diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index e69cc27..a2c9404 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -247,7 +247,10 @@ impl App {
         let mut window_def = self.eww_config.get_window(window_name)?.clone();
         window_def.geometry = window_def.geometry.override_if_given(anchor, pos, size);
 
-        let root_widget = window_def.widget.render(&mut self.eww_state, window_name)?;
+        let root_widget =
+            window_def
+                .widget
+                .render(&mut self.eww_state, window_name, &self.eww_config.get_widget_definitions())?;
         root_widget.get_style_context().add_class(&window_name.to_string());
 
         let monitor_geometry = get_monitor_geometry(window_def.screen_number.unwrap_or_else(get_default_monitor_index));
diff --git a/src/config/eww_config.rs b/src/config/eww_config.rs
index 100ab99..7b11bf5 100644
--- a/src/config/eww_config.rs
+++ b/src/config/eww_config.rs
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 /// Eww configuration structure.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
 pub struct EwwConfig {
+    widgets: HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
     windows: HashMap<WindowName, EwwWindowDefinition>,
     initial_variables: HashMap<VarName, PrimitiveValue>,
     script_vars: HashMap<VarName, ScriptVar>,
@@ -35,9 +36,6 @@ impl EwwConfig {
             widgets,
         } = conf;
         Ok(EwwConfig {
-            initial_variables,
-            script_vars,
-            filepath,
             windows: windows
                 .into_iter()
                 .map(|(name, window)| {
@@ -47,6 +45,10 @@ impl EwwConfig {
                     ))
                 })
                 .collect::<Result<HashMap<_, _>>>()?,
+            widgets,
+            initial_variables,
+            script_vars,
+            filepath,
         })
     }
 
@@ -76,6 +78,10 @@ impl EwwConfig {
             .get(name)
             .with_context(|| format!("No script var named '{}' exists", name))
     }
+
+    pub fn get_widget_definitions(&self) -> &HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition> {
+        &self.widgets
+    }
 }
 
 /// Raw Eww configuration, before expanding widget usages.
diff --git a/src/widgets/mod.rs b/src/widgets/mod.rs
index 64659d3..15e6c04 100644
--- a/src/widgets/mod.rs
+++ b/src/widgets/mod.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,12 @@
-use crate::{config::window_definition::WindowName, eww_state::*, value::AttrName};
+use crate::{
+    config::{element::WidgetDefinition, window_definition::WindowName},
+    eww_state::*,
+    value::AttrName,
+};
 use anyhow::*;
 use gtk::prelude::*;
 use itertools::Itertools;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 use std::process::Command;
 use widget_definitions::*;
@@ -36,11 +41,12 @@ pub(self) fn run_command<T: 'static + std::fmt::Display + Send + Sync>(cmd: &str
     });
 }
 
-struct BuilderArgs<'a, 'b, 'c, 'd> {
+struct BuilderArgs<'a, 'b, 'c, 'd, 'e> {
     eww_state: &'a mut EwwState,
     widget: &'b widget_node::Generic,
     unhandled_attrs: Vec<&'c AttrName>,
     window_name: &'d WindowName,
+    widget_definitions: &'e HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
 }
 
 /// build a [`gtk::Widget`] out of a [`element::WidgetUse`] that uses a
@@ -55,6 +61,7 @@ struct BuilderArgs<'a, 'b, 'c, 'd> {
 fn build_builtin_gtk_widget(
     eww_state: &mut EwwState,
     window_name: &WindowName,
+    widget_definitions: &HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
     widget: &widget_node::Generic,
 ) -> Result<Option<gtk::Widget>> {
     let mut bargs = BuilderArgs {
@@ -62,6 +69,7 @@ fn build_builtin_gtk_widget(
         widget,
         window_name,
         unhandled_attrs: widget.attrs.keys().collect(),
+        widget_definitions,
     };
     let gtk_widget = match widget_to_gtk_widget(&mut bargs) {
         Ok(Some(gtk_widget)) => gtk_widget,
@@ -81,14 +89,16 @@ fn build_builtin_gtk_widget(
     if let Some(gtk_widget) = gtk_widget.dynamic_cast_ref::<gtk::Container>() {
         resolve_container_attrs(&mut bargs, &gtk_widget);
         for child in &widget.children {
-            let child_widget = child.render(bargs.eww_state, window_name).with_context(|| {
-                format!(
-                    "{}error while building child '{:#?}' of '{}'",
-                    widget.text_pos.map(|x| format!("{} |", x)).unwrap_or_default(),
-                    &child,
-                    &gtk_widget.get_widget_name()
-                )
-            })?;
+            let child_widget = child
+                .render(bargs.eww_state, window_name, widget_definitions)
+                .with_context(|| {
+                    format!(
+                        "{}error while building child '{:#?}' of '{}'",
+                        widget.text_pos.map(|x| format!("{} |", x)).unwrap_or_default(),
+                        &child,
+                        &gtk_widget.get_widget_name()
+                    )
+                })?;
             gtk_widget.add(&child_widget);
             child_widget.show();
         }
diff --git a/src/widgets/widget_definitions.rs b/src/widgets/widget_definitions.rs
index b7f97d6..2be85bc 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widget_definitions.rs
+++ b/src/widgets/widget_definitions.rs
@@ -410,6 +410,7 @@ fn build_gtk_literal(bargs: &mut BuilderArgs) -> Result<gtk::Box> {
 
     // TODO these clones here are dumdum
     let window_name = bargs.window_name.clone();
+    let widget_definitions = bargs.widget_definitions.clone();
     resolve_block!(bargs, gtk_widget, {
         // @prop content - inline Eww XML that will be rendered as a widget.
         prop(content: as_string) {
@@ -418,8 +419,8 @@ fn build_gtk_literal(bargs: &mut BuilderArgs) -> Result<gtk::Box> {
                 let document = roxmltree::Document::parse(&content).map_err(|e| anyhow!("Failed to parse eww xml literal: {:?}", e))?;
                 let content_widget_use = config::element::WidgetUse::from_xml_node(document.root_element().into())?;
 
-                let widget_node = &*widget_node::generate_generic_widget_node(&HashMap::new(), &HashMap::new(), content_widget_use)?;
-                let child_widget = widget_node.render( &mut eww_state::EwwState::default(), &window_name)?;
+                let widget_node = &*widget_node::generate_generic_widget_node(&widget_definitions, &HashMap::new(), content_widget_use)?;
+                let child_widget = widget_node.render(&mut eww_state::EwwState::default(), &window_name, &widget_definitions)?;
                 gtk_widget.add(&child_widget);
                 child_widget.show();
             }
diff --git a/src/widgets/widget_node.rs b/src/widgets/widget_node.rs
index a43263c..e305e0f 100644
--- a/src/widgets/widget_node.rs
+++ b/src/widgets/widget_node.rs
@@ -20,7 +20,12 @@ pub trait WidgetNode: std::fmt::Debug + dyn_clone::DynClone + Send + Sync {
     /// This may return `Err` in case there was an actual error while parsing or
     /// resolving the widget, Or `Ok(None)` if the widget_use just didn't match any
     /// widget name.
-    fn render(&self, eww_state: &mut EwwState, window_name: &WindowName) -> Result<gtk::Widget>;
+    fn render(
+        &self,
+        eww_state: &mut EwwState,
+        window_name: &WindowName,
+        widget_definitions: &HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
+    ) -> Result<gtk::Widget>;
 }
 
 dyn_clone::clone_trait_object!(WidgetNode);
@@ -41,8 +46,13 @@ impl WidgetNode for UserDefined {
         self.text_pos.as_ref()
     }
 
-    fn render(&self, eww_state: &mut EwwState, window_name: &WindowName) -> Result<gtk::Widget> {
-        self.content.render(eww_state, window_name)
+    fn render(
+        &self,
+        eww_state: &mut EwwState,
+        window_name: &WindowName,
+        widget_definitions: &HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
+    ) -> Result<gtk::Widget> {
+        self.content.render(eww_state, window_name, widget_definitions)
     }
 }
 
@@ -76,9 +86,16 @@ impl WidgetNode for Generic {
         self.text_pos.as_ref()
     }
 
-    fn render(&self, eww_state: &mut EwwState, window_name: &WindowName) -> Result<gtk::Widget> {
-        Ok(crate::widgets::build_builtin_gtk_widget(eww_state, window_name, &self)?
-            .with_context(|| format!("Unknown widget '{}'", self.get_name()))?)
+    fn render(
+        &self,
+        eww_state: &mut EwwState,
+        window_name: &WindowName,
+        widget_definitions: &HashMap<String, WidgetDefinition>,
+    ) -> Result<gtk::Widget> {
+        Ok(
+            crate::widgets::build_builtin_gtk_widget(eww_state, window_name, widget_definitions, &self)?
+                .with_context(|| format!("Unknown widget '{}'", self.get_name()))?,
+        )
     }
 }