diff --git a/docs/how-to/write-plans.md b/docs/how-to/write-plans.md
index afd616c16..582c42f8c 100644
--- a/docs/how-to/write-plans.md
+++ b/docs/how-to/write-plans.md
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ def my_plan(
     ...
 ```
 
-The type annotations (e.g. `: str`, `: int`, `-> MsgGenerator`) are required as blueapi uses them to detect that this function is intended to be a plan and generate its runtime API.
+## Detection
+
+The type annotations in the example above (e.g. `: str`, `: int`, `-> MsgGenerator`) are required as blueapi uses them to detect that this function is intended to be a plan and generate its runtime API. If there is an [`__all__` dunder](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/modules.html#importing-from-a-package) present in the module, blueapi will read that and import anything within that qualifies as a plan, per its type annotations. If not it will read everything in the module that hasn't been imported, for example it will ignore a plan imported from another module.
 
 **Input annotations should be as broad as possible**, the least specific implementation that is sufficient to accomplish the requirements of the plan. For example, if a plan is written to drive a specific motor (`MyMotor`), but only uses the general methods on the [`Movable` protocol](https://blueskyproject.io/bluesky/main/hardware.html#bluesky.protocols.Movable), it should take `Movable` as a parameter annotation rather than `MyMotor`.
 
diff --git a/src/blueapi/core/context.py b/src/blueapi/core/context.py
index fcc63227d..fd24f3ab4 100644
--- a/src/blueapi/core/context.py
+++ b/src/blueapi/core/context.py
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
 
 from blueapi import utils
 from blueapi.config import EnvironmentConfig, SourceKind
-from blueapi.utils import BlueapiPlanModelConfig, load_module_all
+from blueapi.utils import (
+    BlueapiPlanModelConfig,
+    is_function_sourced_from_module,
+    load_module_all,
+)
 
 from .bluesky_types import (
     BLUESKY_PROTOCOLS,
@@ -99,7 +103,15 @@ def plan_2(...) -> MsgGenerator:
         """
 
         for obj in load_module_all(module):
-            if is_bluesky_plan_generator(obj):
+            # The rule here is that we only inspect objects defined in the module
+            # (as opposed to objects imported from other modules) to determine if
+            # they are valid plans, unless there is an __all__ defined in the module,
+            # in which case we only inspect objects listed there, regardless of their
+            # original source module.
+            if is_bluesky_plan_generator(obj) and (
+                hasattr(module, "__all__")
+                or is_function_sourced_from_module(obj, module)
+            ):
                 self.register_plan(obj)
 
     def with_device_module(self, module: ModuleType) -> None:
diff --git a/src/blueapi/utils/__init__.py b/src/blueapi/utils/__init__.py
index 602cea9bb..38288853f 100644
--- a/src/blueapi/utils/__init__.py
+++ b/src/blueapi/utils/__init__.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 from .connect_devices import connect_devices
 from .file_permissions import get_owner_gid, is_sgid_set
 from .invalid_config_error import InvalidConfigError
-from .modules import load_module_all
+from .modules import is_function_sourced_from_module, load_module_all
 from .serialization import serialize
 from .thread_exception import handle_all_exceptions
 
@@ -17,4 +17,5 @@
     "connect_devices",
     "is_sgid_set",
     "get_owner_gid",
+    "is_function_sourced_from_module",
 ]
diff --git a/src/blueapi/utils/modules.py b/src/blueapi/utils/modules.py
index e7c28e6f9..1ee58d505 100644
--- a/src/blueapi/utils/modules.py
+++ b/src/blueapi/utils/modules.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-from collections.abc import Iterable
+import importlib
+from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable
 from types import ModuleType
 from typing import Any
 
@@ -34,3 +35,17 @@ def get_named_subset(names: list[str]):
         for name, value in mod.__dict__.items():
             if not name.startswith("_"):
                 yield value
+
+
+def is_function_sourced_from_module(
+    func: Callable[..., Any], module: ModuleType
+) -> bool:
+    """
+    Check if a function is originally from a particular module, useful to detect
+    whether it actually comes from a nested import.
+
+    Args:
+        func: Object to check
+        module: Module to check against object
+    """
+    return importlib.import_module(func.__module__) is module
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_all.py b/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_all.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84bafe0ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_all.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+from bluesky.utils import MsgGenerator
+from tests.unit_tests.core.fake_plan_module import plan_a, plan_b  # noqa: F401
+
+
+def plan_c(c: bool) -> MsgGenerator[None]: ...
+def plan_d(d: int) -> MsgGenerator[int]: ...
+
+
+__all__ = ["plan_a", "plan_d"]
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_imports.py b/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_imports.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f2e99cbe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/core/fake_plan_module_with_imports.py
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+from bluesky.utils import MsgGenerator
+from tests.unit_tests.core.fake_plan_module import plan_a, plan_b  # noqa: F401
+
+
+def plan_c(c: bool) -> MsgGenerator[None]: ...
+def plan_d(d: int) -> MsgGenerator[int]: ...
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/core/test_context.py b/tests/unit_tests/core/test_context.py
index b28088544..72598d551 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/core/test_context.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/core/test_context.py
@@ -170,6 +170,20 @@ def test_add_plan_from_module(empty_context: BlueskyContext) -> None:
     assert EXPECTED_PLANS == empty_context.plans.keys()
 
 
+def test_only_plans_from_source_module_detected(empty_context: BlueskyContext) -> None:
+    import tests.unit_tests.core.fake_plan_module_with_imports as plan_module
+
+    empty_context.with_plan_module(plan_module)
+    assert {"plan_c", "plan_d"} == empty_context.plans.keys()
+
+
+def test_only_plans_from_all_in_module_detected(empty_context: BlueskyContext) -> None:
+    import tests.unit_tests.core.fake_plan_module_with_all as plan_module
+
+    empty_context.with_plan_module(plan_module)
+    assert {"plan_a", "plan_d"} == empty_context.plans.keys()
+
+
 def test_add_named_device(empty_context: BlueskyContext, sim_motor: SynAxis) -> None:
     empty_context.register_device(sim_motor)
     assert empty_context.devices[SIM_MOTOR_NAME] is sim_motor
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_a.py b/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_a.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fad3c27e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_a.py
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+def a(): ...
+
+
+def b(): ...
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_b.py b/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_b.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78e72d560
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/utils/functions_b.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+from .functions_a import a, b  # noqa: F401
+
+
+def c(): ...
+
+
+def d(): ...
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/utils/test_modules.py b/tests/unit_tests/utils/test_modules.py
index c48c13cec..5a0cf3bcf 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/utils/test_modules.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/utils/test_modules.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from importlib import import_module
 
-from blueapi.utils import load_module_all
+from blueapi.utils import is_function_sourced_from_module, load_module_all
 
 
 def test_imports_all():
@@ -11,3 +11,17 @@ def test_imports_all():
 def test_imports_everything_without_all():
     module = import_module(".lacksall", package="tests.unit_tests.utils")
     assert list(load_module_all(module)) == [3, "hello", 9]
+
+
+def test_source_is_in_module():
+    module = import_module(".functions_b", package="tests.unit_tests.utils")
+    c = module.__dict__["c"]
+    assert callable(c)
+    assert is_function_sourced_from_module(c, module)
+
+
+def test_source_is_not_in_module():
+    module = import_module(".functions_b", package="tests.unit_tests.utils")
+    a = module.__dict__["a"]
+    assert callable(a)
+    assert not is_function_sourced_from_module(a, module)