diff --git a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/asset_saving.rs b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/asset_saving.rs
index b547b07..d84389a 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/asset_saving.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/asset_saving.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use crate::{ui::UiState, PersistedAssetHandles};
+use crate::{scanner::PersistedAssetHandles, ui::UiState};
 use bevy::{
     asset::io::{file::FileAssetReader, AssetReader, AssetSourceId},
     prelude::*,
diff --git a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/main.rs b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/main.rs
index 9fc6a9f..0a0c85a 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/main.rs
@@ -5,19 +5,18 @@ mod egui_nodes;
 mod fsm_show;
 mod graph_show;
 mod graph_update;
+mod scanner;
 mod tree;
 mod ui;
 
 use asset_saving::AssetSavingPlugin;
-use bevy::{asset::LoadedFolder, prelude::*, utils::HashSet};
-use bevy_animation_graph::core::{
-    animation_graph::AnimationGraph, plugin::AnimationGraphPlugin,
-    state_machine::high_level::StateMachine,
-};
+use bevy::prelude::*;
+use bevy_animation_graph::core::plugin::AnimationGraphPlugin;
 use bevy_egui::EguiPlugin;
 use bevy_inspector_egui::{bevy_egui, DefaultInspectorConfigPlugin};
 use clap::Parser;
 use egui_inspector_impls::BetterInspectorPlugin;
+use scanner::ScannerPlugin;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use ui::{graph_debug_draw_bone_system, UiState};
 
@@ -27,15 +26,6 @@ struct Cli {
     asset_source: PathBuf,
 }
 
-/// Keeps a handle to the folder so that it does not get unloaded
-#[derive(Resource)]
-struct PersistedAssetHandles {
-    #[allow(dead_code)]
-    folder: Handle<LoadedFolder>,
-    unsaved_graphs: HashSet<Handle<AnimationGraph>>,
-    unsaved_fsms: HashSet<Handle<StateMachine>>,
-}
-
 fn main() {
     let cli = Cli::parse();
 
@@ -56,9 +46,10 @@ fn main() {
         .add_plugins(DefaultInspectorConfigPlugin)
         .add_plugins(BetterInspectorPlugin)
         .add_plugins(AssetSavingPlugin)
+        .add_plugins(ScannerPlugin)
         .insert_resource(UiState::new())
         .insert_resource(cli)
-        .add_systems(Startup, (core_setup, ui::setup_system))
+        .add_systems(Startup, ui::setup_system)
         .add_systems(
             Update,
             (
@@ -72,18 +63,3 @@ fn main() {
 
     app.run();
 }
-
-fn core_setup(
-    mut commands: Commands,
-    asset_server: Res<AssetServer>,
-    mut gizmo_config: ResMut<GizmoConfigStore>,
-) {
-    commands.insert_resource(PersistedAssetHandles {
-        folder: asset_server.load_folder(""),
-        unsaved_graphs: HashSet::default(),
-        unsaved_fsms: HashSet::default(),
-    });
-
-    let config = gizmo_config.config_mut::<DefaultGizmoConfigGroup>().0;
-    config.depth_bias = -1.;
-}
diff --git a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/scanner.rs b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/scanner.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..deae10d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/scanner.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+use crate::Cli;
+use bevy::{asset::LoadedUntypedAsset, prelude::*, utils::HashSet};
+use bevy_animation_graph::{
+    core::state_machine::high_level::StateMachine, prelude::AnimationGraph,
+};
+use std::{
+    fs, io,
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
+};
+
+pub struct ScannerPlugin;
+impl Plugin for ScannerPlugin {
+    fn build(&self, app: &mut bevy::prelude::App) {
+        app.insert_resource(PersistedAssetHandles {
+            unsaved_graphs: HashSet::default(),
+            unsaved_fsms: HashSet::default(),
+            loaded_paths: HashSet::default(),
+        })
+        .add_event::<RescanAssets>()
+        .add_systems(Startup, core_setup)
+        .add_systems(Update, asset_reload);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Keeps a handle to the folder so that it does not get unloaded
+#[derive(Resource)]
+pub struct PersistedAssetHandles {
+    #[allow(dead_code)]
+    pub loaded_paths: HashSet<Handle<LoadedUntypedAsset>>,
+    pub unsaved_graphs: HashSet<Handle<AnimationGraph>>,
+    pub unsaved_fsms: HashSet<Handle<StateMachine>>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Event)]
+pub struct RescanAssets;
+
+pub fn core_setup(
+    mut evw_rescan_events: EventWriter<RescanAssets>,
+    mut gizmo_config: ResMut<GizmoConfigStore>,
+) {
+    evw_rescan_events.send(RescanAssets);
+
+    let config = gizmo_config.config_mut::<DefaultGizmoConfigGroup>().0;
+    config.depth_bias = -1.;
+}
+
+pub fn asset_reload(
+    mut reload_events: EventReader<RescanAssets>,
+    asset_server: Res<AssetServer>,
+    mut persisted_asset_handles: ResMut<PersistedAssetHandles>,
+    cli: Res<Cli>,
+) {
+    if reload_events.read().next().is_some() {
+        visit_dirs(&cli.asset_source, &mut |path| {
+            let relative_path = path.strip_prefix(&cli.asset_source).unwrap().to_owned();
+            let loaded = asset_server.load_untyped(relative_path);
+            persisted_asset_handles.loaded_paths.insert(loaded);
+        })
+        .unwrap_or_else(|err| {
+            panic!(
+                "Failed to load asset path {:?}: {:?}",
+                cli.asset_source, err
+            )
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+// one possible implementation of walking a directory only visiting files
+// taken from https://doc.rust-lang.org/nightly/std/fs/fn.read_dir.html#examples
+fn visit_dirs(dir: &Path, cb: &mut dyn FnMut(PathBuf)) -> io::Result<()> {
+    if dir.is_dir() {
+        for entry in fs::read_dir(dir)? {
+            let entry = entry?;
+            let path = entry.path();
+            if path.is_dir() {
+                visit_dirs(&path, cb)?;
+            } else {
+                info!("Loading {path:?}");
+                cb(path);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/ui.rs b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/ui.rs
index b746b38..2a1c10a 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/ui.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_animation_graph_editor/src/ui.rs
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ use crate::graph_update::{
     apply_global_changes, convert_fsm_change, convert_graph_change, update_graph, Change,
     FsmChange, FsmPropertiesChange, GlobalChange, GraphChange,
 };
+use crate::scanner::PersistedAssetHandles;
 use crate::tree::{Tree, TreeInternal, TreeResult};
-use crate::PersistedAssetHandles;
 use bevy::asset::UntypedAssetId;
 use bevy::ecs::system::CommandQueue;
 use bevy::prelude::*;