diff --git a/docs/src/extend/plugins.md b/docs/src/extend/plugins.md
index f180c034faa..9d7983e67f2 100644
--- a/docs/src/extend/plugins.md
+++ b/docs/src/extend/plugins.md
@@ -18,6 +18,34 @@ Each plugin is an npm module with a name in the format of `eslint-plugin-<plugin
 
 The easiest way to start creating a plugin is to use the [Yeoman generator](https://www.npmjs.com/package/generator-eslint). The generator will guide you through setting up the skeleton of a plugin.
 
+### Metadata in Plugins
+
+For easier debugging and more effective caching of plugins, it's recommended to provide a name and version in a `meta` object at the root of your plugin, like this:
+
+```js
+// preferred location of name and version
+module.exports = {
+    meta: {
+        name: "eslint-plugin-custom",
+        version: "1.2.3"
+    }
+};
+```
+
+The `meta.name` property should match the npm package name for your plugin and the `meta.version` property should match the npm package version for your plugin. The easiest way to accomplish this is by reading this information from your `package.json`.
+
+As an alternative, you can also expose `name` and `version` properties at the root of your plugin, such as:
+
+```js
+// alternate location of name and version
+module.exports = {
+    name: "eslint-plugin-custom",
+    version: "1.2.3"
+};
+```
+
+While the `meta` object is the preferred way to provide the plugin name and version, this format is also acceptable and is provided for backward compatibility.
+
 ### Rules in Plugins
 
 Plugins can expose custom rules for use in ESLint. To do so, the plugin must export a `rules` object containing a key-value mapping of rule ID to rule. The rule ID does not have to follow any naming convention (so it can just be `dollar-sign`, for instance). To learn more about creating custom rules in plugins, refer to [Custom Rules](custom-rules).