diff --git a/DOCS/man/input.rst b/DOCS/man/input.rst
index 76678c2b3c..11a8f0021f 100644
--- a/DOCS/man/input.rst
+++ b/DOCS/man/input.rst
@@ -765,6 +765,17 @@ The following hooks are currently defined:
     ``file-local-options/<option name>``. The player will wait until all
     hooks are run.
 
+``on_preloaded``
+    Called after a file has been opened, and before tracks are selected and
+    decoders are created. This has some usefulness if an API users wants
+    to select tracks manually, based on the set of available tracks. It's
+    also useful to initialize ``--lavfi-complex`` in a specific way by API,
+    without having to "probe" the available streams at first.
+
+    Note that this does not yet apply default track selection. Which operations
+    exactly can be done and not be done, and what information is available and
+    what is not yet available yet, is all subject to change.
+
 ``on_unload``
     Run before closing a file, and before actually uninitializing
     everything. It's not possible to resume playback in this state.
diff --git a/player/loadfile.c b/player/loadfile.c
index bd48bb4b0e..7a0afe4c52 100644
--- a/player/loadfile.c
+++ b/player/loadfile.c
@@ -871,6 +871,19 @@ static int process_open_hooks(struct MPContext *mpctx)
     return 0;
 }
 
+static int process_preloaded_hooks(struct MPContext *mpctx)
+{
+    mp_hook_run(mpctx, NULL, "on_preloaded");
+
+    while (!mp_hook_test_completion(mpctx, "on_preloaded")) {
+        mp_idle(mpctx);
+        if (mpctx->stop_play)
+            return -1;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+}
+
 static void process_unload_hooks(struct MPContext *mpctx)
 {
     mp_hook_run(mpctx, NULL, "on_unload");
@@ -1256,6 +1269,9 @@ reopen_file:
 
     check_previous_track_selection(mpctx);
 
+    if (process_preloaded_hooks(mpctx))
+        goto terminate_playback;
+
     if (!init_complex_filters(mpctx))
         goto terminate_playback;