diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/Makefile.am b/validate/gst/qa/Makefile.am
index 68cb1137ae..3815dd9028 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/Makefile.am
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/Makefile.am
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ noinst_HEADERS =
 	gst-qa-i18n-lib.h
 
 lib_LTLIBRARIES = \
-	libgstqa-@GST_API_VERSION@.la
+	libgstqa-@GST_API_VERSION@.la \
+	libgstqa-default-overrides-@GST_API_VERSION@.la
 
 libgstqa_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_SOURCES = \
     $(c_sources)
@@ -34,6 +35,19 @@ libgstqa_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_LIBADD = \
 libgstqa_@GST_API_VERSION@includedir = $(includedir)/gstreamer-@GST_API_VERSION@/gst/qa
 libgstqa_@GST_API_VERSION@include_HEADERS = $(public_headers)
 
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_SOURCES = \
+    gst-qa-default-overrides.c
+
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_CFLAGS = $(GST_PLUGINS_BASE_CFLAGS) $(GST_CFLAGS) $(GIO_CFLAGS)
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_LDFLAGS = $(GST_LIB_LDFLAGS) $(GST_ALL_LDFLAGS) \
+	$(GST_LT_LDFLAGS) $(GIO_LDFLAGS)
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@_la_LIBADD = \
+	$(GST_PLUGINS_BASE_LIBS) $(GST_BASE_LIBS) \
+	$(GST_LIBS) $(GIO_LIBS)
+
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@includedir = $(includedir)/gstreamer-@GST_API_VERSION@/gst/qa
+libgstqa_default_overrides_@GST_API_VERSION@include_HEADERS =
+
 bin_PROGRAMS = gst-qa-@GST_API_VERSION@ gst-qa-transcoding-@GST_API_VERSION@
 AM_CFLAGS =  -I$(top_srcdir) $(GST_PBUTILS_CFLAGS) $(GST_CFLAGS)
 LDADD = $(top_builddir)/gst/qa/libgstqa-@GST_API_VERSION@.la $(GST_PBUTILS_LIBS) $(GST_LIBS)
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-default-overrides.c b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-default-overrides.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eafb9e7e7b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-default-overrides.c
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+/* GStreamer
+ * Copyright (C) 2013 Vincent Penquerc'h <vincent.penquerch@collabora.co.uk>
+ *
+ * gst-qa-default-overrides.c - Test overrides
+ *
+ * This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+ * modify it under the terms of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+ * version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+ * Library General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public
+ * License along with this library; if not, write to the
+ * Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
+ * Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+ */
+
+#ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
+#include "config.h"
+#endif
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include "gst-qa-override.h"
+#include "gst-qa-override-registry.h"
+#include "gst-qa-report.h"
+
+int
+gst_qa_create_overrides (void)
+{
+  GstQaOverride *o;
+
+  /* Some random test override. Will moan on:
+     gst-launch videotestsrc num-buffers=10 ! video/x-raw-yuv !  fakesink */
+  o = gst_qa_override_new ();
+  gst_qa_override_change_severity (o, GST_QA_ISSUE_ID_CAPS_IS_MISSING_FIELD,
+      GST_QA_REPORT_LEVEL_CRITICAL);
+  gst_qa_override_register_by_name ("capsfilter0", o);
+  return 1;
+}
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.c b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.c
index 8c13188482..3d029b09bf 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.c
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.c
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
 
 #include <string.h>
 
+#define __USE_GNU
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+
 #include "gst-qa-override-registry.h"
 
 typedef struct
@@ -41,6 +44,8 @@ static GstQaOverrideRegistry *_registry_default;
 #define GST_QA_OVERRIDE_REGISTRY_LOCK(r) g_mutex_lock (&r->mutex)
 #define GST_QA_OVERRIDE_REGISTRY_UNLOCK(r) g_mutex_unlock (&r->mutex)
 
+#define GST_QA_OVERRIDE_INIT_SYMBOL "gst_qa_create_overrides"
+
 static GstQaOverrideRegistry *
 gst_qa_override_registry_new (void)
 {
@@ -181,3 +186,46 @@ gst_qa_override_registry_attach_overrides (GstQaMonitor * monitor)
   gst_qa_override_registry_attach_klass_overrides_unlocked (reg, monitor);
   GST_QA_OVERRIDE_REGISTRY_UNLOCK (reg);
 }
+
+int
+gst_qa_override_registry_preload (void)
+{
+  gchar **solist, *const *so;
+  const char *sos, *soerr;
+  void *sol;
+  int ret, (*entry) (void), nloaded = 0;
+
+  sos = g_getenv ("GST_QA_OVERRIDE");
+  if (!sos) {
+    GST_INFO ("No GST_QA_OVERRIDE found, no overrides to load");
+    return 0;
+  }
+  solist = g_strsplit (sos, ",", 0);
+  for (so = solist; *so; ++so) {
+    GST_INFO ("Loading overrides from %s", *so);
+    sol = dlopen (*so, RTLD_LAZY);
+    if (!sol) {
+      soerr = dlerror ();
+      GST_ERROR ("Failed to load %s %s", *so, soerr ? soerr : "no idea why");
+      continue;
+    }
+    entry = dlsym (sol, GST_QA_OVERRIDE_INIT_SYMBOL);
+    if (entry) {
+      ret = (*entry) ();
+      if (ret > 0) {
+        GST_INFO ("Loaded %d overrides from %s", ret, *so);
+        nloaded += ret;
+      } else if (ret < 0) {
+        GST_WARNING ("Error loading overrides from %s", *so);
+      } else {
+        GST_INFO ("Loaded no overrides from %s", *so);
+      }
+    } else {
+      GST_WARNING (GST_QA_OVERRIDE_INIT_SYMBOL " not found in %s", *so);
+    }
+    dlclose (sol);
+  }
+  g_strfreev (solist);
+  GST_INFO ("%d overrides loaded", nloaded);
+  return nloaded;
+}
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.h b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.h
index 6401ff3ef1..f4911fd816 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.h
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-override-registry.h
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ void gst_qa_override_register_by_klass (const gchar * klass, GstQaOverride * ove
 
 void gst_qa_override_registry_attach_overrides (GstQaMonitor * monitor);
 
+int gst_qa_override_registry_preload (void);
+
 G_END_DECLS
 
 #endif /* __GST_QA_OVERRIDE_REGISTRY_H__ */
diff --git a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
index 377164a144..ed995e02b7 100644
--- a/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
+++ b/validate/gst/qa/gst-qa-runner.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include "gst-qa-report.h"
 #include "gst-qa-monitor-factory.h"
 #include "gst-qa-element-monitor.h"
+#include "gst-qa-override-registry.h"
 #include "gst-qa-scenario.h"
 
 /**
@@ -80,6 +81,9 @@ gst_qa_runner_class_init (GstQaRunnerClass * klass)
   /* init the report system (can be called multiple times) */
   gst_qa_report_init ();
 
+  /* Ensure we load overrides before any use of a monitor */
+  gst_qa_override_registry_preload ();
+
   _signals[REPORT_ADDED_SIGNAL] =
       g_signal_new ("report-added", G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (klass),
       G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST, 0, NULL, NULL, NULL, G_TYPE_NONE, 1,