diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/contracts.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/contracts.rb
index e99d0d59..55aa0aad 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/contracts.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/contracts.rb
@@ -1,23 +1,112 @@
-require 'contracts'
-require 'hamster'
+if ENV['CONTRACTS'] != 'false'
+  require 'contracts'
+  require 'hamster'
 
-module Contracts
-  class IsA
-    def self.[](val)
-      @lookup ||= {}
-      @lookup[val] ||= new(val)
+  module Contracts
+    class IsA
+      def self.[](val)
+        @lookup ||= {}
+        @lookup[val] ||= new(val)
+      end
+
+      def initialize(val)
+        @val = val
+      end
+
+      def valid?(val)
+        val.is_a? @val.constantize
+      end
     end
 
-    def initialize(val)
-      @val = val
+    VectorOf = Contracts::CollectionOf::Factory.new(::Hamster::Vector)
+    ResourceList = Contracts::ArrayOf[IsA['Middleman::Sitemap::Resource']]
+  end
+else
+  module Contracts
+    def self.included(base)
+      base.extend self
     end
 
-    def valid?(val)
-      val.is_a? @val.constantize
+    # rubocop:disable MethodName
+    def Contract(*)
+    end
+
+    class Callable
+      def self.[](*)
+      end
+    end
+
+    class Bool
+    end
+
+    class Num
+    end
+
+    class Pos
+    end
+
+    class Neg
+    end
+
+    class Any
+    end
+
+    class None
+    end
+
+    class Or < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Xor < Callable
+    end
+
+    class And < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Not < Callable
+    end
+
+    class RespondTo < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Send < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Exactly < Callable
+    end
+
+    class ArrayOf < Callable
+    end
+
+    class ResourceList < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Args < Callable
+    end
+
+    class HashOf < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Bool
+    end
+
+    class Maybe < Callable
+    end
+
+    class IsA < Callable
+    end
+
+    class SetOf < Callable
+    end
+
+    class Frozen < Callable
+    end
+
+    class VectorOf < Callable
     end
   end
+end
 
-  VectorOf = ::Contracts::CollectionOf::Factory.new(::Hamster::Vector)
-  ResourceList = ::Contracts::ArrayOf[IsA['Middleman::Sitemap::Resource']]
+module Contracts
   PATH_MATCHER = Or[String, RespondTo[:match], RespondTo[:call], RespondTo[:to_s]]
 end
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions/front_matter.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions/front_matter.rb
index 8809004f..a59f7bb1 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions/front_matter.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/core_extensions/front_matter.rb
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ module Middleman::CoreExtensions
       resources.each do |resource|
         next if resource.binary?
         next if resource.file_descriptor.nil?
+        next if resource.file_descriptor[:types].include?(:no_frontmatter)
 
         fmdata = data(resource.file_descriptor[:full_path].to_s).first.dup
 
@@ -74,6 +75,11 @@ module Middleman::CoreExtensions
 
       return @cache[file[:full_path]] if @cache.key?(file[:full_path])
 
+      if file[:types].include?(:no_frontmatter)
+        $stderr.puts file[:relative_path].to_s
+        require 'pry'
+      end
+
       @cache[file[:full_path]] = ::Middleman::Util::Data.parse(
         file,
         app.config[:frontmatter_delims]
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extensions/external_pipeline.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extensions/external_pipeline.rb
index 44a4e6b3..6b51d944 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extensions/external_pipeline.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/extensions/external_pipeline.rb
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ class Middleman::Extensions::ExternalPipeline < ::Middleman::Extension
 
     @watcher = app.files.watch :source,
                                path: File.expand_path(options[:source], app.root),
-                               latency: options[:latency]
+                               latency: options[:latency],
+                               frontmatter: false
 
     logger.info "== Executing: `#{options[:command]}`"
 
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/file_renderer.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/file_renderer.rb
index 3f385ed6..67f9411f 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/file_renderer.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/file_renderer.rb
@@ -96,12 +96,13 @@ module Middleman
     # @return [String]
     Contract String
     def template_data_for_file
-      if @app.extensions[:front_matter]
+      file = @app.files.find(:source, @path)
+
+      if @app.extensions[:front_matter] || (file && !file[:types].include?(:no_frontmatter))
         result = @app.extensions[:front_matter].template_data_for_file(@path)
         return result unless result.nil?
       end
 
-      file = @app.files.find(:source, @path)
       file ? file.read : File.read(@path)
     end
 
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/ignores.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/ignores.rb
index beba7d7a..dfa80304 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/ignores.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/ignores.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module Middleman
         # Ignore a path or add an ignore callback
         # @param [String, Regexp] path Path glob expression, or path regex
         # @return [IgnoreDescriptor]
-        Contract Maybe[Or[String, Regexp]], Maybe[Proc] => RespondTo[:execute_descriptor]
+        Contract Or[String, Regexp, Proc] => RespondTo[:execute_descriptor]
         def ignore(path=nil, &block)
           @app.sitemap.invalidate_resources_not_ignored_cache!
           IgnoreDescriptor.new(path, block)
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ module Middleman
               else
                 match_path == path_clean
               end
-            elsif block_given?
+            elsif block
               block.call(match_path)
             end
           end
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/import.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/import.rb
index eba04a44..239aa917 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/import.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/extensions/import.rb
@@ -12,8 +12,10 @@ module Middleman
 
         ImportFileDescriptor = Struct.new(:from, :to) do
           def execute_descriptor(app, resources)
+            source = ::Middleman::SourceFile.new(Pathname(from).relative_path_from(app.source_dir), Pathname(from), app.source_dir, Set.new([:source, :binary]), 0)
+
             resources + [
-              ::Middleman::Sitemap::Resource.new(app.sitemap, to, from)
+              ::Middleman::Sitemap::Resource.new(app.sitemap, to, source)
             ]
           end
         end
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/resource.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/resource.rb
index adb36cfe..b1f614e4 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/resource.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sitemap/resource.rb
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ module Middleman
       # @return [Boolean]
       Contract Bool
       def binary?
-        !file_descriptor.nil? && ::Middleman::Util.binary?(file_descriptor[:full_path].to_s)
+        !file_descriptor.nil? && (file_descriptor[:types].include?(:binary) || ::Middleman::Util.binary?(file_descriptor[:full_path].to_s))
       end
 
       # Ignore a resource directly, without going through the whole
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sources/source_watcher.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sources/source_watcher.rb
index 70f749b0..328afb9e 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sources/source_watcher.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/sources/source_watcher.rb
@@ -66,6 +66,8 @@ module Middleman
       @files = {}
       @extensionless_files = {}
 
+      @frontmatter = options.fetch(:frontmatter, true)
+      @binary = options.fetch(:binary, false)
       @validator = options.fetch(:validator, proc { true })
       @ignored = options.fetch(:ignored, proc { false })
       @only = Array(options.fetch(:only, []))
@@ -181,7 +183,7 @@ module Middleman
     Contract ArrayOf[Pathname]
     def find_new_files!
       new_files = ::Middleman::Util.all_files_under(@directory.to_s)
-          .reject { |p| @files.key?(p) }
+                                   .reject { |p| @files.key?(p) }
 
       update(new_files, [])
 
@@ -278,6 +280,8 @@ module Middleman
     Contract Pathname, Pathname, Symbol, Maybe[String] => ::Middleman::SourceFile
     def path_to_source_file(path, directory, type, destination_dir)
       types = Set.new([type])
+      types << :no_frontmatter unless @frontmatter
+      types << :@binary if @binary
 
       relative_path = path.relative_path_from(directory)
       relative_path = File.join(destination_dir, relative_path) if destination_dir
diff --git a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/util/data.rb b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/util/data.rb
index 246ae2e1..c18e6975 100644
--- a/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/util/data.rb
+++ b/middleman-core/lib/middleman-core/util/data.rb
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ module Middleman
       Contract IsA['Middleman::SourceFile'], Maybe[Symbol] => [Hash, Maybe[String]]
       def parse(file, frontmatter_delims, known_type=nil)
         full_path = file[:full_path]
-        return [{}, nil] if ::Middleman::Util.binary?(full_path)
+        return [{}, nil] if ::Middleman::Util.binary?(full_path) || file[:types].include?(:binary)
 
         # Avoid weird race condition when a file is renamed
         begin