diff --git a/pkg/api/http_server.go b/pkg/api/http_server.go
index 11927f139adeb..1911f258f1c6e 100644
--- a/pkg/api/http_server.go
+++ b/pkg/api/http_server.go
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ type HTTPServer struct {
 	pluginClient                 plugins.Client
 	pluginStore                  plugins.Store
 	pluginInstaller              plugins.Installer
+	pluginFileStore              plugins.FileStore
 	pluginDashboardService       plugindashboards.Service
 	pluginStaticRouteResolver    plugins.StaticRouteResolver
 	pluginErrorResolver          plugins.ErrorResolver
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ func ProvideHTTPServer(opts ServerOptions, cfg *setting.Cfg, routeRegister routi
 	quotaService quota.Service, socialService social.Service, tracer tracing.Tracer,
 	encryptionService encryption.Internal, grafanaUpdateChecker *updatechecker.GrafanaService,
 	pluginsUpdateChecker *updatechecker.PluginsService, searchUsersService searchusers.Service,
-	dataSourcesService datasources.DataSourceService, queryDataService query.Service,
+	dataSourcesService datasources.DataSourceService, queryDataService query.Service, pluginFileStore plugins.FileStore,
 	teamGuardian teamguardian.TeamGuardian, serviceaccountsService serviceaccounts.Service,
 	authInfoService login.AuthInfoService, storageService store.StorageService, httpEntityStore httpentitystore.HTTPEntityStore,
 	notificationService *notifications.NotificationService, dashboardService dashboards.DashboardService,
@@ -271,6 +272,7 @@ func ProvideHTTPServer(opts ServerOptions, cfg *setting.Cfg, routeRegister routi
 		pluginStaticRouteResolver:    pluginStaticRouteResolver,
 		pluginDashboardService:       pluginDashboardService,
 		pluginErrorResolver:          pluginErrorResolver,
+		pluginFileStore:              pluginFileStore,
 		grafanaUpdateChecker:         grafanaUpdateChecker,
 		pluginsUpdateChecker:         pluginsUpdateChecker,
 		SettingsProvider:             settingsProvider,
diff --git a/pkg/api/plugins.go b/pkg/api/plugins.go
index 3cf46428fe8ad..b5313141a2ce3 100644
--- a/pkg/api/plugins.go
+++ b/pkg/api/plugins.go
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"path"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -350,7 +349,7 @@ func (hs *HTTPServer) getPluginAssets(c *contextmodel.ReqContext) {
 
 // serveLocalPluginAsset returns the content of a plugin asset file from the local filesystem to the http client.
 func (hs *HTTPServer) serveLocalPluginAsset(c *contextmodel.ReqContext, plugin plugins.PluginDTO, assetPath string) {
-	f, err := plugin.File(assetPath)
+	f, err := hs.pluginFileStore.File(c.Req.Context(), plugin.ID, assetPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		if errors.Is(err, plugins.ErrFileNotExist) {
 			c.JsonApiErr(404, "Plugin file not found", nil)
@@ -359,17 +358,6 @@ func (hs *HTTPServer) serveLocalPluginAsset(c *contextmodel.ReqContext, plugin p
 		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Could not open plugin file", err)
 		return
 	}
-	defer func() {
-		if err = f.Close(); err != nil {
-			hs.log.Error("Failed to close plugin file", "err", err)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	fi, err := f.Stat()
-	if err != nil {
-		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Plugin file exists but could not open", err)
-		return
-	}
 
 	if hs.Cfg.Env == setting.Dev {
 		c.Resp.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "max-age=0, must-revalidate, no-cache")
@@ -377,17 +365,7 @@ func (hs *HTTPServer) serveLocalPluginAsset(c *contextmodel.ReqContext, plugin p
 		c.Resp.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=3600")
 	}
 
-	if rs, ok := f.(io.ReadSeeker); ok {
-		http.ServeContent(c.Resp, c.Req, assetPath, fi.ModTime(), rs)
-		return
-	}
-
-	b, err := io.ReadAll(f)
-	if err != nil {
-		c.JsonApiErr(500, "Plugin file exists but could not read", err)
-		return
-	}
-	http.ServeContent(c.Resp, c.Req, assetPath, fi.ModTime(), bytes.NewReader(b))
+	http.ServeContent(c.Resp, c.Req, assetPath, f.ModTime, bytes.NewReader(f.Content))
 }
 
 // redirectCDNPluginAsset redirects the http request to specified asset path on the configured plugins CDN.
@@ -538,34 +516,24 @@ func translatePluginRequestErrorToAPIError(err error) response.Response {
 	return response.Error(500, "Plugin request failed", err)
 }
 
-func (hs *HTTPServer) pluginMarkdown(ctx context.Context, pluginId string, name string) ([]byte, error) {
-	plugin, exists := hs.pluginStore.Plugin(ctx, pluginId)
-	if !exists {
-		return make([]byte, 0), plugins.NotFoundError{PluginID: pluginId}
-	}
-
+func (hs *HTTPServer) pluginMarkdown(ctx context.Context, pluginID string, name string) ([]byte, error) {
 	file, err := mdFilepath(strings.ToUpper(name))
 	if err != nil {
 		return make([]byte, 0), err
 	}
 
-	md, err := plugin.File(file)
+	md, err := hs.pluginFileStore.File(ctx, pluginID, file)
 	if err != nil {
-		md, err = plugin.File(strings.ToLower(file))
+		if errors.Is(err, plugins.ErrPluginNotInstalled) {
+			return make([]byte, 0), plugins.NotFoundError{PluginID: pluginID}
+		}
+
+		md, err = hs.pluginFileStore.File(ctx, pluginID, strings.ToLower(file))
 		if err != nil {
 			return make([]byte, 0), nil
 		}
 	}
-	defer func() {
-		if err = md.Close(); err != nil {
-			hs.log.Error("Failed to close plugin markdown file", "err", err)
-		}
-	}()
-	d, err := io.ReadAll(md)
-	if err != nil {
-		return make([]byte, 0), nil
-	}
-	return d, nil
+	return md.Content, nil
 }
 
 func mdFilepath(mdFilename string) (string, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/api/plugins_test.go b/pkg/api/plugins_test.go
index e644751f3f41b..9de3a41e4ccea 100644
--- a/pkg/api/plugins_test.go
+++ b/pkg/api/plugins_test.go
@@ -1,13 +1,11 @@
 package api
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
-	"io/fs"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
@@ -27,6 +25,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/config"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/fakes"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/filestore"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/registry"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/store"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/pluginscdn"
 	ac "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/accesscontrol"
 	contextmodel "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/contexthandler/model"
@@ -140,6 +141,7 @@ func Test_PluginsInstallAndUninstall_AccessControl(t *testing.T) {
 				PluginAdminExternalManageEnabled: tc.pluginAdminExternalManageEnabled}
 			hs.orgService = &orgtest.FakeOrgService{ExpectedOrg: &org.Org{}}
 			hs.pluginInstaller = NewFakePluginInstaller()
+			hs.pluginFileStore = &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{}
 		})
 
 		t.Run(testName("Install", tc), func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -172,10 +174,10 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssetCDNRedirect(t *testing.T) {
 		nonCdnPlugin := &plugins.Plugin{
 			JSONData: plugins.JSONData{ID: nonCDNPluginID, Info: plugins.Info{Version: "2.0.0"}},
 		}
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{
-				cdnPlugin.ToDTO(),
-				nonCdnPlugin.ToDTO(),
+		registry := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+			Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+				cdnPluginID:    cdnPlugin,
+				nonCDNPluginID: nonCdnPlugin,
 			},
 		}
 		cfg := setting.NewCfg()
@@ -200,7 +202,7 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssetCDNRedirect(t *testing.T) {
 				"When calling GET for a CDN plugin on",
 				fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", cdnPluginID, cas.assetURL),
 				"/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-				cfg, service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+				cfg, registry, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 					// Get the prometheus metric (to test that the handler is instrumented correctly)
 					counter := pluginsCDNFallbackRedirectRequests.With(prometheus.Labels{
 						"plugin_id":      cdnPluginID,
@@ -230,7 +232,7 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssetCDNRedirect(t *testing.T) {
 			"When calling GET for a non-CDN plugin on",
 			fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", nonCDNPluginID, "module.js"),
 			"/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-			cfg, service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+			cfg, registry, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				// Here the metric should not increment
 				var m dto.Metric
 				counter := pluginsCDNFallbackRedirectRequests.With(prometheus.Labels{
@@ -275,14 +277,16 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssets(t *testing.T) {
 	requestedFile := filepath.Clean(tmpFile.Name())
 
 	t.Run("Given a request for an existing plugin file", func(t *testing.T) {
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{requestedFile: {}}, filepath.Dir(requestedFile)))
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p},
+		p := createPlugin(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{requestedFile: {}}, filepath.Dir(requestedFile)))
+		pluginRegistry := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+			Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+				p.ID: p,
+			},
 		}
 
 		url := fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", pluginID, requestedFile)
 		pluginAssetScenario(t, "When calling GET on", url, "/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-			setting.NewCfg(), service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+			setting.NewCfg(), pluginRegistry, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				callGetPluginAsset(sc)
 
 				require.Equal(t, 200, sc.resp.Code)
@@ -291,14 +295,16 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssets(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Given a request for a relative path", func(t *testing.T) {
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p},
+		p := createPlugin(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
+		pluginRegistry := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+			Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+				p.ID: p,
+			},
 		}
 
 		url := fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", pluginID, tmpFileInParentDir.Name())
 		pluginAssetScenario(t, "When calling GET on", url, "/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-			setting.NewCfg(), service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+			setting.NewCfg(), pluginRegistry, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				callGetPluginAsset(sc)
 
 				require.Equal(t, 404, sc.resp.Code)
@@ -306,16 +312,18 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssets(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Given a request for an existing plugin file that is not listed as a signature covered file", func(t *testing.T) {
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.Core, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{
+		p := createPlugin(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.Core, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{
 			requestedFile: {},
 		}, ""))
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p},
+		pluginRegistry := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+			Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+				p.ID: p,
+			},
 		}
 
 		url := fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", pluginID, requestedFile)
 		pluginAssetScenario(t, "When calling GET on", url, "/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-			setting.NewCfg(), service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+			setting.NewCfg(), pluginRegistry, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				callGetPluginAsset(sc)
 
 				require.Equal(t, 200, sc.resp.Code)
@@ -324,9 +332,11 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssets(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Given a request for an non-existing plugin file", func(t *testing.T) {
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p},
+		p := createPlugin(plugins.JSONData{ID: pluginID}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
+		service := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+			Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+				p.ID: p,
+			},
 		}
 
 		requestedFile := "nonExistent"
@@ -344,14 +354,10 @@ func Test_GetPluginAssets(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Given a request for an non-existing plugin", func(t *testing.T) {
-		service := &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-			PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{},
-		}
-
 		requestedFile := "nonExistent"
 		url := fmt.Sprintf("/public/plugins/%s/%s", pluginID, requestedFile)
 		pluginAssetScenario(t, "When calling GET on", url, "/public/plugins/:pluginId/*",
-			setting.NewCfg(), service, func(sc *scenarioContext) {
+			setting.NewCfg(), fakes.NewFakePluginRegistry(), func(sc *scenarioContext) {
 				callGetPluginAsset(sc)
 
 				var respJson map[string]interface{}
@@ -471,11 +477,12 @@ func TestMakePluginResourceRequestContentTypeEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPluginMarkdown(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Run("Plugin not installed returns error", func(t *testing.T) {
-		hs := HTTPServer{
-			pluginStore: &plugins.FakePluginStore{
-				PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{},
+		pluginFileStore := &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{
+			FileFunc: func(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+				return nil, plugins.ErrPluginNotInstalled
 			},
 		}
+		hs := HTTPServer{pluginFileStore: pluginFileStore}
 
 		pluginID := "test-datasource"
 		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), pluginID, "test")
@@ -485,20 +492,16 @@ func TestPluginMarkdown(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Run("File fetch will be retried using different casing if error occurs", func(t *testing.T) {
 		var requestedFiles []string
-		pluginFiles := &fakes.FakePluginFiles{
-			OpenFunc: func(name string) (fs.File, error) {
-				requestedFiles = append(requestedFiles, name)
+		pluginFileStore := &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{
+			FileFunc: func(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+				requestedFiles = append(requestedFiles, filename)
 				return nil, errors.New("some error")
 			},
 		}
 
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: "test-app"}, plugins.External, pluginFiles)
-
-		hs := HTTPServer{
-			pluginStore: &plugins.FakePluginStore{PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p}},
-		}
+		hs := HTTPServer{pluginFileStore: pluginFileStore}
 
-		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), p.ID, "reAdMe")
+		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), "", "reAdMe")
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Equal(t, []byte{}, md)
 		require.Equal(t, []string{"README.md", "readme.md"}, requestedFiles)
@@ -524,54 +527,44 @@ func TestPluginMarkdown(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		for _, tc := range tcs {
+			data := []byte{123}
 			var requestedFiles []string
-			pluginFiles := &fakes.FakePluginFiles{
-				OpenFunc: func(name string) (fs.File, error) {
-					requestedFiles = append(requestedFiles, name)
-					return &FakeFile{data: bytes.NewReader(nil)}, nil
+			pluginFileStore := &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{
+				FileFunc: func(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+					requestedFiles = append(requestedFiles, filename)
+					return &plugins.File{Content: data}, nil
 				},
 			}
 
-			p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: "test-app"}, plugins.External, pluginFiles)
-
-			hs := HTTPServer{
-				pluginStore: &plugins.FakePluginStore{PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p}},
-			}
+			hs := HTTPServer{pluginFileStore: pluginFileStore}
 
-			md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), p.ID, tc.filePath)
+			md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), "test-datasource", tc.filePath)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
-			require.Equal(t, []byte{}, md)
+			require.Equal(t, data, md)
 			require.Equal(t, tc.expected, requestedFiles)
 		}
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Non markdown file request returns an error", func(t *testing.T) {
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: "test-app"}, plugins.External, nil)
-		hs := HTTPServer{
-			pluginStore: &plugins.FakePluginStore{PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p}},
-		}
+		hs := HTTPServer{pluginFileStore: &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{}}
 
-		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), p.ID, "test.json")
+		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), "", "test.json")
 		require.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrUnexpectedFileExtension)
 		require.Equal(t, []byte{}, md)
 	})
 
 	t.Run("Happy path", func(t *testing.T) {
 		data := []byte{1, 2, 3}
-		fakeFile := &FakeFile{data: bytes.NewReader(data)}
 
-		pluginFiles := &fakes.FakePluginFiles{
-			OpenFunc: func(name string) (fs.File, error) {
-				return fakeFile, nil
+		pluginFileStore := &fakes.FakePluginFileStore{
+			FileFunc: func(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+				return &plugins.File{Content: data}, nil
 			},
 		}
 
-		p := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{ID: "test-app"}, plugins.External, pluginFiles)
-		hs := HTTPServer{
-			pluginStore: &plugins.FakePluginStore{PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p}},
-		}
+		hs := HTTPServer{pluginFileStore: pluginFileStore}
 
-		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), p.ID, "someFile")
+		md, err := hs.pluginMarkdown(context.Background(), "", "someFile")
 		require.NoError(t, err)
 		require.Equal(t, data, md)
 	})
@@ -582,13 +575,14 @@ func callGetPluginAsset(sc *scenarioContext) {
 }
 
 func pluginAssetScenario(t *testing.T, desc string, url string, urlPattern string,
-	cfg *setting.Cfg, pluginStore plugins.Store, fn scenarioFunc) {
+	cfg *setting.Cfg, pluginRegistry registry.Service, fn scenarioFunc) {
 	t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s %s", desc, url), func(t *testing.T) {
 		cfg.IsFeatureToggleEnabled = func(_ string) bool { return false }
 		hs := HTTPServer{
-			Cfg:         cfg,
-			pluginStore: pluginStore,
-			log:         log.NewNopLogger(),
+			Cfg:             cfg,
+			pluginStore:     store.New(pluginRegistry),
+			pluginFileStore: filestore.ProvideService(pluginRegistry),
+			log:             log.NewNopLogger(),
 			pluginsCDNService: pluginscdn.ProvideService(&config.Cfg{
 				PluginsCDNURLTemplate: cfg.PluginsCDNURLTemplate,
 				PluginSettings:        cfg.PluginSettings,
@@ -648,19 +642,24 @@ func (c *fakePluginClient) QueryData(ctx context.Context, req *backend.QueryData
 }
 
 func Test_PluginsList_AccessControl(t *testing.T) {
-	p1 := createPluginDTO(plugins.JSONData{
+	p1 := createPlugin(plugins.JSONData{
 		ID: "test-app", Type: "app", Name: "test-app",
 		Info: plugins.Info{
 			Version: "1.0.0",
 		}}, plugins.External, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
-	p2 := createPluginDTO(
+	p2 := createPlugin(
 		plugins.JSONData{ID: "mysql", Type: "datasource", Name: "MySQL",
 			Info: plugins.Info{
 				Author:      plugins.InfoLink{Name: "Grafana Labs", URL: "https://grafana.com"},
 				Description: "Data source for MySQL databases",
 			}}, plugins.Core, plugins.NewLocalFS(map[string]struct{}{}, ""))
 
-	pluginStore := plugins.FakePluginStore{PluginList: []plugins.PluginDTO{p1, p2}}
+	pluginRegistry := &fakes.FakePluginRegistry{
+		Store: map[string]*plugins.Plugin{
+			p1.ID: p1,
+			p2.ID: p2,
+		},
+	}
 
 	pluginSettings := pluginsettings.FakePluginSettings{Plugins: map[string]*pluginsettings.DTO{
 		"test-app": {ID: 0, OrgID: 1, PluginID: "test-app", PluginVersion: "1.0.0", Enabled: true},
@@ -693,9 +692,10 @@ func Test_PluginsList_AccessControl(t *testing.T) {
 			server := SetupAPITestServer(t, func(hs *HTTPServer) {
 				hs.Cfg = setting.NewCfg()
 				hs.PluginSettings = &pluginSettings
-				hs.pluginStore = pluginStore
+				hs.pluginStore = store.New(pluginRegistry)
+				hs.pluginFileStore = filestore.ProvideService(pluginRegistry)
 				var err error
-				hs.pluginsUpdateChecker, err = updatechecker.ProvidePluginsService(hs.Cfg, pluginStore, tracing.InitializeTracerForTest())
+				hs.pluginsUpdateChecker, err = updatechecker.ProvidePluginsService(hs.Cfg, nil, tracing.InitializeTracerForTest())
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 			})
 
@@ -713,30 +713,10 @@ func Test_PluginsList_AccessControl(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func createPluginDTO(jd plugins.JSONData, class plugins.Class, files plugins.FS) plugins.PluginDTO {
-	p := &plugins.Plugin{
+func createPlugin(jd plugins.JSONData, class plugins.Class, files plugins.FS) *plugins.Plugin {
+	return &plugins.Plugin{
 		JSONData: jd,
 		Class:    class,
 		FS:       files,
 	}
-
-	return p.ToDTO()
-}
-
-var _ fs.File = (*FakeFile)(nil)
-
-type FakeFile struct {
-	data io.Reader
-}
-
-func (f *FakeFile) Stat() (fs.FileInfo, error) {
-	return nil, nil
-}
-
-func (f *FakeFile) Read(bytes []byte) (int, error) {
-	return f.data.Read(bytes)
-}
-
-func (f *FakeFile) Close() error {
-	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/ifaces.go b/pkg/plugins/ifaces.go
index a9786c9c80db0..8c1ae78f34b9e 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/ifaces.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/ifaces.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package plugins
 import (
 	"context"
 	"io/fs"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana-plugin-sdk-go/backend"
 
@@ -30,6 +31,16 @@ type PluginSource interface {
 	DefaultSignature(ctx context.Context) (Signature, bool)
 }
 
+type FileStore interface {
+	// File retrieves a plugin file.
+	File(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*File, error)
+}
+
+type File struct {
+	Content []byte
+	ModTime time.Time
+}
+
 type CompatOpts struct {
 	GrafanaVersion string
 	OS             string
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore.go
index 80796cd448bab..4bd34faa38b63 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package dashboards
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io/fs"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins"
@@ -13,17 +12,24 @@ import (
 var _ FileStore = (*FileStoreManager)(nil)
 
 type FileStoreManager struct {
-	pluginStore plugins.Store
+	pluginStore     plugins.Store
+	pluginFileStore plugins.FileStore
 }
 
-func ProvideFileStoreManager(pluginStore plugins.Store) *FileStoreManager {
+func ProvideFileStoreManager(pluginStore plugins.Store, pluginFileStore plugins.FileStore) *FileStoreManager {
 	return &FileStoreManager{
-		pluginStore: pluginStore,
+		pluginStore:     pluginStore,
+		pluginFileStore: pluginFileStore,
 	}
 }
 
-var openDashboardFile = func(p plugins.PluginDTO, name string) (fs.File, error) {
-	return p.File(name)
+var openDashboardFile = func(ctx context.Context, pluginFileStore plugins.FileStore, pluginID, name string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+	f, err := pluginFileStore.File(ctx, pluginID, name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return &plugins.File{}, err
+	}
+
+	return f, nil
 }
 
 func (m *FileStoreManager) ListPluginDashboardFiles(ctx context.Context, args *ListPluginDashboardFilesArgs) (*ListPluginDashboardFilesResult, error) {
@@ -86,12 +92,12 @@ func (m *FileStoreManager) GetPluginDashboardFileContents(ctx context.Context, a
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	file, err := openDashboardFile(plugin, cleanPath)
+	file, err := openDashboardFile(ctx, m.pluginFileStore, plugin.ID, cleanPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	return &GetPluginDashboardFileContentsResult{
-		Content: file,
+		Content: file.Content,
 	}, nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore_test.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore_test.go
index 4ab977e418770..d1aeb2ce28bfc 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore_test.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/filestore_test.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package dashboards
 import (
 	"context"
 	"io"
-	"io/fs"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/fstest"
 
@@ -131,10 +130,13 @@ func TestDashboardFileStore(t *testing.T) {
 					Data: []byte("dash2"),
 				},
 			}
-			openDashboardFile = func(p plugins.PluginDTO, name string) (fs.File, error) {
+			openDashboardFile = func(ctx context.Context, pluginFiles plugins.FileStore, pluginID, name string) (*plugins.File, error) {
 				f, err := mapFs.Open(name)
 				require.NoError(t, err)
-				return f, nil
+
+				b, err := io.ReadAll(f)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				return &plugins.File{Content: b}, nil
 			}
 			t.Cleanup(func() {
 				openDashboardFile = origOpenDashboardFile
@@ -157,10 +159,7 @@ func TestDashboardFileStore(t *testing.T) {
 				})
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 				require.NotNil(t, res)
-				require.NotNil(t, res.Content)
-				b, err := io.ReadAll(res.Content)
-				require.NoError(t, err)
-				require.Equal(t, "dash1", string(b))
+				require.Equal(t, "dash1", string(res.Content))
 			})
 
 			t.Run("Should return file content for dashboards/dash2.json", func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -170,10 +169,7 @@ func TestDashboardFileStore(t *testing.T) {
 				})
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 				require.NotNil(t, res)
-				require.NotNil(t, res.Content)
-				b, err := io.ReadAll(res.Content)
-				require.NoError(t, err)
-				require.Equal(t, "dash2", string(b))
+				require.Equal(t, "dash2", string(res.Content))
 			})
 
 			t.Run("Should return error when trying to read relative file", func(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/ifaces.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/ifaces.go
index a8cd5a11278cb..aaadd622f952a 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/ifaces.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards/ifaces.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package dashboards
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"io"
 )
 
 // FileStore is the interface for plugin dashboard file storage.
@@ -31,5 +30,5 @@ type GetPluginDashboardFileContentsArgs struct {
 
 // GetPluginDashboardFileContentsResult get plugin dashboard file content result model.
 type GetPluginDashboardFileContentsResult struct {
-	Content io.ReadCloser
+	Content []byte
 }
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/fakes/fakes.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/fakes/fakes.go
index a4a9ad1a4d096..55c8f8d595afb 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/manager/fakes/fakes.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/fakes/fakes.go
@@ -421,3 +421,14 @@ func (s *FakePluginSource) DefaultSignature(ctx context.Context) (plugins.Signat
 	}
 	return plugins.Signature{}, false
 }
+
+type FakePluginFileStore struct {
+	FileFunc func(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error)
+}
+
+func (f *FakePluginFileStore) File(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+	if f.FileFunc != nil {
+		return f.FileFunc(ctx, pluginID, filename)
+	}
+	return nil, nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/manager/filestore/fs.go b/pkg/plugins/manager/filestore/fs.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..335daf49d9ffe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/plugins/manager/filestore/fs.go
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+package filestore
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/log"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/registry"
+)
+
+type Service struct {
+	pluginRegistry registry.Service
+	log            log.Logger
+}
+
+func ProvideService(pluginRegistry registry.Service) *Service {
+	return &Service{
+		pluginRegistry: pluginRegistry,
+		log:            log.New("plugin.fs"),
+	}
+}
+
+func (s *Service) File(ctx context.Context, pluginID, filename string) (*plugins.File, error) {
+	if p, exists := s.pluginRegistry.Plugin(ctx, pluginID); exists {
+		f, err := p.File(filename)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		defer func() {
+			err = f.Close()
+			if err != nil {
+				s.log.Error("Could not close plugin file", "pluginID", p.ID, "file", filename)
+			}
+		}()
+
+		b, err := io.ReadAll(f)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		fi, err := f.Stat()
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		return &plugins.File{
+			Content: b,
+			ModTime: fi.ModTime(),
+		}, nil
+	} else {
+		return nil, plugins.ErrPluginNotInstalled
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/plugins/plugins.go b/pkg/plugins/plugins.go
index 495128b349a3f..8fc2af80a028a 100644
--- a/pkg/plugins/plugins.go
+++ b/pkg/plugins/plugins.go
@@ -95,25 +95,6 @@ func (p PluginDTO) IsCorePlugin() bool {
 	return p.Class == Core
 }
 
-func (p PluginDTO) File(name string) (fs.File, error) {
-	cleanPath, err := util.CleanRelativePath(name)
-	if err != nil {
-		// CleanRelativePath should clean and make the path relative so this is not expected to fail
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	if p.fs == nil {
-		return nil, ErrFileNotExist
-	}
-
-	f, err := p.fs.Open(cleanPath)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	return f, nil
-}
-
 // JSONData represents the plugin's plugin.json
 type JSONData struct {
 	// Common settings
@@ -325,6 +306,25 @@ func (p *Plugin) RunStream(ctx context.Context, req *backend.RunStreamRequest, s
 	return pluginClient.RunStream(ctx, req, sender)
 }
 
+func (p *Plugin) File(name string) (fs.File, error) {
+	cleanPath, err := util.CleanRelativePath(name)
+	if err != nil {
+		// CleanRelativePath should clean and make the path relative so this is not expected to fail
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if p.FS == nil {
+		return nil, ErrFileNotExist
+	}
+
+	f, err := p.FS.Open(cleanPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return f, nil
+}
+
 func (p *Plugin) RegisterClient(c backendplugin.Plugin) {
 	p.client = c
 }
diff --git a/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service.go b/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service.go
index 48dd814bd20c7..861fedc838218 100644
--- a/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service.go
+++ b/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/components/simplejson"
+
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/infra/log"
 	pluginDashboardsManager "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/dashboards"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/dashboards"
@@ -115,13 +116,7 @@ func (s Service) LoadPluginDashboard(ctx context.Context, req *plugindashboards.
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	defer func() {
-		if err = resp.Content.Close(); err != nil {
-			s.logger.Warn("Failed to close plugin dashboard file", "reference", req.Reference, "err", err)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	data, err := simplejson.NewFromReader(resp.Content)
+	data, err := simplejson.NewJson(resp.Content)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service_test.go b/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service_test.go
index 6cfed39d71fd1..891b1ebcb0762 100644
--- a/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service_test.go
+++ b/pkg/services/plugindashboards/service/service_test.go
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 package service
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
-	"io"
 	"sort"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -193,7 +191,7 @@ func (m pluginDashboardStoreMock) GetPluginDashboardFileContents(ctx context.Con
 	if dashboardFiles, exists := m.pluginDashboardFiles[args.PluginID]; exists {
 		if content, exists := dashboardFiles[args.FileReference]; exists {
 			return &dashboards.GetPluginDashboardFileContentsResult{
-				Content: io.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader(content)),
+				Content: content,
 			}, nil
 		}
 	} else if !exists {
diff --git a/pkg/services/pluginsintegration/pluginsintegration.go b/pkg/services/pluginsintegration/pluginsintegration.go
index cb114e7c9767b..535c5e419139a 100644
--- a/pkg/services/pluginsintegration/pluginsintegration.go
+++ b/pkg/services/pluginsintegration/pluginsintegration.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/config"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/client"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/filestore"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/loader"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/assetpath"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/plugins/manager/loader/finder"
@@ -60,6 +61,8 @@ var WireSet = wire.NewSet(
 	sources.ProvideService,
 	pluginSettings.ProvideService,
 	wire.Bind(new(pluginsettings.Service), new(*pluginSettings.Service)),
+	filestore.ProvideService,
+	wire.Bind(new(plugins.FileStore), new(*filestore.Service)),
 )
 
 // WireExtensionSet provides a wire.ProviderSet of plugin providers that can be