diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
index a4a8f492f..1ace00570 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMainWindow.cc
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ MainWindow::MainWindow (QApplication *app, const char *name, bool undo_enabled)
     : QMainWindow (0),
       tl::Object (),
       lay::DispatcherDelegate (),
-      m_dispatcher (this),
+      m_dispatcher (this, this),
       m_text_progress (this, 10 /*verbosity threshold*/),
       m_mode (std::numeric_limits<unsigned int>::max ()),
       mp_setup_form (0),
@@ -179,9 +179,6 @@ MainWindow::MainWindow (QApplication *app, const char *name, bool undo_enabled)
       mp_app (app),
       m_manager (undo_enabled)
 {
-  //  install us as menu widget parent
-  m_dispatcher.set_menu_parent_widget (this);
-
   //  ensures the deferred method scheduler is present
   tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::instance ();
 
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.cc b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.cc
index 92642df97..f856140e4 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.cc
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.cc
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ static Dispatcher *ms_dispatcher_instance = 0;
 
 Dispatcher::Dispatcher (Plugin *parent, bool standalone)
   : Plugin (parent, standalone),
-    m_menu (this),
     mp_menu_parent_widget (0),
     mp_delegate (0)
 {
@@ -45,13 +44,38 @@ Dispatcher::Dispatcher (Plugin *parent, bool standalone)
   }
 }
 
+Dispatcher::Dispatcher (QWidget *menu_parent_widget, Plugin *parent, bool standalone)
+  : Plugin (parent, standalone),
+    mp_menu_parent_widget (menu_parent_widget),
+    mp_delegate (0)
+{
+  if (mp_menu_parent_widget) {
+    mp_menu.reset (new lay::AbstractMenu (this));
+  }
+  if (! parent && ! ms_dispatcher_instance) {
+    ms_dispatcher_instance = this;
+  }
+}
+
 Dispatcher::Dispatcher (DispatcherDelegate *delegate, Plugin *parent, bool standalone)
   : Plugin (parent, standalone),
-    m_menu (this),
     mp_menu_parent_widget (0),
     mp_delegate (delegate)
 {
-  if (! ms_dispatcher_instance) {
+  if (! parent && ! ms_dispatcher_instance) {
+    ms_dispatcher_instance = this;
+  }
+}
+
+Dispatcher::Dispatcher (QWidget *menu_parent_widget, DispatcherDelegate *delegate, Plugin *parent, bool standalone)
+  : Plugin (parent, standalone),
+    mp_menu_parent_widget (menu_parent_widget),
+    mp_delegate (delegate)
+{
+  if (mp_menu_parent_widget) {
+    mp_menu.reset (new lay::AbstractMenu (this));
+  }
+  if (! parent && ! ms_dispatcher_instance) {
     ms_dispatcher_instance = this;
   }
 }
@@ -66,9 +90,11 @@ Dispatcher::~Dispatcher ()
 bool
 Dispatcher::configure (const std::string &name, const std::string &value)
 {
-  std::vector<lay::ConfigureAction *> ca = m_menu.configure_actions (name);
-  for (std::vector<lay::ConfigureAction *>::const_iterator a = ca.begin (); a != ca.end (); ++a) {
-    (*a)->configure (value);
+  if (mp_menu) {
+    std::vector<lay::ConfigureAction *> ca = mp_menu->configure_actions (name);
+    for (std::vector<lay::ConfigureAction *>::const_iterator a = ca.begin (); a != ca.end (); ++a) {
+      (*a)->configure (value);
+    }
   }
 
   if (mp_delegate) {
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.h b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.h
index 307787514..b192ac950 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.h
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layDispatcher.h
@@ -117,6 +117,15 @@ public:
    */
   Dispatcher (Plugin *parent = 0, bool standalone = false);
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief The constructor
+   *
+   *  @param menu_parent_widget If not 0, indicates that this is a GUI mode dispatcher providing an abstract menu
+   *  @param parent Usually 0, but a dispatcher may have parents. In this case, the dispatcher is not the actual dispatcher, but the real plugin chain's root is.
+   *  @param standalone The standalone flag passed to the plugin constructor.
+   */
+  Dispatcher (QWidget *menu_parent_widget, Plugin *parent = 0, bool standalone = false);
+
   /**
    *  @brief The root constructor
    *
@@ -124,6 +133,14 @@ public:
    */
   Dispatcher (DispatcherDelegate *delegate, Plugin *parent = 0, bool standalone = false);
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief The root constructor
+   *
+   *  @param menu_parent_widget If not 0, indicates that this is a GUI mode dispatcher providing an abstract menu
+   *  @param delegate The notification receiver for dispatcher events
+   */
+  Dispatcher (QWidget *menu_parent_widget, DispatcherDelegate *delegate, Plugin *parent = 0, bool standalone = false);
+
   /**
    *  @brief Destructor
    */
@@ -207,14 +224,6 @@ public:
     return mp_menu_parent_widget;
   }
 
-  /**
-   *  @brief Gets the parent widget
-   */
-  void set_menu_parent_widget (QWidget *w)
-  {
-    mp_menu_parent_widget = w;
-  }
-
   /**
    *  @brief Returns true, if the dispatcher supplies a user interface
    */
@@ -227,7 +236,7 @@ public:
    */
   AbstractMenu *menu ()
   {
-    return (dispatcher () == this) ? &m_menu : dispatcher ()->menu ();
+    return (dispatcher () == this) ? mp_menu.get () : dispatcher ()->menu ();
   }
 
 protected:
@@ -239,7 +248,7 @@ private:
   Dispatcher (const Dispatcher &);
   Dispatcher &operator= (const Dispatcher &);
 
-  lay::AbstractMenu m_menu;
+  std::unique_ptr<lay::AbstractMenu> mp_menu;
   QWidget *mp_menu_parent_widget;
   DispatcherDelegate *mp_delegate;
 };
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutView.cc b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutView.cc
index 1c0ebef5d..f4ee5e352 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutView.cc
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutView.cc
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ static LayoutView *ms_current = 0;
 
 LayoutView::LayoutView (db::Manager *manager, bool editable, lay::Plugin *plugin_parent, QWidget *parent, const char *name, unsigned int options)
   : QFrame (parent), 
-    lay::Dispatcher (plugin_parent, false /*not standalone*/),
+    lay::Dispatcher (this, plugin_parent, false /*not standalone*/),
     m_editable (editable),
     m_options (options),
     m_annotation_shapes (manager),
@@ -261,7 +261,6 @@ LayoutView::LayoutView (db::Manager *manager, bool editable, lay::Plugin *plugin
 {
   //  either it's us or the parent has a dispatcher
   tl_assert (dispatcher () != 0);
-  set_menu_parent_widget (this);
 
   //  ensures the deferred method scheduler is present
   tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::instance ();