diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/backendPlugin.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/backendPlugin.ts
index d7855d5d68..68c684f6ab 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/backendPlugin.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/backendPlugin.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@
 
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import camelCase from 'lodash/camelCase';
-import upperFirst from 'lodash/upperFirst';
-import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { paths } from '../../paths';
 import {
   addCodeownersEntry,
@@ -25,10 +23,9 @@ import {
   parseOwnerIds,
 } from '../../codeowners';
 import { createFactory, CreateContext } from '../types';
-import { Lockfile } from '../../versioning';
-import { addPackageDependency, Task, templatingTask } from '../../tasks';
-import { createPackageVersionProvider } from '../../version';
+import { addPackageDependency, Task } from '../../tasks';
 import { ownerPrompt, pluginIdPrompt } from './common/prompts';
+import { executePluginPackageTemplate } from './common/tasks';
 
 type Options = {
   id: string;
@@ -47,38 +44,14 @@ export const backendPlugin = createFactory<Options>({
     const id = `${options.id}-backend`;
     const name = ctx.scope ? `@${ctx.scope}/plugin-${id}` : `plugin-${id}`;
 
-    const pluginDir = ctx.isMonoRepo
+    const targetDir = ctx.isMonoRepo
       ? paths.resolveTargetRoot('plugins', id)
       : paths.resolveTargetRoot(`backstage-plugin-${id}`);
 
-    let lockfile: Lockfile | undefined;
-    try {
-      lockfile = await Lockfile.load(paths.resolveTargetRoot('yarn.lock'));
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn(`No yarn.lock available, ${error}`);
-    }
-
-    Task.section('Validating prerequisites');
-    const shortPluginDir = pluginDir.replace(`${paths.targetRoot}/`, '');
-    await Task.forItem('availability', shortPluginDir, async () => {
-      if (await fs.pathExists(pluginDir)) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `A backend plugin with the same ID already exists at ${chalk.cyan(
-            shortPluginDir,
-          )}. Please try again with a different ID.`,
-        );
-      }
-    });
-
-    const tempDir = await Task.forItem('creating', 'temp dir', async () => {
-      return await ctx.createTemporaryDirectory(`backstage-plugin-${id}`);
-    });
-
-    Task.section('Executing plugin template');
-    await templatingTask(
-      paths.resolveOwn('templates/default-backend-plugin'),
-      tempDir,
-      {
+    await executePluginPackageTemplate(ctx, {
+      targetDir,
+      templateName: 'default-backend-plugin',
+      values: {
         id,
         name,
         pluginVar: `${camelCase(id)}Plugin`,
@@ -86,20 +59,8 @@ export const backendPlugin = createFactory<Options>({
         privatePackage: ctx.private,
         npmRegistry: ctx.npmRegistry,
       },
-      createPackageVersionProvider(lockfile),
-    );
-
-    Task.section('Installing plugin');
-    await Task.forItem('moving', shortPluginDir, async () => {
-      await fs.move(tempDir, pluginDir).catch(error => {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Failed to move plugin from ${tempDir} to ${pluginDir}, ${error.message}`,
-        );
-      });
     });
 
-    ctx.markAsModified();
-
     if (await fs.pathExists(paths.resolveTargetRoot('packages/backend'))) {
       await Task.forItem('backend', 'adding dependency', async () => {
         await addPackageDependency(
@@ -124,9 +85,9 @@ export const backendPlugin = createFactory<Options>({
       }
     }
 
-    await Task.forCommand('yarn install', { cwd: pluginDir, optional: true });
+    await Task.forCommand('yarn install', { cwd: targetDir, optional: true });
     await Task.forCommand('yarn lint --fix', {
-      cwd: pluginDir,
+      cwd: targetDir,
       optional: true,
     });
   },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/common/tasks.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/common/tasks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b644110a9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/common/tasks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2021 The Backstage Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+import fs from 'fs-extra';
+import chalk from 'chalk';
+import { paths } from '../../../paths';
+import { Task, templatingTask } from '../../../tasks';
+import { Lockfile } from '../../../versioning';
+import { createPackageVersionProvider } from '../../../version';
+import { CreateContext } from '../../types';
+
+export async function executePluginPackageTemplate(
+  ctx: CreateContext,
+  options: {
+    templateName: string;
+    targetDir: string;
+    values: Record<string, unknown>;
+  },
+) {
+  const { targetDir } = options;
+
+  let lockfile: Lockfile | undefined;
+  try {
+    lockfile = await Lockfile.load(paths.resolveTargetRoot('yarn.lock'));
+  } catch {
+    /* ignored */
+  }
+
+  Task.section('Checking Prerequisites');
+  const shortPluginDir = targetDir.replace(`${paths.targetRoot}/`, '');
+  await Task.forItem('availability', shortPluginDir, async () => {
+    if (await fs.pathExists(targetDir)) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `A package with the same plugin ID already exists at ${chalk.cyan(
+          shortPluginDir,
+        )}. Please try again with a different ID.`,
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
+  const tempDir = await Task.forItem('creating', 'temp dir', async () => {
+    return await ctx.createTemporaryDirectory('backstage-create');
+  });
+
+  Task.section('Executing Template');
+  await templatingTask(
+    paths.resolveOwn('templates', options.templateName),
+    tempDir,
+    options.values,
+    createPackageVersionProvider(lockfile),
+  );
+
+  Task.section('Installing');
+  await Task.forItem('moving', shortPluginDir, async () => {
+    await fs.move(tempDir, targetDir).catch(error => {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Failed to move package from ${tempDir} to ${targetDir}, ${error.message}`,
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  ctx.markAsModified();
+}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/frontendPlugin.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/frontendPlugin.ts
index 3fe01b7325..bb93bd311c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/frontendPlugin.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/create/factories/frontendPlugin.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import camelCase from 'lodash/camelCase';
 import upperFirst from 'lodash/upperFirst';
-import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { paths } from '../../paths';
 import {
   addCodeownersEntry,
@@ -25,10 +24,9 @@ import {
   parseOwnerIds,
 } from '../../codeowners';
 import { createFactory, CreateContext } from '../types';
-import { Lockfile } from '../../versioning';
-import { addPackageDependency, Task, templatingTask } from '../../tasks';
-import { createPackageVersionProvider } from '../../version';
+import { addPackageDependency, Task } from '../../tasks';
 import { ownerPrompt, pluginIdPrompt } from './common/prompts';
+import { executePluginPackageTemplate } from './common/tasks';
 
 type Options = {
   id: string;
@@ -49,60 +47,24 @@ export const frontendPlugin = createFactory<Options>({
     const name = ctx.scope ? `@${ctx.scope}/plugin-${id}` : `plugin-${id}`;
     const extensionName = `${upperFirst(camelCase(id))}Page`;
 
-    const pluginDir = ctx.isMonoRepo
+    const targetDir = ctx.isMonoRepo
       ? paths.resolveTargetRoot('plugins', id)
       : paths.resolveTargetRoot(`backstage-plugin-${id}`);
 
-    let lockfile: Lockfile | undefined;
-    try {
-      lockfile = await Lockfile.load(paths.resolveTargetRoot('yarn.lock'));
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.warn(`No yarn.lock available, ${error}`);
-    }
-
-    Task.section('Validating prerequisites');
-    const shortPluginDir = pluginDir.replace(`${paths.targetRoot}/`, '');
-    await Task.forItem('availability', shortPluginDir, async () => {
-      if (await fs.pathExists(pluginDir)) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `A plugin with the same ID already exists at ${chalk.cyan(
-            shortPluginDir,
-          )}. Please try again with a different ID.`,
-        );
-      }
-    });
-
-    const tempDir = await Task.forItem('creating', 'temp dir', async () => {
-      return await ctx.createTemporaryDirectory(`backstage-plugin-${id}`);
-    });
-
-    Task.section('Executing plugin template');
-    await templatingTask(
-      paths.resolveOwn('templates/default-plugin'),
-      tempDir,
-      {
+    await executePluginPackageTemplate(ctx, {
+      targetDir,
+      templateName: 'default-plugin',
+      values: {
         id,
+        name,
+        extensionName,
         pluginVar: `${camelCase(id)}Plugin`,
         pluginVersion: ctx.defaultVersion,
-        extensionName,
-        name,
         privatePackage: ctx.private,
         npmRegistry: ctx.npmRegistry,
       },
-      createPackageVersionProvider(lockfile),
-    );
-
-    Task.section('Installing plugin');
-    await Task.forItem('moving', shortPluginDir, async () => {
-      await fs.move(tempDir, pluginDir).catch(error => {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Failed to move plugin from ${tempDir} to ${pluginDir}, ${error.message}`,
-        );
-      });
     });
 
-    ctx.markAsModified();
-
     if (await fs.pathExists(paths.resolveTargetRoot('packages/app'))) {
       await Task.forItem('app', 'adding dependency', async () => {
         await addPackageDependency(
@@ -163,9 +125,9 @@ export const frontendPlugin = createFactory<Options>({
       }
     }
 
-    await Task.forCommand('yarn install', { cwd: pluginDir, optional: true });
+    await Task.forCommand('yarn install', { cwd: targetDir, optional: true });
     await Task.forCommand('yarn lint --fix', {
-      cwd: pluginDir,
+      cwd: targetDir,
       optional: true,
     });
   },