diff --git a/packages/osd-optimizer/src/optimizer/bundle_cache.ts b/packages/osd-optimizer/src/optimizer/bundle_cache.ts
index 6976606e1c4b..fe987a0078c8 100644
--- a/packages/osd-optimizer/src/optimizer/bundle_cache.ts
+++ b/packages/osd-optimizer/src/optimizer/bundle_cache.ts
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export function getBundleCacheEvent$(
 
       const bundleRefsDiff = diffCacheKey(
         refs.map((r) => r.exportId).sort((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b)),
-        bundleRefExportIds
+        bundleRefExportIds.sort((a, b) => a.localeCompare(b))
       );
       if (bundleRefsDiff) {
         events.push({
diff --git a/packages/osd-optimizer/src/worker/bundle_refs_plugin.ts b/packages/osd-optimizer/src/worker/bundle_refs_plugin.ts
index 1eb2cd55eeb5..eed7bed26768 100644
--- a/packages/osd-optimizer/src/worker/bundle_refs_plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/osd-optimizer/src/worker/bundle_refs_plugin.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export class BundleRefsPlugin {
   private readonly resolvedRequestCache = new Map<string, Promise<string | undefined>>();
   private readonly ignorePrefix = Path.resolve(this.bundle.contextDir) + Path.sep;
   private allowedBundleIds = new Set<string>();
+  // private virtualModules: Record<string, string> = {};
 
   constructor(private readonly bundle: Bundle, private readonly bundleRefs: BundleRefs) {}
 
@@ -63,6 +64,28 @@ export class BundleRefsPlugin {
    * Called by webpack when the plugin is passed in the webpack config
    */
   public apply(compiler: webpack.Compiler) {
+    /* compiler.hooks.normalModuleFactory.tap('BundleRefsPlugin/test', (normalModuleFactory) => {
+      normalModuleFactory.hooks.beforeResolve.tapAsync(
+        'BundleRefsPlugin/test',
+        (resolveData, callback) => {
+          if (!resolveData || !resolveData.request.startsWith('@/core/public')) {
+            return callback();
+          }
+          // const pluginPath = resolveData.request.replace('@/', '');
+          const virtualModulePath = `/@/virtual-modules/core/public.js`;
+
+          // TODO: replace plugin path with bundle export id
+          const virtualModuleContent = `
+            const ns = __osdBundles__.get('entry/core/public');
+            module.exports = ns;
+          `;
+          resolveData.request = virtualModulePath;
+          this.virtualModules[virtualModulePath] = virtualModuleContent;
+
+          return callback(null, resolveData);
+        }
+      );
+    });*/
     // called whenever the compiler starts to compile, passed the params
     // that will be used to create the compilation
     compiler.hooks.compile.tap('BundleRefsPlugin', (compilationParams: any) => {
@@ -201,6 +224,9 @@ export class BundleRefsPlugin {
    * undefined is returned. Otherwise it returns the referenced bundleRef.
    */
   private async maybeReplaceImport(context: string, request: string) {
+    // if (request.startsWith('@/core')) {
+    //   console.log(request);
+    // }
     // ignore imports that have loaders defined or are not relative seeming
     if (request.includes('!') || !request.startsWith('.')) {
       return;
diff --git a/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/create_archive.ts b/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/create_archive.ts
index 9d0ee1be278d..4819b9873ae7 100644
--- a/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/create_archive.ts
+++ b/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/create_archive.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ export async function createArchive({ opensearchDashboardsVersion, plugin, log }
       cwd: buildDir,
       base: buildDir,
       dot: true,
+      ignore: ['**/.osd-optimizer-cache'],
     }),
     zip(zipName),
     vfs.dest(buildDir)
diff --git a/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/optimize.ts b/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/optimize.ts
index 97da34cba52d..9aeae7a04084 100644
--- a/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/optimize.ts
+++ b/packages/osd-plugin-helpers/src/tasks/optimize.ts
@@ -48,17 +48,21 @@ export async function optimize({ log, plugin, sourceDir, buildDir }: BuildContex
   log.indent(2);
 
   // build bundles into target
+  const outputRoot = Path.resolve(REPO_ROOT, 'build/opensearch-dashboards');
   const config = OptimizerConfig.create({
     repoRoot: REPO_ROOT,
     pluginPaths: [sourceDir],
-    cache: false,
+    cache: true,
     dist: true,
-    pluginScanDirs: [],
+    // pluginScanDirs: [Path.resolve(REPO_ROOT, 'build/opensearch-dashboards')],
+    includeCoreBundle: true,
+    outputRoot,
   });
+  const pluginOutputDir = Path.resolve(outputRoot, Path.relative(REPO_ROOT, sourceDir));
 
   await runOptimizer(config).pipe(logOptimizerState(log, config)).toPromise();
 
   // move target into buildDir
-  await asyncRename(Path.resolve(sourceDir, 'target'), Path.resolve(buildDir, 'target'));
+  await asyncRename(Path.resolve(pluginOutputDir, 'target'), Path.resolve(buildDir, 'target'));
   log.indent(-2);
 }
diff --git a/src/dev/build/tasks/build_opensearch_dashboards_platform_plugins.ts b/src/dev/build/tasks/build_opensearch_dashboards_platform_plugins.ts
index f9c102310239..b5b7daf5eb07 100644
--- a/src/dev/build/tasks/build_opensearch_dashboards_platform_plugins.ts
+++ b/src/dev/build/tasks/build_opensearch_dashboards_platform_plugins.ts
@@ -58,6 +58,6 @@ export const BuildOpenSearchDashboardsPlatformPlugins: Task = {
       .pipe(reportOptimizerStats(reporter, config, log), logOptimizerState(log, config))
       .toPromise();
 
-    await Promise.all(config.bundles.map((b) => b.cache.clear()));
+    // await Promise.all(config.bundles.map((b) => b.cache.clear()));
   },
 };