diff --git a/docs/src/igraphs.md b/docs/src/igraphs.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..99568fdff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/src/igraphs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# IGraphs integration (igraph C library)
+
+`IGraphs.jl` (https://github.com/JuliaGraphs/IGraphs.jl) is the idiomatic
+Julia wrapper around the C `igraph` library (see JuliaGraphs/Graphs.jl#446).
+
+## Design pattern (proof of concept)
+
+To avoid a hard binary dependency, `Graphs.jl` only declares:
+
+ `Graphs.isomorphism_igraph`, and `Graphs.to_igraph`, which throw an
+ informative error telling the user to install `IGraphs.jl`.
+
+`IGraphs.jl` then provides, for example:
+
+struct IGraphLouvain <: Graphs.IGraphAlgorithm end
+Graphs.community_detection_igraph(g::AbstractGraph, ::IGraphLouvain) =
+   community_detection_igraph(to_igraph(g), IGraphLouvain())
+
+where `to_igraph(::AbstractGraph)` converts (copy or zero-copy view) a
+`Graphs.jl` graph to the C `igraph_t` structure, preserving directedness,
+vertex numbering (`1:n`), and edge multiplicities as documented in `IGraphs.jl`.
+
+## Conformance
+
+`IGraph` graph types must satisfy the full `Graphs.jl` `AbstractGraph`
+interface and are validated with `GraphsInterfaceChecker.jl` in the
+`IGraphs.jl` test suite:
+
+using Graphs, GraphsInterfaceChecker, IGraphs
+@test test_graph(IGraphGraph(SimpleGraph(4, 3)))
+
+See `src/igraphs.jl` for the stub definitions and docstrings.
diff --git a/src/Graphs.jl b/src/Graphs.jl
index 9df01764e..215f28a3a 100644
--- a/src/Graphs.jl
+++ b/src/Graphs.jl
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 module Graphs
 
+include("igraphs.jl")
+export IGraphAlgorithm, community_detection_igraph, isomorphism_igraph, to_igraph
+
 using SimpleTraits
 
 ### Remove the following line once #915 is closed
diff --git a/src/igraphs.jl b/src/igraphs.jl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5fb5d52ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/igraphs.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+"""
+   IGraphs integration hooks (proof of concept)
+
+Declares the interface pattern for dispatching `Graphs.jl` operations to the
+C `igraph` library via the `IGraphs.jl` package, without taking a hard
+dependency on it (see JuliaGraphs/Graphs.jl#446).
+
+Pattern:
+
+1. `Graphs.jl` declares a lightweight algorithm trait, e.g.
+  `IGraphAlgorithm <: AbstractGraphAlgorithm`, and generic stubs for
+  igraph-only algorithms that throw an informative error.
+2. `IGraphs.jl` defines concrete subtypes (e.g. `IGraphLouvain()`) and
+  methods `f(g::AbstractGraph, alg::IGraphAlgorithm)` that convert `g`
+  to an `IGraph` view/copy when needed and `ccall` into `libigraph`.
+"""
+
+"""Trait for algorithms whose reference implementation lives in `IGraphs.jl`."""
+abstract type IGraphAlgorithm end
+
+_igraphs_hint(fname::Symbol) = error(
+   "`Graphs.$(fname)` requires the `IGraphs.jl` package, " *
+   "the idiomatic Julia wrapper around the C `igraph` library. " *
+   "Install it with `using Pkg; Pkg.add(\"IGraphs\")`, then `using IGraphs` " *
+   "and retry. See https://github.com/JuliaGraphs/IGraphs.jl. " *
+   "(JuliaGraphs/Graphs.jl#446)",
+)
+
+"""
+   community_detection_igraph(g::AbstractGraph, alg::IGraphAlgorithm)
+
+Placeholder for igraph-provided community-detection algorithms (e.g. Louvain,
+Leiden, Walktrap) not implemented natively in `Graphs.jl`.
+The concrete `alg` subtypes and methods are defined in `IGraphs.jl`, which
+converts `g` to an `IGraph` graph if necessary before dispatching to C.
+"""
+function community_detection_igraph end
+community_detection_igraph(::AbstractGraph, ::IGraphAlgorithm) =
+   _igraphs_hint(:community_detection_igraph)
+community_detection_igraph(::AbstractGraph) =
+   _igraphs_hint(:community_detection_igraph)
+
+"""
+   isomorphism_igraph(g::AbstractGraph, h::AbstractGraph, alg::IGraphAlgorithm)
+
+Placeholder for igraph-provided (sub)graph-isomorphism routines (e.g. VF2/BLISS
+variants). Implemented in `IGraphs.jl` via `ccall` to `libigraph`.
+"""
+function isomorphism_igraph end
+isomorphism_igraph(::AbstractGraph, ::AbstractGraph, ::IGraphAlgorithm) =
+   _igraphs_hint(:isomorphism_igraph)
+isomorphism_igraph(::AbstractGraph, ::AbstractGraph) =
+   _igraphs_hint(:isomorphism_igraph)
+
+"""
+   to_igraph(g::AbstractGraph) -> Any
+
+Convert `g` to the corresponding `IGraphs.jl` graph type (copy by default;
+`IGraphs.jl` may provide zero-copy views). This stub throws an informative
+error until `IGraphs.jl` is loaded, which defines the actual method.
+"""
+function to_igraph end
+to_igraph(::AbstractGraph) = _igraphs_hint(:to_igraph)