();
+  let cwd = std::env::current_dir()?;
+  for src in settings.external_binaries() {
+    let src = src?;
+    let filename = src.file_name().expect("failed to extract external binary filename").to_os_string().into_string().expect("failed to convert external binary filename to string");
+    let guid = generate_guid(filename.as_bytes()).to_string();
+    external_binaries.push(ExternalBinary {
+      guid: guid,
+      path: cwd.join(src).into_os_string().into_string().expect("failed to read external binary path"),
+      id: regex.replace_all(&filename, "").to_string()
+    });
+  }
+  let external_binaries_json = to_json(&external_binaries);
+  data.insert("external_binaries", external_binaries_json);
 
   let app_exe_source = settings.binary_path().display().to_string();
 
-  data.insert("app_exe_source", &app_exe_source);
+  data.insert("app_exe_source", to_json(&app_exe_source));
 
   // copy icons from icons folder to resource folder near msi
   let image_path = copy_icons(&settings)?;
 
   let path = image_path.join("icon.ico").display().to_string();
 
-  data.insert("icon_path", path.as_str());
+  data.insert("icon_path", to_json(path.as_str()));
 
   let temp = HANDLEBARS
     .render("main.wxs", &data)
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/main.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/main.rs
index 7313ab082..f8e28ad4b 100644
--- a/cli/tauri-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ extern crate serde_derive;
 extern crate tempfile;
 
 mod bundle;
+mod platform;
 
 use crate::bundle::{bundle_project, check_icons, BuildArtifact, PackageType, Settings};
 use clap::{App, AppSettings, Arg, SubCommand};
diff --git a/cli/tauri-cli/src/platform.rs b/cli/tauri-cli/src/platform.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b221c897c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cli/tauri-cli/src/platform.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/// Try to determine the current target triple.
+///
+/// Returns a target triple (e.g. `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` or `i686-pc-windows-msvc`) or an
+/// `Error::Config` if the current config cannot be determined or is not some combination of the
+/// following values:
+/// `linux, mac, windows` -- `i686, x86, armv7` -- `gnu, musl, msvc`
+///
+/// * Errors:
+///     * Unexpected system config
+pub(crate) fn target_triple() -> Result<String, crate::Error> {
+  let arch = if cfg!(target_arch = "x86") {
+    "i686"
+  } else if cfg!(target_arch = "x86_64") {
+    "x86_64"
+  } else if cfg!(target_arch = "arm") {
+    "armv7"
+  } else {
+    return Err(crate::Error::from("Unable to determine target-architecture"));
+  };
+
+  let os = if cfg!(target_os = "linux") {
+    "unknown-linux"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+    "apple-darwin"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+    "pc-windows"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "freebsd") {
+    "unknown-freebsd"
+  } else {
+    return Err(crate::Error::from("Unable to determine target-os"));
+  };
+
+  let s;
+  let os = if cfg!(target_os = "macos") || cfg!(target_os = "freebsd") {
+    os
+  } else {
+    let env = if cfg!(target_env = "gnu") {
+      "gnu"
+    } else if cfg!(target_env = "musl") {
+      "musl"
+    } else if cfg!(target_env = "msvc") {
+      "msvc"
+    } else {
+      return Err(crate::Error::from("Unable to determine target-environment"));
+    };
+    s = format!("{}-{}", os, env);
+    &s
+  };
+
+  Ok(format!("{}-{}", arch, os))
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/packaged-node.js b/examples/vue/quasar-app/packaged-node.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..76139cc89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/vue/quasar-app/packaged-node.js
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+setInterval(() => {
+  console.log(Math.random())
+}, 500)
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index cfbc52308..d8964d845 100644
--- a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ icon = [
   "icons/icon.icns",
   "icons/icon.ico"
 ]
+external_bin = [ "bin/packaged-node" ]
 
 [dependencies]
 serde_json = "1.0.44"
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..d293e50c8
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node differ
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9cf1c417f
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/bin/packaged-node-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe differ
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/src/main.rs b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/src/main.rs
index 41c854f71..322de9eea 100644
--- a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/src/main.rs
+++ b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src-tauri/src/main.rs
@@ -9,10 +9,31 @@ mod cmd;
 extern crate serde_derive;
 extern crate serde_json;
 
+use std::io::BufRead;
+
 fn main() {
   tauri::AppBuilder::new()
     .setup(|_webview| {
-      let handle = _webview.handle();
+      let handle1 = _webview.handle();
+      std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        let stdout = tauri::api::command::spawn_relative_command(
+          tauri::api::command::binary_command("packaged-node".to_string()).expect("failed to get binary command"),
+          Vec::new(),
+          std::process::Stdio::piped(),
+        )
+          .expect("Failed to spawn packaged node")
+          .stdout.expect("Failed to get packaged node stdout");
+        let reader = std::io::BufReader::new(stdout);
+
+        reader
+          .lines()
+          .filter_map(|line| line.ok())
+          .for_each(|line| {
+            tauri::event::emit(&handle1, String::from("node"), format!("'{}'", line))
+          });
+      });
+
+      let handle2 = _webview.handle();
       tauri::event::listen(String::from("hello"), move |msg| {
         #[derive(Serialize)]
         pub struct Reply {
@@ -26,7 +47,7 @@ fn main() {
         };
 
         tauri::event::emit(
-          &handle,
+          &handle2,
           String::from("reply"),
           serde_json::to_string(&reply).unwrap(),
         );
diff --git a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src/pages/Index.vue b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src/pages/Index.vue
index 8cd73d605..4637ccc10 100644
--- a/examples/vue/quasar-app/src/pages/Index.vue
+++ b/examples/vue/quasar-app/src/pages/Index.vue
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <template>
   <q-page class="flex flex-center column">
+    <h4 class="row text-center">Node: {{ nodeMsg }}</h4>
     <h3 class="row text-center">{{ msg }}</h3>
     <div class="row">
       <q-btn @click="eventToRust()">SEND MSG</q-btn>
@@ -15,13 +16,17 @@ export default {
   name: 'HelloWorld',
   data () {
     return {
-      msg: 'waiting for rust'
+      msg: 'waiting for rust',
+      nodeMsg: 'waiting'
     }
   },
   mounted () {
     tauri.listen('reply', res => {
       this.msg = res.payload.msg
     })
+    tauri.listen('node', res => {
+      this.nodeMsg = res.payload
+    })
   },
   methods: {
     // set up an event listener
diff --git a/tauri-api/src/command.rs b/tauri-api/src/command.rs
index 2fe54ddab..aef261e63 100644
--- a/tauri-api/src/command.rs
+++ b/tauri-api/src/command.rs
@@ -51,6 +51,14 @@ pub fn spawn_relative_command(
   Ok(Command::new(cmd).args(args).stdout(stdout).spawn()?)
 }
 
+pub fn binary_command(binary_name: String) -> Result<String, String> {
+  return Ok(format!(
+    "{}-{}",
+    binary_name,
+    crate::platform::target_triple()?
+  ));
+}
+
 // tests for the commands functions.
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
diff --git a/tauri-api/src/lib.rs b/tauri-api/src/lib.rs
index e1dc1315c..192258f78 100644
--- a/tauri-api/src/lib.rs
+++ b/tauri-api/src/lib.rs
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ pub mod command;
 pub mod dir;
 pub mod file;
 pub mod rpc;
-
 pub mod version;
+pub mod platform;
 
 use error_chain::error_chain;
 
diff --git a/tauri-api/src/platform.rs b/tauri-api/src/platform.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..98b33084d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tauri-api/src/platform.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/// Try to determine the current target triple.
+///
+/// Returns a target triple (e.g. `x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu` or `i686-pc-windows-msvc`) or an
+/// `Error::Config` if the current config cannot be determined or is not some combination of the
+/// following values:
+/// `linux, mac, windows` -- `i686, x86, armv7` -- `gnu, musl, msvc`
+///
+/// * Errors:
+///     * Unexpected system config
+pub fn target_triple() -> Result<String, String> {
+  let arch = if cfg!(target_arch = "x86") {
+    "i686"
+  } else if cfg!(target_arch = "x86_64") {
+    "x86_64"
+  } else if cfg!(target_arch = "arm") {
+    "armv7"
+  } else {
+    return Err("Unable to determine target-architecture".to_string());
+  };
+
+  let os = if cfg!(target_os = "linux") {
+    "unknown-linux"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
+    "apple-darwin"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+    "pc-windows"
+  } else if cfg!(target_os = "freebsd") {
+    "unknown-freebsd"
+  } else {
+    return Err("Unable to determine target-os".to_string());
+  };
+
+  let s;
+  let os = if cfg!(target_os = "macos") || cfg!(target_os = "freebsd") {
+    os
+  } else {
+    let env = if cfg!(target_env = "gnu") {
+      "gnu"
+    } else if cfg!(target_env = "musl") {
+      "musl"
+    } else if cfg!(target_env = "msvc") {
+      "msvc"
+    } else {
+      return Err("Unable to determine target-environment".to_string());
+    };
+    s = format!("{}-{}", os, env);
+    &s
+  };
+
+  Ok(format!("{}-{}", arch, os))
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tauri-updater/src/platform.rs b/tauri-updater/src/platform.rs
index bbc17d7f9..a1758692b 100644
--- a/tauri-updater/src/platform.rs
+++ b/tauri-updater/src/platform.rs
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ pub fn target_triple() -> Result<String, Error> {
   } else {
     let env = if cfg!(target_env = "gnu") {
       "gnu"
-    } else if cfg!(target_env = "gnu") {
+    } else if cfg!(target_env = "musl") {
       "musl"
     } else if cfg!(target_env = "msvc") {
       "msvc"