diff --git a/config/constants.go b/config/constants.go
index 2b7293e78..06e6202ee 100644
--- a/config/constants.go
+++ b/config/constants.go
@@ -36,4 +36,5 @@ var ViperPolicyHooks = viper.DecodeHook(mapstructure.ComposeDecodeHookFunc(
 	DecodePolicyBase64Hook(),
 	decodeJWTClaimHeadersHookFunc(),
 	decodeCodecTypeHookFunc(),
+	decodePPLPolicyHookFunc(),
 ))
diff --git a/config/custom.go b/config/custom.go
index 788c68f4f..204adc61f 100644
--- a/config/custom.go
+++ b/config/custom.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 
+	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/pkg/policy/parser"
+
 	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/internal/httputil"
 	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/internal/urlutil"
 )
@@ -313,6 +315,53 @@ func (urls WeightedURLs) Flatten() ([]string, []uint32, error) {
 	return str, wghts, nil
 }
 
+// PPLPolicy is a policy defined using PPL.
+type PPLPolicy struct {
+	*parser.Policy
+}
+
+// UnmarshalJSON parses JSON into a PPL policy.
+func (ppl *PPLPolicy) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	var err error
+	ppl.Policy, err = parser.ParseJSON(bytes.NewReader(data))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// UnmarshalYAML parses YAML into a PPL policy.
+func (ppl *PPLPolicy) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
+	var i interface{}
+	err := unmarshal(&i)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	bs, err := json.Marshal(i)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return ppl.UnmarshalJSON(bs)
+}
+
+func decodePPLPolicyHookFunc() mapstructure.DecodeHookFunc {
+	return func(f, t reflect.Type, data interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
+		if t != reflect.TypeOf(&PPLPolicy{}) {
+			return data, nil
+		}
+		bs, err := json.Marshal(data)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		var ppl PPLPolicy
+		err = json.Unmarshal(bs, &ppl)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return &ppl, nil
+	}
+}
+
 // DecodePolicyBase64Hook returns a mapstructure decode hook for base64 data.
 func DecodePolicyBase64Hook() mapstructure.DecodeHookFunc {
 	return func(f, t reflect.Type, data interface{}) (interface{}, error) {
diff --git a/config/custom_test.go b/config/custom_test.go
index 6b5767693..a85af5cd0 100644
--- a/config/custom_test.go
+++ b/config/custom_test.go
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+
+	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/pkg/policy/parser"
 )
 
 func TestJWTClaimHeaders_UnmarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
@@ -190,3 +192,39 @@ func TestWeightedStringSlice(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, tc.Weights, weights, name)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestDecodePPLPolicyHookFunc(t *testing.T) {
+	var withPolicy struct {
+		Policy *PPLPolicy `mapstructure:"policy"`
+	}
+	decoder, err := mapstructure.NewDecoder(&mapstructure.DecoderConfig{
+		DecodeHook: decodePPLPolicyHookFunc(),
+		Result:     &withPolicy,
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = decoder.Decode(map[string]interface{}{
+		"policy": map[string]interface{}{
+			"allow": map[string]interface{}{
+				"or": []map[string]interface{}{
+					{"email": map[string]interface{}{
+						"is": "user1@example.com",
+					}},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	})
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, &PPLPolicy{
+		Policy: &parser.Policy{
+			Rules: []parser.Rule{{
+				Action: parser.ActionAllow,
+				Or: []parser.Criterion{{
+					Name: "email", Data: parser.Object{
+						"is": parser.String("user1@example.com"),
+					},
+				}},
+			}},
+		},
+	}, withPolicy.Policy)
+}
diff --git a/config/options.go b/config/options.go
index 55fdb8aee..5d4c6f030 100644
--- a/config/options.go
+++ b/config/options.go
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ type Options struct {
 	// Policies define per-route configuration and access control policies.
 	Policies   []Policy `mapstructure:"policy"`
 	PolicyFile string   `mapstructure:"policy_file" yaml:"policy_file,omitempty"`
+	Routes     []Policy `mapstructure:"routes"`
 
 	// AdditionalPolicies are any additional policies added to the options.
 	AdditionalPolicies []Policy `yaml:"-"`
@@ -428,6 +429,15 @@ func (o *Options) parsePolicy() error {
 	if len(policies) != 0 {
 		o.Policies = policies
 	}
+
+	var routes []Policy
+	if err := o.viper.UnmarshalKey("routes", &routes, ViperPolicyHooks); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if len(routes) != 0 {
+		o.Routes = routes
+	}
+
 	// Finish initializing policies
 	for i := range o.Policies {
 		p := &o.Policies[i]
@@ -435,6 +445,12 @@ func (o *Options) parsePolicy() error {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+	for i := range o.Routes {
+		p := &o.Routes[i]
+		if err := p.Validate(); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
 	for i := range o.AdditionalPolicies {
 		p := &o.AdditionalPolicies[i]
 		if err := p.Validate(); err != nil {
@@ -861,8 +877,9 @@ func (o *Options) GetAllPolicies() []Policy {
 	if o == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	policies := make([]Policy, 0, len(o.Policies)+len(o.AdditionalPolicies))
+	policies := make([]Policy, 0, len(o.Policies)+len(o.Routes)+len(o.AdditionalPolicies))
 	policies = append(policies, o.Policies...)
+	policies = append(policies, o.Routes...)
 	policies = append(policies, o.AdditionalPolicies...)
 	return policies
 }
diff --git a/config/policy.go b/config/policy.go
index 6f0794525..7c2998e3d 100644
--- a/config/policy.go
+++ b/config/policy.go
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ type Policy struct {
 
 	// SetResponseHeaders sets response headers.
 	SetResponseHeaders map[string]string `mapstructure:"set_response_headers" yaml:"set_response_headers,omitempty"`
+
+	Policy *PPLPolicy `mapstructure:"policy" yaml:"policy,omitempty" json:"policy,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // RewriteHeader is a policy configuration option to rewrite an HTTP header.
diff --git a/config/policy_ppl.go b/config/policy_ppl.go
index dbb49c6ad..0ffb4607e 100644
--- a/config/policy_ppl.go
+++ b/config/policy_ppl.go
@@ -99,5 +99,10 @@ func (p *Policy) ToPPL() *parser.Policy {
 		})
 	ppl.Rules = append(ppl.Rules, denyRule)
 
+	// append embedded PPL policy rules
+	if p.Policy != nil && p.Policy.Policy != nil {
+		ppl.Rules = append(ppl.Rules, p.Policy.Policy.Rules...)
+	}
+
 	return ppl
 }
diff --git a/config/policy_ppl_test.go b/config/policy_ppl_test.go
index 2a76a9f26..915254aaa 100644
--- a/config/policy_ppl_test.go
+++ b/config/policy_ppl_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/pkg/policy"
+	"github.com/pomerium/pomerium/pkg/policy/parser"
 )
 
 func TestPolicy_ToPPL(t *testing.T) {
@@ -38,6 +39,19 @@ func TestPolicy_ToPPL(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		},
+		Policy: &PPLPolicy{
+			Policy: &parser.Policy{
+				Rules: []parser.Rule{{
+					Action: parser.ActionAllow,
+					Or: []parser.Criterion{{
+						Name: "user",
+						Data: parser.Object{
+							"is": parser.String("user6"),
+						},
+					}},
+				}},
+			},
+		},
 	}).ToPPL())
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, `package pomerium.policy
@@ -469,24 +483,41 @@ else = v28 {
 	v28
 }
 
+users_5 {
+	session := get_session(input.session.id)
+	user := get_user(session)
+	user_id := user.id
+	user_id == "user6"
+}
+
+or_1 = v1 {
+	v1 := users_5
+	v1
+}
+
 allow = v1 {
 	v1 := or_0
 	v1
 }
 
+else = v2 {
+	v2 := or_1
+	v2
+}
+
 invalid_client_certificate_0 = reason {
 	reason = [495, "invalid client certificate"]
 	is_boolean(input.is_valid_client_certificate)
 	not input.is_valid_client_certificate
 }
 
-or_1 = v1 {
+or_2 = v1 {
 	v1 := invalid_client_certificate_0
 	v1
 }
 
 deny = v1 {
-	v1 := or_1
+	v1 := or_2
 	v1
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/httputil/reproxy/reproxy.go b/internal/httputil/reproxy/reproxy.go
index 2e8ba8401..965bfd537 100644
--- a/internal/httputil/reproxy/reproxy.go
+++ b/internal/httputil/reproxy/reproxy.go
@@ -29,13 +29,13 @@ type Handler struct {
 	mu       sync.RWMutex
 	key      []byte
 	options  *config.Options
-	policies map[uint64]*config.Policy
+	policies map[uint64]config.Policy
 }
 
 // New creates a new Handler.
 func New() *Handler {
 	h := new(Handler)
-	h.policies = make(map[uint64]*config.Policy)
+	h.policies = make(map[uint64]config.Policy)
 	return h
 }
 
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func (h *Handler) Middleware(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
 
 		h := stdhttputil.NewSingleHostReverseProxy(&dst)
 		h.ErrorLog = stdlog.New(log.Logger(), "", 0)
-		h.Transport = config.NewPolicyHTTPTransport(options, policy, disableHTTP2)
+		h.Transport = config.NewPolicyHTTPTransport(options, &policy, disableHTTP2)
 		h.ServeHTTP(w, r)
 		return nil
 	})
@@ -133,14 +133,14 @@ func (h *Handler) Update(ctx context.Context, cfg *config.Config) {
 
 	h.key, _ = cfg.Options.GetSharedKey()
 	h.options = cfg.Options
-	h.policies = make(map[uint64]*config.Policy)
-	for i, p := range cfg.Options.Policies {
+	h.policies = make(map[uint64]config.Policy)
+	for _, p := range cfg.Options.GetAllPolicies() {
 		id, err := p.RouteID()
 		if err != nil {
 			log.Warn(ctx).Err(err).Msg("reproxy: error getting route id")
 			continue
 		}
-		h.policies[id] = &cfg.Options.Policies[i]
+		h.policies[id] = p
 	}
 }