diff --git a/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/externalplugins/ExternalPluginClassLoader.java b/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/externalplugins/ExternalPluginClassLoader.java
index 054a7779b5..5690c3d61e 100644
--- a/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/externalplugins/ExternalPluginClassLoader.java
+++ b/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/externalplugins/ExternalPluginClassLoader.java
@@ -24,18 +24,32 @@
  */
 package net.runelite.client.externalplugins;
 
+import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.net.URLClassLoader;
 import lombok.Getter;
+import lombok.Setter;
+import net.runelite.client.util.ReflectUtil;
 
-class ExternalPluginClassLoader extends URLClassLoader
+class ExternalPluginClassLoader extends URLClassLoader implements ReflectUtil.PrivateLookupableClassLoader
 {
 	@Getter
 	private final ExternalPluginManifest manifest;
 
+	@Getter
+	@Setter
+	private MethodHandles.Lookup lookup;
+
 	ExternalPluginClassLoader(ExternalPluginManifest manifest, URL[] urls)
 	{
 		super(urls, ExternalPluginClassLoader.class.getClassLoader());
 		this.manifest = manifest;
+		ReflectUtil.installLookupHelper(this);
+	}
+
+	@Override
+	public Class<?> defineClass0(String name, byte[] b, int off, int len) throws ClassFormatError
+	{
+		return super.defineClass(name, b, off, len);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/util/ReflectUtil.java b/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/util/ReflectUtil.java
index 60b3b305f1..fbcc28d28d 100644
--- a/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/util/ReflectUtil.java
+++ b/runelite-client/src/main/java/net/runelite/client/util/ReflectUtil.java
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
  */
 package net.runelite.client.util;
 
+import com.google.common.io.ByteStreams;
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles;
 import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ public class ReflectUtil
 	{
 	}
 
-	public static MethodHandles.Lookup privateLookupIn(Class clazz)
+	public static MethodHandles.Lookup privateLookupIn(Class<?> clazz)
 	{
 		try
 		{
@@ -44,7 +46,16 @@ public class ReflectUtil
 			// we need to access it via reflection. This is preferred way because it's Java 9+ public api and is
 			// likely to not change
 			final Method privateLookupIn = MethodHandles.class.getMethod("privateLookupIn", Class.class, MethodHandles.Lookup.class);
-			return (MethodHandles.Lookup) privateLookupIn.invoke(null, clazz, MethodHandles.lookup());
+			MethodHandles.Lookup caller;
+			if (clazz.getClassLoader() instanceof PrivateLookupableClassLoader)
+			{
+				caller = ((PrivateLookupableClassLoader) clazz.getClassLoader()).getLookup();
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				caller = MethodHandles.lookup();
+			}
+			return (MethodHandles.Lookup) privateLookupIn.invoke(null, clazz, caller);
 		}
 		catch (InvocationTargetException | IllegalAccessException e)
 		{
@@ -69,4 +80,51 @@ public class ReflectUtil
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
+	public interface PrivateLookupableClassLoader
+	{
+		// define class is protected final so this needs a different name to become public
+		Class<?> defineClass0(String name, byte[] b, int off, int len) throws ClassFormatError;
+
+		MethodHandles.Lookup getLookup();
+		void setLookup(MethodHandles.Lookup lookup);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Allows private Lookups to be created for classes in this ClassLoader
+	 * <p>
+	 * Due to JDK-8173978 it is impossible to create get a lookup with module scoped permissions when teleporting
+	 * between modules. Since external plugins are loaded in a separate classloader to us they are contained in unique
+	 * unnamed modules. Since we (via LambdaMetafactory) are creating a hidden class in that module, we require module
+	 * scoped access to it, and since the methods can be private, we also require private access. The only way to get
+	 * MODULE|PRIVATE is to either 1) invokedynamic in that class, 2) call MethodHandles.lookup() from that class, or
+	 * 3) call privateLookupIn with an existing lookup with PRIVATE|MODULE created from a class in the same module.
+	 * Our solution is to make classloaders call this method which will define a class in the classloader's unnamed
+	 * module that calls MethodHandles.lookup() and stores it in the classloader for later use.
+	 */
+	public static void installLookupHelper(PrivateLookupableClassLoader cl)
+	{
+		try
+		{
+			String name = PrivateLookupHelper.class.getName();
+			byte[] classData = ByteStreams.toByteArray(ReflectUtil.class.getResourceAsStream("/" + name.replace('.', '/') + ".class"));
+			Class<?> clazz = cl.defineClass0(name, classData, 0, classData.length);
+
+			// force <clinit> to run
+			clazz.getConstructor().newInstance();
+		}
+		catch (IOException | ReflectiveOperationException e)
+		{
+			throw new RuntimeException("unable to install lookup helper", e);
+		}
+	}
+	
+	public static class PrivateLookupHelper
+	{
+		static
+		{
+			PrivateLookupableClassLoader pcl = (PrivateLookupableClassLoader) PrivateLookupHelper.class.getClassLoader();
+			pcl.setLookup(MethodHandles.lookup());
+		}
+	}
 }