diff --git a/tempest/config.py b/tempest/config.py
index 3ad7684..fb3b8f4 100644
--- a/tempest/config.py
+++ b/tempest/config.py
@@ -1087,6 +1087,12 @@
         return getattr(_CONF, attr)
 
     def _set_attrs(self):
+        # This methods ensures that config options in Tempest as well as
+        # in Tempest plugins can be accessed via:
+        #     CONF.<normalised_group_name>.<key_name>
+        # where:
+        #     normalised_group_name = group_name.replace('-', '_')
+        # Attributes are set at __init__ time *only* for known option groups
         self.auth = _CONF.auth
         self.compute = _CONF.compute
         self.compute_feature_enabled = _CONF['compute-feature-enabled']
@@ -1108,6 +1114,23 @@
         self.service_available = _CONF.service_available
         self.debug = _CONF.debug
         logging.tempest_set_log_file('tempest.log')
+        # Setting attributes for plugins
+        # NOTE(andreaf) Plugins have no access to the TempestConfigPrivate
+        # instance at discovery time, so they have no way of setting these
+        # aliases themselves.
+        ext_plugins = plugins.TempestTestPluginManager()
+        for group, _ in ext_plugins.get_plugin_options_list():
+            if isinstance(group, cfg.OptGroup):
+                # If we have an OptGroup
+                group_name = group.name
+                group_dest = group.dest
+            else:
+                # If we have a group name as a string
+                group_name = group
+                group_dest = group.replace('-', '_')
+            # NOTE(andreaf) We can set the attribute safely here since in
+            # case of name conflict we would not have reached this point.
+            setattr(self, group_dest, _CONF[group_name])
 
     def __init__(self, parse_conf=True, config_path=None):
         """Initialize a configuration from a conf directory and conf file."""
diff --git a/tempest/test_discover/plugins.py b/tempest/test_discover/plugins.py
index 9ddcd9b..276cf3c 100644
--- a/tempest/test_discover/plugins.py
+++ b/tempest/test_discover/plugins.py
@@ -46,10 +46,41 @@
         """Add additional configuration options to tempest.
 
         This method will be run for the plugin during the register_opts()
-        function in tempest.config
+        function in tempest.config.
 
         :param ConfigOpts conf: The conf object that can be used to register
             additional options on.
+
+        Example:
+            >>> # Config options are defined in a config.py module
+            >>> service_option = cfg.BoolOpt(
+            >>>     "my_service",
+            >>>     default=True,
+            >>>     help="Whether or not my service is available")
+            >>>
+            >>> # Note: as long as the group is listed in get_opt_lists,
+            >>> # it will be possible to access its optins in the plugin code
+            >>> # via ("-" in the group name are replaces with "_"):
+            >>> #     CONF.my_service.<option_name>
+            >>> my_service_group = cfg.OptGroup(name="my-service",
+            >>>                                 title="My service options")
+            >>>
+            >>> MyServiceGroup = [<list of options>]
+            >>> # (...) More groups and options...
+            >>>
+            >>> # Plugin is implemented in a plugin.py module
+            >>> from my_plugin import config as my_config
+            >>>
+            >>> def register_opts(self, conf):
+            >>>    conf.register_opt(my_config.service_option,
+            >>>                      group='service_available')
+            >>>    conf.register_group(my_config.my_service_group)
+            >>>    conf.register_opts(my_config.MyService +
+            >>>                       my_config.my_service_group)
+            >>>
+            >>>    conf.register_group(my_config.my_service_feature_group)
+            >>>    conf.register_opts(my_config.MyServiceFeaturesGroup,
+            >>>                       my_config.my_service_feature_group)
         """
         return