diff --git a/packages/playwright-ct-core/src/vitePlugin.ts b/packages/playwright-ct-core/src/vitePlugin.ts
index e4a0a43266..dbe31310c2 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-ct-core/src/vitePlugin.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-ct-core/src/vitePlugin.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ export function createPlugin(): TestRunnerPlugin {
       configDir = configDirectory;
     },
 
+    populateDependencies: async (config: FullConfig, configDir: string) => {
+      await buildBundle(config, configDir);
+    },
+
     begin: async (suite: Suite) => {
       const result = await buildBundle(config, configDir);
       if (!result)
@@ -69,10 +73,6 @@ export function createPlugin(): TestRunnerPlugin {
       if (stoppableServer)
         await new Promise(f => stoppableServer.stop(f));
     },
-
-    populateDependencies: async () => {
-      await buildBundle(config, configDir);
-    },
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/plugins/index.ts b/packages/playwright/src/plugins/index.ts
index 3502d90966..e1c7355600 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/plugins/index.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/plugins/index.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import type { ReporterV2 } from '../reporters/reporterV2';
 export interface TestRunnerPlugin {
   name: string;
   setup?(config: FullConfig, configDir: string, reporter: ReporterV2): Promise<void>;
-  populateDependencies?(): Promise<void>;
+  populateDependencies?(config: FullConfig, configDir: string): Promise<void>;
   begin?(suite: Suite): Promise<void>;
   end?(): Promise<void>;
   teardown?(): Promise<void>;
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts b/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
index 5f5b5bf145..da2c1052f0 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/runner/runner.ts
@@ -143,8 +143,13 @@ export class Runner {
       return { errors: result.errors, testFiles: [] };
 
     const resolvedFiles = (files as string[]).map(file => path.resolve(process.cwd(), file));
-    for (const plugin of this._config.plugins)
-      await plugin.instance?.populateDependencies?.();
+
+    for (const plugin of this._config.plugins) {
+      if (!plugin.instance)
+        plugin.instance = typeof plugin.factory === 'function' ? await plugin.factory() : plugin.factory;
+
+      await plugin.instance.populateDependencies?.(this._config.config, this._config.configDir);
+    }
     return { testFiles: affectedTestFiles(resolvedFiles) };
   }
 }