diff --git a/docs/api/frontends.rst b/docs/api/frontends.rst
index af0cc991..36626fa0 100644
--- a/docs/api/frontends.rst
+++ b/docs/api/frontends.rst
@@ -6,22 +6,36 @@ The following requirements applies to any frontend implementation:
 
 - A frontend MAY do mostly whatever it wants to, including creating threads,
   opening TCP ports and exposing Mopidy for a group of clients.
+
 - A frontend MUST implement at least one `Pykka
   <http://pykka.readthedocs.org/>`_ actor, called the "main actor" from here
   on.
+
+- The main actor MUST accept a constructor argument ``core``, which will be an
+  :class:`ActorProxy <pykka.proxy.ActorProxy>` for the core actor. This object
+  gives access to the full :ref:`core-api`.
+
 - It MAY use additional actors to implement whatever it does, and using actors
   in frontend implementations is encouraged.
+
 - The frontend is activated by including its main actor in the
   :attr:`mopidy.settings.FRONTENDS` setting.
+
 - The main actor MUST be able to start and stop the frontend when the main
   actor is started and stopped.
+
 - The frontend MAY require additional settings to be set for it to
   work.
+
 - Such settings MUST be documented.
+
 - The main actor MUST stop itself if the defined settings are not adequate for
   the frontend to work properly.
-- Any actor which is part of the frontend MAY implement any listener interface
-  from :mod:`mopidy.listeners` to receive notification of the specified events.
+
+- Any actor which is part of the frontend MAY implement the
+  :class:`mopidy.core.CoreListener` interface to receive notification of the
+  specified events.
+
 
 Frontend implementations
 ========================
diff --git a/mopidy/__main__.py b/mopidy/__main__.py
index ee2e21b6..dbdb193b 100644
--- a/mopidy/__main__.py
+++ b/mopidy/__main__.py
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ def main():
         setup_settings(options.interactive)
         audio = setup_audio()
         backend = setup_backend(audio)
-        setup_core(audio, backend)
-        setup_frontends()
+        core = setup_core(audio, backend)
+        setup_frontends(core)
         loop.run()
     except SettingsError as e:
         logger.error(e.message)
@@ -137,17 +137,17 @@ def stop_backend():
 
 
 def setup_core(audio, backend):
-    return Core.start(audio, backend).proxy()
+    return Core.start(audio=audio, backend=backend).proxy()
 
 
 def stop_core():
     stop_actors_by_class(Core)
 
 
-def setup_frontends():
+def setup_frontends(core):
     for frontend_class_name in settings.FRONTENDS:
         try:
-            get_class(frontend_class_name).start()
+            get_class(frontend_class_name).start(core=core)
         except OptionalDependencyError as e:
             logger.info(u'Disabled: %s (%s)', frontend_class_name, e)
 
diff --git a/mopidy/frontends/lastfm.py b/mopidy/frontends/lastfm.py
index f2bc44d2..37fbafe2 100644
--- a/mopidy/frontends/lastfm.py
+++ b/mopidy/frontends/lastfm.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ class LastfmFrontend(ThreadingActor, core.CoreListener):
     - :attr:`mopidy.settings.LASTFM_PASSWORD`
     """
 
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, core):
         super(LastfmFrontend, self).__init__()
         self.lastfm = None
         self.last_start_time = None
diff --git a/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py b/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
index 9dcf4c34..f8c7a9ef 100644
--- a/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
+++ b/mopidy/frontends/mpd/__init__.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class MpdFrontend(actor.ThreadingActor, core.CoreListener):
     - :attr:`mopidy.settings.MPD_SERVER_PASSWORD`
     """
 
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, core):
         super(MpdFrontend, self).__init__()
         hostname = network.format_hostname(settings.MPD_SERVER_HOSTNAME)
         port = settings.MPD_SERVER_PORT
diff --git a/mopidy/frontends/mpris/__init__.py b/mopidy/frontends/mpris/__init__.py
index 2815c551..769f2e84 100644
--- a/mopidy/frontends/mpris/__init__.py
+++ b/mopidy/frontends/mpris/__init__.py
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ class MprisFrontend(ThreadingActor, core.CoreListener):
         player.Quit(dbus_interface='org.mpris.MediaPlayer2')
     """
 
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, core):
         super(MprisFrontend, self).__init__()
         self.indicate_server = None
         self.mpris_object = None
diff --git a/tests/frontends/mpris/events_test.py b/tests/frontends/mpris/events_test.py
index 3db03ccf..f466e207 100644
--- a/tests/frontends/mpris/events_test.py
+++ b/tests/frontends/mpris/events_test.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ from tests import unittest
 @unittest.skipUnless(sys.platform.startswith('linux'), 'requires Linux')
 class BackendEventsTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
-        self.mpris_frontend = MprisFrontend() # As a plain class, not an actor
+        self.mpris_frontend = MprisFrontend(core=None)  # As a plain class, not an actor
         self.mpris_object = mock.Mock(spec=objects.MprisObject)
         self.mpris_frontend.mpris_object = self.mpris_object