diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/new/new.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/new/new.ts
index 2733b0be9b..7dda08626b 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/new/new.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/new/new.ts
@@ -23,98 +23,114 @@ import { isMonoRepo } from '@backstage/cli-node';
 import { paths } from '../../lib/paths';
 import { assertError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { Task } from '../../lib/tasks';
+import defaultTemplates from '../../../templates/alpha/all-default-templates';
 
-function parseOptions(optionStrings: string[]): Record<string, string> {
-  const options: Record<string, string> = {};
-
-  for (const str of optionStrings) {
-    const [key] = str.split('=', 1);
-    const value = str.slice(key.length + 1);
-    if (!key || str[key.length] !== '=') {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Invalid option '${str}', must be of the format <key>=<value>`,
-      );
-    }
-    options[key] = value;
-  }
-
-  return options;
+interface TemplateLocation {
+  id: string;
+  target: string;
 }
 
-export default async (opts: OptionValues) => {
-  const factory = await FactoryRegistry.interactiveSelect(opts.select);
-
-  const providedOptions = parseOptions(opts.option);
-  const options = await FactoryRegistry.populateOptions(
-    factory,
-    providedOptions,
-  );
-
-  let defaultVersion = '0.1.0';
-  if (opts.baseVersion) {
-    defaultVersion = opts.baseVersion;
-  } else {
-    const lernaVersion = await fs
-      .readJson(paths.resolveTargetRoot('lerna.json'))
-      .then(pkg => pkg.version)
-      .catch(() => undefined);
-    if (lernaVersion) {
-      defaultVersion = lernaVersion;
-    }
-  }
-
-  const tempDirs = new Array<string>();
-  async function createTemporaryDirectory(name: string): Promise<string> {
-    const dir = await fs.mkdtemp(joinPath(os.tmpdir(), name));
-    tempDirs.push(dir);
-    return dir;
-  }
-
-  const license = opts.license ?? 'Apache-2.0';
-
-  let modified = false;
-  try {
-    await factory.create(options, {
-      isMonoRepo: await isMonoRepo(),
-      defaultVersion,
-      license,
-      scope: opts.scope?.replace(/^@/, ''),
-      npmRegistry: opts.npmRegistry,
-      private: Boolean(opts.private),
-      createTemporaryDirectory,
-      markAsModified() {
-        modified = true;
-      },
-    });
-
-    Task.log();
-    Task.log(`🎉  Successfully created ${factory.name}`);
-    Task.log();
-  } catch (error) {
-    assertError(error);
-    Task.error(error.message);
-
-    if (modified) {
-      Task.log('It seems that something went wrong in the creation process 🤔');
-      Task.log();
-      Task.log(
-        'We have left the changes that were made intact in case you want to',
-      );
-      Task.log(
-        'continue manually, but you can also revert the changes and try again.',
-      );
-
-      Task.error(`🔥  Failed to create ${factory.name}!`);
-    }
-  } finally {
-    for (const dir of tempDirs) {
-      try {
-        await fs.remove(dir);
-      } catch (error) {
-        console.error(
-          `Failed to remove temporary directory '${dir}', ${error}`,
-        );
+async function readCliConfig(
+  cliConfig:
+    | {
+        defaults?: boolean;
+        templates?: TemplateLocation[];
+        globals?: Record<string, string>;
       }
-    }
+    | undefined,
+) {
+  let templates: TemplateLocation[] = [];
+  const cliTemplates = cliConfig?.templates;
+
+  if (!cliConfig || cliConfig?.defaults) {
+    templates = defaultTemplates;
   }
+  if (cliTemplates?.length) {
+    cliTemplates.forEach((template: TemplateLocation) => {
+      templates.push({
+        id: template.id,
+        target: template.target,
+      });
+    });
+  }
+  return {
+    templates,
+    globals: { ...cliConfig?.globals },
+  };
+}
+
+export default async () => {
+  const pkgJson = await fs.readJson(paths.resolveTargetRoot('package.json'));
+  const cliConfig = pkgJson.backstage?.cli;
+
+  const { templates, globals } = await readCliConfig(cliConfig);
+  console.log(templates, globals);
+
+  // let defaultVersion = '0.1.0';
+  // if (opts.baseVersion) {
+  //   defaultVersion = opts.baseVersion;
+  // } else {
+  //   const lernaVersion = await fs
+  //     .readJson(paths.resolveTargetRoot('lerna.json'))
+  //     .then(pkg => pkg.version)
+  //     .catch(() => undefined);
+  //   if (lernaVersion) {
+  //     defaultVersion = lernaVersion;
+  //   }
+  // }
+
+  // const tempDirs = new Array<string>();
+  // async function createTemporaryDirectory(name: string): Promise<string> {
+  //   const dir = await fs.mkdtemp(joinPath(os.tmpdir(), name));
+  //   tempDirs.push(dir);
+  //   return dir;
+  // }
+
+  // const license = opts.license ?? 'Apache-2.0';
+
+  // let modified = false;
+  // try {
+  //   await factory.create(options, {
+  //     isMonoRepo: await isMonoRepo(),
+  //     defaultVersion,
+  //     license,
+  //     scope: opts.scope?.replace(/^@/, ''),
+  //     npmRegistry: opts.npmRegistry,
+  //     private: Boolean(opts.private),
+  //     createTemporaryDirectory,
+  //     markAsModified() {
+  //       modified = true;
+  //     },
+  //   });
+
+  //   Task.log();
+  //   Task.log(`🎉  Successfully created ${factory.name}`);
+  //   Task.log();
+  // } catch (error) {
+  //   assertError(error);
+  //   Task.error(error.message);
+
+  //   if (modified) {
+  //     Task.log('It seems that something went wrong in the creation process 🤔');
+  //     Task.log();
+  //     Task.log(
+  //       'We have left the changes that were made intact in case you want to',
+  //     );
+  //     Task.log(
+  //       'continue manually, but you can also revert the changes and try again.',
+  //     );
+
+  //     Task.error(`🔥  Failed to create ${factory.name}!`);
+  //   }
+  // } finally {
+  //   for (const dir of tempDirs) {
+  //     try {
+  //       await fs.remove(dir);
+  //     } catch (error) {
+  //       console.error(
+  //         `Failed to remove temporary directory '${dir}', ${error}`,
+  //       );
+  //     }
+  //   }
+  // }
 };