diff --git a/.changeset/poor-ads-grab.md b/.changeset/poor-ads-grab.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..75a56bf974
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/poor-ads-grab.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/codemods': patch
+---
+
+Inlined the table of symbols used by the `core-imports` codemod so that future updates to the core packages don't break the codemod. An entry for has also been added to direct imports of `createApp` to `@backstage/app-defaults`.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify_windows.yml b/.github/workflows/verify_windows.yml
index 5326e293d3..6899b6ec2b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify_windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify_windows.yml
@@ -55,10 +55,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: verify type dependencies
         run: yarn lint:type-deps
 
-      # The core packages need to be built for the codemods tests to work
-      - name: build core packages
-        run: lerna run --scope @backstage/core-* build
-
       - name: test
         run: yarn lerna -- run test
         env:
diff --git a/packages/codemods/package.json b/packages/codemods/package.json
index cc5f3fd987..7c1e9a0d12 100644
--- a/packages/codemods/package.json
+++ b/packages/codemods/package.json
@@ -35,9 +35,6 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@backstage/cli-common": "^0.1.8",
-    "@backstage/core-app-api": "*",
-    "@backstage/core-components": "0.9.1",
-    "@backstage/core-plugin-api": "*",
     "chalk": "^4.0.0",
     "jscodeshift": "^0.13.0",
     "jscodeshift-add-imports": "^1.0.10"
diff --git a/packages/codemods/src/tests/core-imports.test.ts b/packages/codemods/src/tests/core-imports.test.ts
index 0b416e5c8e..56500fd914 100644
--- a/packages/codemods/src/tests/core-imports.test.ts
+++ b/packages/codemods/src/tests/core-imports.test.ts
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ return something()
   it('should refactor imports', () => {
     const input = `
 /* COPYRIGHT: ME */
-import { Button as MyButton, createApiRef, createSpecializedApp } from '@backstage/core';
+import { Button as MyButton, createApiRef, createApp } from '@backstage/core';
 
-const app = createSpecializedApp();
+const app = createApp();
 const apiRef = createApiRef();
 const button = <MyButton />
 `;
@@ -57,9 +57,9 @@ const button = <MyButton />
 import { Button as MyButton } from '@backstage/core-components';
 
 import { createApiRef } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
-import { createSpecializedApp } from '@backstage/core-app-api';
+import { createApp } from '@backstage/app-defaults';
 
-const app = createSpecializedApp();
+const app = createApp();
 const apiRef = createApiRef();
 const button = <MyButton />
 `;
diff --git a/packages/codemods/transforms/core-imports.js b/packages/codemods/transforms/core-imports.js
index f744a9c412..bcce7554d4 100644
--- a/packages/codemods/transforms/core-imports.js
+++ b/packages/codemods/transforms/core-imports.js
@@ -15,29 +15,258 @@
  */
 
 const addImports = require('jscodeshift-add-imports');
-const { resolve: resolvePath } = require('path');
-const fs = require('fs');
-
-function findExports(packageName) {
-  const packagePath = require.resolve(`${packageName}/package.json`);
-  const typesPath = resolvePath(packagePath, '../dist/index.d.ts');
-  const content = fs.readFileSync(typesPath, 'utf8');
-
-  // For each export statement in the type declarations we grab the exported symbol names
-  return content
-    .split(/export \{ (.*) \}/)
-    .filter((_, i) => i % 2)
-    .flatMap(symbolsStr =>
-      symbolsStr
-        .split(', ')
-        .map(exported => exported.match(/.* as (.*)/)?.[1] || exported),
-    );
-}
 
+// The symbols in this table are out of date, but it does NOT need updating.
+// They're from a snapshot in the past and only need to handle the migration
+// away from @backstage/core.
 const symbolTable = {
-  '@backstage/core-app-api': findExports('@backstage/core-app-api'),
-  '@backstage/core-components': findExports('@backstage/core-components'),
-  '@backstage/core-plugin-api': findExports('@backstage/core-plugin-api'),
+  '@backstage/app-defaults': ['createApp'],
+  '@backstage/core-app-api': [
+    'ConfigReader',
+    'AlertApiForwarder',
+    'ApiFactoryHolder',
+    'ApiFactoryRegistry',
+    'ApiProvider',
+    'ApiRegistry',
+    'ApiResolver',
+    'AppComponents',
+    'AppConfigLoader',
+    'AppContext',
+    'AppOptions',
+    'AppRouteBinder',
+    'AppThemeSelector',
+    'Auth0Auth',
+    'BackstageApp',
+    'BackstagePluginWithAnyOutput',
+    'BootErrorPageProps',
+    'ErrorAlerter',
+    'ErrorApiForwarder',
+    'ErrorBoundaryFallbackProps',
+    'FeatureFlagged',
+    'FeatureFlaggedProps',
+    'FlatRoutes',
+    'GithubAuth',
+    'GithubSession',
+    'GitlabAuth',
+    'GoogleAuth',
+    'LocalStorageFeatureFlags',
+    'MicrosoftAuth',
+    'OAuth2',
+    'OAuth2Session',
+    'OAuthRequestManager',
+    'OktaAuth',
+    'OneLoginAuth',
+    'SamlAuth',
+    'SignInPageProps',
+    'SignInResult',
+    'UrlPatternDiscovery',
+    'WebStorage',
+  ],
+  '@backstage/core-components': [
+    'AlertDisplay',
+    'Avatar',
+    'Breadcrumbs',
+    'BrokenImageIcon',
+    'Button',
+    'CardTab',
+    'CatalogIcon',
+    'ChatIcon',
+    'CodeSnippet',
+    'Content',
+    'ContentHeader',
+    'CopyTextButton',
+    'DashboardIcon',
+    'DependencyGraph',
+    'DependencyGraphTypes',
+    'DismissableBanner',
+    'DocsIcon',
+    'EmailIcon',
+    'EmptyState',
+    'ErrorBoundary',
+    'ErrorPage',
+    'ErrorPanel',
+    'ErrorPanelProps',
+    'FeatureCalloutCircular',
+    'Gauge',
+    'GaugeCard',
+    'GitHubIcon',
+    'GroupIcon',
+    'Header',
+    'HeaderIconLinkRow',
+    'HeaderLabel',
+    'HeaderTabs',
+    'HelpIcon',
+    'HomepageTimer',
+    'HorizontalScrollGrid',
+    'IconLinkVerticalProps',
+    'InfoCard',
+    'InfoCardVariants',
+    'IntroCard',
+    'ItemCard',
+    'ItemCardGrid',
+    'ItemCardGridProps',
+    'ItemCardHeader',
+    'ItemCardHeaderProps',
+    'Lifecycle',
+    'LinearGauge',
+    'Link',
+    'LinkProps',
+    'MarkdownContent',
+    'MissingAnnotationEmptyState',
+    'OAuthRequestDialog',
+    'OverflowTooltip',
+    'Page',
+    'Progress',
+    'ResponseErrorPanel',
+    'RoutedTabs',
+    'SIDEBAR_INTRO_LOCAL_STORAGE',
+    'Select',
+    'Sidebar',
+    'SidebarContext',
+    'SidebarContextType',
+    'SidebarDivider',
+    'SidebarIntro',
+    'SidebarItem',
+    'SidebarPage',
+    'SidebarPinStateContext',
+    'SidebarPinStateContextType',
+    'SidebarSearchField',
+    'SidebarSpace',
+    'SidebarSpacer',
+    'SignInPage',
+    'SignInProviderConfig',
+    'SimpleStepper',
+    'SimpleStepperStep',
+    'StatusAborted',
+    'StatusError',
+    'StatusOK',
+    'StatusPending',
+    'StatusRunning',
+    'StatusWarning',
+    'StructuredMetadataTable',
+    'SubvalueCell',
+    'SupportButton',
+    'SupportConfig',
+    'SupportItem',
+    'SupportItemLink',
+    'Tab',
+    'TabbedCard',
+    'TabbedLayout',
+    'Table',
+    'TableColumn',
+    'TableFilter',
+    'TableProps',
+    'TableState',
+    'Tabs',
+    'TrendLine',
+    'UserIcon',
+    'WarningIcon',
+    'WarningPanel',
+    'sidebarConfig',
+    'useQueryParamState',
+    'useSupportConfig',
+  ],
+  '@backstage/core-plugin-api': [
+    'AlertApi',
+    'AlertMessage',
+    'AnyApiFactory',
+    'AnyApiRef',
+    'ApiFactory',
+    'ApiHolder',
+    'ApiRef',
+    'ApiRefType',
+    'ApiRefsToTypes',
+    'AppComponents',
+    'AppContext',
+    'AppTheme',
+    'AppThemeApi',
+    'AuthProvider',
+    'AuthRequestOptions',
+    'AuthRequester',
+    'AuthRequesterOptions',
+    'BackstageIdentity',
+    'BackstageIdentityApi',
+    'BackstagePlugin',
+    'BootErrorPageProps',
+    'ConfigApi',
+    'DiscoveryApi',
+    'ElementCollection',
+    'ErrorApi',
+    'ErrorBoundaryFallbackProps',
+    'ErrorContext',
+    'Extension',
+    'ExternalRouteRef',
+    'FeatureFlag',
+    'FeatureFlagOutput',
+    'FeatureFlagState',
+    'FeatureFlagsApi',
+    'FeatureFlagsHooks',
+    'FeatureFlagsSaveOptions',
+    'IconComponent',
+    'IdentityApi',
+    'OAuthApi',
+    'OAuthRequestApi',
+    'OAuthScope',
+    'Observable',
+    'Observer',
+    'OpenIdConnectApi',
+    'PendingAuthRequest',
+    'PluginConfig',
+    'PluginHooks',
+    'PluginOutput',
+    'ProfileInfo',
+    'ProfileInfoApi',
+    'RouteOptions',
+    'RoutePath',
+    'RouteRef',
+    'SessionApi',
+    'SessionState',
+    'SignInPageProps',
+    'SignInResult',
+    'StorageApi',
+    'StorageValueChange',
+    'SubRouteRef',
+    'Subscription',
+    'TypesToApiRefs',
+    'UserFlags',
+    'alertApiRef',
+    'appThemeApiRef',
+    'attachComponentData',
+    'auth0AuthApiRef',
+    'configApiRef',
+    'createApiFactory',
+    'createApiRef',
+    'createComponentExtension',
+    'createExternalRouteRef',
+    'createPlugin',
+    'createReactExtension',
+    'createRoutableExtension',
+    'createRouteRef',
+    'createSubRouteRef',
+    'discoveryApiRef',
+    'errorApiRef',
+    'featureFlagsApiRef',
+    'getComponentData',
+    'githubAuthApiRef',
+    'gitlabAuthApiRef',
+    'googleAuthApiRef',
+    'identityApiRef',
+    'microsoftAuthApiRef',
+    'oauth2ApiRef',
+    'oauthRequestApiRef',
+    'oidcAuthApiRef',
+    'oktaAuthApiRef',
+    'oneloginAuthApiRef',
+    'samlAuthApiRef',
+    'storageApiRef',
+    'useApi',
+    'useApiHolder',
+    'useApp',
+    'useElementFilter',
+    'useRouteRef',
+    'useRouteRefParams',
+    'withApis',
+  ],
 };
 
 const reverseSymbolTable = Object.entries(symbolTable).reduce(