diff --git a/.changeset/clean-suits-hear.md b/.changeset/clean-suits-hear.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..911a46a55a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/clean-suits-hear.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend': patch
+---
+
+- **DEPRECATED** - Deprecated the `runCommand` export in favour of `executeShellCommand`. Please migrate to using the new method.
+- Added a type parameter to `TaskStoreEmitOptions` to type the `body` property
diff --git a/.changeset/six-cobras-allow.md b/.changeset/six-cobras-allow.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db34ecb1f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/six-cobras-allow.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend': minor
+---
+
+- **BREAKING** - Removed the re-export of types `TaskSpec` `TaskSpecV1Beta2` and `TaskSpecV1Beta3` these should now be import from `@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common` directly.
+- **BREAKING** - Removed the `observe` method from the `TaskBroker` interface, this has now been replaced with an `Observable` implementation under `event$`.
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.test.ts
index 2c1ecd06f9..18a6722663 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.test.ts
@@ -13,14 +13,14 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-const runCommand = jest.fn();
+const executeShellCommand = jest.fn();
 const commandExists = jest.fn();
 const fetchContents = jest.fn();
 
 jest.mock('@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend', () => ({
   ...jest.requireActual('@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend'),
   fetchContents,
-  runCommand,
+  executeShellCommand,
 }));
 jest.mock('command-exists', () => commandExists);
 
@@ -115,8 +115,8 @@ describe('fetch:cookiecutter', () => {
       });
     });
 
-    // Mock when runCommand is called it creats some new files in the mock filesystem
-    runCommand.mockImplementation(async () => {
+    // Mock when executeShellCommand is called it creats some new files in the mock filesystem
+    executeShellCommand.mockImplementation(async () => {
       mockFs({
         [`${join(mockTmpDir, 'intermediate')}`]: {
           'testfile.json': '{}',
@@ -163,12 +163,12 @@ describe('fetch:cookiecutter', () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it('should call out to cookiecutter using runCommand when cookiecutter is installed', async () => {
+  it('should call out to cookiecutter using executeShellCommand when cookiecutter is installed', async () => {
     commandExists.mockResolvedValue(true);
 
     await action.handler(mockContext);
 
-    expect(runCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+    expect(executeShellCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       expect.objectContaining({
         command: 'cookiecutter',
         args: [
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.ts
index 0455f01989..6b0cb4695d 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter/src/actions/fetch/cookiecutter.ts
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import path, { resolve as resolvePath } from 'path';
 import { Writable } from 'stream';
 import {
-  runCommand,
   createTemplateAction,
   fetchContents,
+  executeShellCommand,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend';
 
 export class CookiecutterRunner {
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ export class CookiecutterRunner {
       () => false,
     );
     if (cookieCutterInstalled) {
-      await runCommand({
+      await executeShellCommand({
         command: 'cookiecutter',
         args: ['--no-input', '-o', intermediateDir, templateDir, '--verbose'],
         logStream,
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.test.ts
index 03d894f832..0767e63f29 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.test.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,12 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-const runCommand = jest.fn();
+const executeShellCommand = jest.fn();
 const commandExists = jest.fn();
 
-jest.mock('@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend', () => ({ runCommand }));
+jest.mock('@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend', () => ({
+  executeShellCommand,
+}));
 jest.mock('command-exists', () => commandExists);
 jest.mock('fs-extra');
 
@@ -195,7 +197,7 @@ describe('Rails Templater', () => {
         logStream: stream,
       });
 
-      expect(runCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      expect(executeShellCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
         command: 'rails',
         args: expect.arrayContaining([
           'new',
@@ -225,7 +227,7 @@ describe('Rails Templater', () => {
         logStream: stream,
       });
 
-      expect(runCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      expect(executeShellCommand).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
         command: 'rails',
         args: expect.arrayContaining([
           'new',
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.ts
index f7817c7fb5..4a4672795a 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend-module-rails/src/actions/fetch/rails/railsNewRunner.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 import { ContainerRunner } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import path from 'path';
-import { runCommand } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend';
+import { executeShellCommand } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend';
 import commandExists from 'command-exists';
 import {
   railsArgumentResolver,
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export class RailsNewRunner {
         railsArguments as RailsRunOptions,
       );
 
-      await runCommand({
+      await executeShellCommand({
         command: baseCommand,
         args: [
           ...baseArguments,
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
index 1c627759df..54d5bf0280 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/api-report.md
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
 import { LocationSpec } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { Logger as Logger_2 } from 'winston';
+import { Observable } from '@backstage/types';
 import { Octokit } from 'octokit';
 import { PluginDatabaseManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { Schema } from 'jsonschema';
@@ -27,8 +28,6 @@ import { ScmIntegrationRegistry } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { SpawnOptionsWithoutStdio } from 'child_process';
 import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
-import { TaskSpecV1beta2 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
-import { TaskSpecV1beta3 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { TemplateInfo } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { TemplateMetadata } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { UrlReader } from '@backstage/backend-common';
@@ -355,7 +354,13 @@ export class DatabaseTaskStore implements TaskStore {
     options: TaskStoreCreateTaskOptions,
   ): Promise<TaskStoreCreateTaskResult>;
   // (undocumented)
-  emitLogEvent({ taskId, body }: TaskStoreEmitOptions): Promise<void>;
+  emitLogEvent(
+    options: TaskStoreEmitOptions<
+      {
+        message: string;
+      } & JsonObject
+    >,
+  ): Promise<void>;
   // (undocumented)
   getTask(taskId: string): Promise<SerializedTask>;
   // (undocumented)
@@ -375,6 +380,11 @@ export class DatabaseTaskStore implements TaskStore {
 // @public @deprecated
 export type DispatchResult = TaskBrokerDispatchResult;
 
+// Warning: (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "RunCommandOptions" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
+//
+// @public
+export const executeShellCommand: (options: RunCommandOptions) => Promise<void>;
+
 // @public
 export function fetchContents({
   reader,
@@ -433,16 +443,8 @@ export interface RouterOptions {
   taskWorkers?: number;
 }
 
-// Warning: (ae-forgotten-export) The symbol "RunCommandOptions" needs to be exported by the entry point index.d.ts
-// Warning: (ae-missing-release-tag) "runCommand" is exported by the package, but it is missing a release tag (@alpha, @beta, @public, or @internal)
-//
-// @public
-export const runCommand: ({
-  command,
-  args,
-  logStream,
-  options,
-}: RunCommandOptions) => Promise<void>;
+// @public @deprecated
+export const runCommand: (options: RunCommandOptions) => Promise<void>;
 
 // @public (undocumented)
 export class ScaffolderEntitiesProcessor implements CatalogProcessor {
@@ -489,22 +491,11 @@ export interface TaskBroker {
     options: TaskBrokerDispatchOptions,
   ): Promise<TaskBrokerDispatchResult>;
   // (undocumented)
-  get(taskId: string): Promise<SerializedTask>;
+  event$(options: { taskId: string; after: number | undefined }): Observable<{
+    events: SerializedTaskEvent[];
+  }>;
   // (undocumented)
-  observe(
-    options: {
-      taskId: string;
-      after: number | undefined;
-    },
-    callback: (
-      error: Error | undefined,
-      result: {
-        events: SerializedTaskEvent[];
-      },
-    ) => void,
-  ): {
-    unsubscribe: () => void;
-  };
+  get(taskId: string): Promise<SerializedTask>;
   // (undocumented)
   vacuumTasks(options: { timeoutS: number }): Promise<void>;
 }
@@ -569,12 +560,6 @@ export type TaskSecrets = Record<string, string> & {
   backstageToken?: string;
 };
 
-export { TaskSpec };
-
-export { TaskSpecV1beta2 };
-
-export { TaskSpecV1beta3 };
-
 // @public @deprecated
 export type TaskState = CurrentClaimedTask;
 
@@ -630,9 +615,9 @@ export type TaskStoreCreateTaskResult = {
 };
 
 // @public
-export type TaskStoreEmitOptions = {
+export type TaskStoreEmitOptions<TBody = JsonObject> = {
   taskId: string;
-  body: JsonObject;
+  body: TBody;
 };
 
 // @public
@@ -680,6 +665,4 @@ export class TemplateActionRegistry {
 //
 // @public (undocumented)
 export type TemplateFilter = (...args: JsonValue[]) => JsonValue | undefined;
-
-export { TemplateMetadata };
 ```
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
index 8c61ee65c4..5d23ea0aff 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/package.json
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@
     "uuid": "^8.2.0",
     "winston": "^3.2.1",
     "yaml": "^1.10.0",
-    "vm2": "^3.9.6"
+    "vm2": "^3.9.6",
+    "zen-observable": "^0.8.15"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@backstage/cli": "^0.14.0",
@@ -83,6 +84,7 @@
     "@types/mock-fs": "^4.13.0",
     "@types/nunjucks": "^3.1.4",
     "@types/supertest": "^2.0.8",
+    "@types/zen-observable": "^0.8.0",
     "esbuild": "^0.14.1",
     "jest-when": "^3.1.0",
     "mock-fs": "^5.1.0",
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/helpers.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/helpers.ts
index 9303b5e487..7ee334a3f7 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/helpers.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/helpers.ts
@@ -34,15 +34,18 @@ export type RunCommandOptions = {
 
 /**
  * Run a command in a sub-process, normally a shell command.
+ *
+ * @public
  */
-export const runCommand = async ({
-  command,
-  args,
-  logStream = new PassThrough(),
-  options,
-}: RunCommandOptions) => {
+export const executeShellCommand = async (options: RunCommandOptions) => {
+  const {
+    command,
+    args,
+    options: spawnOptions,
+    logStream = new PassThrough(),
+  } = options;
   await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
-    const process = spawn(command, args, options);
+    const process = spawn(command, args, spawnOptions);
 
     process.stdout.on('data', stream => {
       logStream.write(stream);
@@ -67,6 +70,13 @@ export const runCommand = async ({
   });
 };
 
+/**
+ * Run a command in a sub-process, normally a shell command.
+ * @public
+ * @deprecated use {@link executeShellCommand} instead
+ */
+export const runCommand = executeShellCommand;
+
 export async function initRepoAndPush({
   dir,
   remoteUrl,
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/index.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/index.ts
index 5f4c04cc7d..8930c23126 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/builtin/index.ts
@@ -25,4 +25,4 @@ export * from './github';
 /** @deprecated please add this package to your own installation manually */
 export { createFetchCookiecutterAction } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-backend-module-cookiecutter';
 
-export { runCommand } from './helpers';
+export { runCommand, executeShellCommand } from './helpers';
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/types.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/types.ts
index b2227426b8..1aa4f81bdd 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/actions/types.ts
@@ -18,8 +18,11 @@ import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import { Writable } from 'stream';
 import { JsonValue, JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
 import { Schema } from 'jsonschema';
-import { TaskSecrets, TemplateMetadata } from '../tasks/types';
-import { TemplateInfo } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
+import { TaskSecrets } from '../tasks/types';
+import {
+  TemplateInfo,
+  TemplateMetadata,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 export type ActionContext<Input extends JsonObject> = {
   /**
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/DatabaseTaskStore.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/DatabaseTaskStore.ts
index 389ecae5c6..65b890c265 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/DatabaseTaskStore.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/DatabaseTaskStore.ts
@@ -252,12 +252,15 @@ export class DatabaseTaskStore implements TaskStore {
     });
   }
 
-  async emitLogEvent({ taskId, body }: TaskStoreEmitOptions): Promise<void> {
-    const serliazedBody = JSON.stringify(body);
+  async emitLogEvent(
+    options: TaskStoreEmitOptions<{ message: string } & JsonObject>,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    const { taskId, body } = options;
+    const serializedBody = JSON.stringify(body);
     await this.db<RawDbTaskEventRow>('task_events').insert({
       task_id: taskId,
       event_type: 'log',
-      body: serliazedBody,
+      body: serializedBody,
     });
   }
 
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.test.ts
index 9f4135b3d1..dcad1fc5d0 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.test.ts
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
 import { getVoidLogger } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { HandlebarsWorkflowRunner } from './HandlebarsWorkflowRunner';
-import { TaskContext, TaskSpec } from './types';
+import { TaskContext } from './types';
 import { RepoSpec } from '../actions/builtin/publish/util';
+import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 describe('LegacyWorkflowRunner', () => {
   let runner: HandlebarsWorkflowRunner;
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.ts
index e525e6bd14..c82da51ead 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/HandlebarsWorkflowRunner.ts
@@ -13,13 +13,7 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-import {
-  TaskContext,
-  WorkflowRunner,
-  WorkflowResponse,
-  TaskSpecV1beta2,
-  TaskSpec,
-} from './types';
+import { TaskContext, WorkflowRunner, WorkflowResponse } from './types';
 import * as Handlebars from 'handlebars';
 import { TemplateActionRegistry } from '..';
 import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
@@ -33,6 +27,7 @@ import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import { validate as validateJsonSchema } from 'jsonschema';
 import { JsonObject, JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
 import { InputError } from '@backstage/errors';
+import { TaskSpec, TaskSpecV1beta2 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 type Options = {
   workingDirectory: string;
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.test.ts
index b66c69ee17..1b635b695c 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.test.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ import { NunjucksWorkflowRunner } from './NunjucksWorkflowRunner';
 import { TemplateActionRegistry } from '../actions';
 import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
 import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
-import { TaskContext, TaskSpec, TaskSecrets } from './types';
+import { TaskContext, TaskSecrets } from './types';
+import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 const realFiles = Object.fromEntries(
   [
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
index b1177ca49c..fb9da56c22 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/NunjucksWorkflowRunner.ts
@@ -15,14 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import { ScmIntegrations } from '@backstage/integration';
-import {
-  TaskContext,
-  TaskSpec,
-  TaskSpecV1beta3,
-  TaskStep,
-  WorkflowResponse,
-  WorkflowRunner,
-} from './types';
+import { TaskContext, WorkflowResponse, WorkflowRunner } from './types';
 import * as winston from 'winston';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import path from 'path';
@@ -39,6 +32,11 @@ import {
   SecureTemplater,
   SecureTemplateRenderer,
 } from '../../lib/templating/SecureTemplater';
+import {
+  TaskSpec,
+  TaskSpecV1beta3,
+  TaskStep,
+} from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 type NunjucksWorkflowRunnerOptions = {
   workingDirectory: string;
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.test.ts
index daf444cdd8..52fd175dc8 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.test.ts
@@ -16,9 +16,10 @@
 
 import { getVoidLogger, DatabaseManager } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
+import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { DatabaseTaskStore } from './DatabaseTaskStore';
 import { StorageTaskBroker, TaskManager } from './StorageTaskBroker';
-import { TaskSecrets, TaskSpec, SerializedTaskEvent } from './types';
+import { TaskSecrets, SerializedTaskEvent } from './types';
 
 async function createStore(): Promise<DatabaseTaskStore> {
   const manager = DatabaseManager.fromConfig(
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ describe('StorageTaskBroker', () => {
     const logPromise = new Promise<SerializedTaskEvent[]>(resolve => {
       const observedEvents = new Array<SerializedTaskEvent>();
 
-      broker2.observe({ taskId, after: undefined }, (_err, { events }) => {
+      broker2.event$({ taskId, after: undefined }).subscribe(({ events }) => {
         observedEvents.push(...events);
         if (events.some(e => e.type === 'completion')) {
           resolve(observedEvents);
@@ -146,9 +147,11 @@ describe('StorageTaskBroker', () => {
     ]);
 
     const afterLogs = await new Promise<string[]>(resolve => {
-      broker2.observe({ taskId, after: logs[1].id }, (_err, { events }) =>
-        resolve(events.map(e => e.body.message as string)),
-      );
+      broker2
+        .event$({ taskId, after: logs[1].id })
+        .subscribe(({ events }) =>
+          resolve(events.map(e => e.body.message as string)),
+        );
     });
     expect(afterLogs).toEqual([
       'log 3',
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.ts
index 898516ef3b..0fd593f2f3 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/StorageTaskBroker.ts
@@ -13,14 +13,14 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-import { JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
-import { assertError } from '@backstage/errors';
+import { JsonObject, Observable } from '@backstage/types';
+import ObservableImpl from 'zen-observable';
+import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { Logger } from 'winston';
 import {
   TaskCompletionState,
   TaskContext,
   TaskSecrets,
-  TaskSpec,
   TaskStore,
   TaskBroker,
   SerializedTaskEvent,
@@ -176,43 +176,33 @@ export class StorageTaskBroker implements TaskBroker {
     return this.storage.getTask(taskId);
   }
 
-  observe(
-    options: {
-      taskId: string;
-      after: number | undefined;
-    },
-    callback: (
-      error: Error | undefined,
-      result: { events: SerializedTaskEvent[] },
-    ) => void,
-  ): { unsubscribe: () => void } {
-    const { taskId } = options;
+  event$(options: {
+    taskId: string;
+    after?: number;
+  }): Observable<{ events: SerializedTaskEvent[] }> {
+    return new ObservableImpl(observer => {
+      const { taskId } = options;
 
-    let cancelled = false;
-    const unsubscribe = () => {
-      cancelled = true;
-    };
-
-    (async () => {
       let after = options.after;
-      while (!cancelled) {
-        const result = await this.storage.listEvents({ taskId, after: after });
-        const { events } = result;
-        if (events.length) {
-          after = events[events.length - 1].id;
-          try {
-            callback(undefined, result);
-          } catch (error) {
-            assertError(error);
-            callback(error, { events: [] });
+      let cancelled = false;
+
+      (async () => {
+        while (!cancelled) {
+          const result = await this.storage.listEvents({ taskId, after });
+          const { events } = result;
+          if (events.length) {
+            after = events[events.length - 1].id;
+            observer.next(result);
           }
+
+          await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
         }
+      })();
 
-        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
-      }
-    })();
-
-    return { unsubscribe };
+      return () => {
+        cancelled = true;
+      };
+    });
   }
 
   async vacuumTasks(options: { timeoutS: number }): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/index.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/index.ts
index aa1640dae2..a2bf5f0e1c 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/index.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/index.ts
@@ -20,15 +20,12 @@ export { TaskWorker } from './TaskWorker';
 export type { CreateWorkerOptions } from './TaskWorker';
 export type {
   TaskSecrets,
-  TaskSpec,
   TaskCompletionState,
   CompletedTaskState,
   TaskStoreEmitOptions,
   TaskStoreListEventsOptions,
   SerializedTask,
   SerializedTaskEvent,
-  TaskSpecV1beta2,
-  TaskSpecV1beta3,
   Status,
   TaskStatus,
   TaskEventType,
@@ -40,5 +37,4 @@ export type {
   TaskBrokerDispatchOptions,
   TaskStoreCreateTaskOptions,
   TaskStoreCreateTaskResult,
-  TemplateMetadata,
 } from './types';
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/types.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/types.ts
index e17f8b2c3b..57b92e0222 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/scaffolder/tasks/types.ts
@@ -14,22 +14,8 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { JsonValue, JsonObject } from '@backstage/types';
-import {
-  TaskSpec,
-  TaskStep,
-  TemplateMetadata,
-  TaskSpecV1beta2,
-  TaskSpecV1beta3,
-} from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
-
-export type {
-  TaskSpec,
-  TaskStep,
-  TemplateMetadata,
-  TaskSpecV1beta2,
-  TaskSpecV1beta3,
-};
+import { JsonValue, JsonObject, Observable } from '@backstage/types';
+import { TaskSpec } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 
 /**
  * The status of each step of the Task
@@ -162,16 +148,10 @@ export interface TaskBroker {
     options: TaskBrokerDispatchOptions,
   ): Promise<TaskBrokerDispatchResult>;
   vacuumTasks(options: { timeoutS: number }): Promise<void>;
-  observe(
-    options: {
-      taskId: string;
-      after: number | undefined;
-    },
-    callback: (
-      error: Error | undefined,
-      result: { events: SerializedTaskEvent[] },
-    ) => void,
-  ): { unsubscribe: () => void };
+  event$(options: {
+    taskId: string;
+    after: number | undefined;
+  }): Observable<{ events: SerializedTaskEvent[] }>;
   get(taskId: string): Promise<SerializedTask>;
 }
 
@@ -180,9 +160,9 @@ export interface TaskBroker {
  *
  * @public
  */
-export type TaskStoreEmitOptions = {
+export type TaskStoreEmitOptions<TBody = JsonObject> = {
   taskId: string;
-  body: JsonObject;
+  body: TBody;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.test.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
index b20dfa5d24..f8336179eb 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.test.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import {
 import { CatalogApi } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
 import { TemplateEntityV1beta2 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import { ConfigReader } from '@backstage/config';
+import ObservableImpl from 'zen-observable';
 import express from 'express';
 import request from 'supertest';
 /**
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
 
     jest.spyOn(taskBroker, 'dispatch');
     jest.spyOn(taskBroker, 'get');
-    jest.spyOn(taskBroker, 'observe');
+    jest.spyOn(taskBroker, 'event$');
 
     const router = await createRouter({
       logger: getVoidLogger(),
@@ -194,37 +195,38 @@ describe('createRouter', () => {
 
   describe('GET /v2/tasks/:taskId/eventstream', () => {
     it('should return log messages', async () => {
-      const unsubscribe = jest.fn();
+      let subscriber: ZenObservable.SubscriptionObserver<any>;
       (
-        taskBroker.observe as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['observe']
-      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }, callback) => {
-        // emit after this function returned
-        setImmediate(() => {
-          callback(undefined, {
-            events: [
-              {
-                id: 0,
-                taskId,
-                type: 'log',
-                createdAt: '',
-                body: { message: 'My log message' },
-              },
-            ],
-          });
-          callback(undefined, {
-            events: [
-              {
-                id: 1,
-                taskId,
-                type: 'completion',
-                createdAt: '',
-                body: { message: 'Finished!' },
-              },
-            ],
+        taskBroker.event$ as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['event$']
+      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }) => {
+        return new ObservableImpl(observer => {
+          subscriber = observer;
+          setImmediate(() => {
+            observer.next({
+              events: [
+                {
+                  id: 0,
+                  taskId,
+                  type: 'log',
+                  createdAt: '',
+                  body: { message: 'My log message' },
+                },
+              ],
+            });
+            observer.next({
+              events: [
+                {
+                  id: 1,
+                  taskId,
+                  type: 'completion',
+                  createdAt: '',
+                  body: { message: 'Finished!' },
+                },
+              ],
+            });
           });
         });
-
-        return { unsubscribe };
+        // emit after this function returned
       });
 
       let statusCode: any = undefined;
@@ -264,34 +266,32 @@ data: {"id":1,"taskId":"a-random-id","type":"completion","createdAt":"","body":{
 
 `);
 
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledWith(
-        { taskId: 'a-random-id' },
-        expect.any(Function),
-      );
-
-      expect(unsubscribe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledWith({ taskId: 'a-random-id' });
+      expect(subscriber!.closed).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('should return log messages with after query', async () => {
-      const unsubscribe = jest.fn();
+      let subscriber: ZenObservable.SubscriptionObserver<any>;
       (
-        taskBroker.observe as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['observe']
-      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }, callback) => {
-        setImmediate(() => {
-          callback(undefined, {
-            events: [
-              {
-                id: 1,
-                taskId,
-                type: 'completion',
-                createdAt: '',
-                body: { message: 'Finished!' },
-              },
-            ],
+        taskBroker.event$ as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['event$']
+      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }) => {
+        return new ObservableImpl(observer => {
+          subscriber = observer;
+          setImmediate(() => {
+            observer.next({
+              events: [
+                {
+                  id: 1,
+                  taskId,
+                  type: 'completion',
+                  createdAt: '',
+                  body: { message: 'Finished!' },
+                },
+              ],
+            });
           });
         });
-        return { unsubscribe };
       });
 
       let statusCode: any = undefined;
@@ -318,41 +318,43 @@ data: {"id":1,"taskId":"a-random-id","type":"completion","createdAt":"","body":{
       expect(statusCode).toBe(200);
       expect(headers['content-type']).toBe('text/event-stream');
 
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledWith(
-        { taskId: 'a-random-id', after: 10 },
-        expect.any(Function),
-      );
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledWith({
+        taskId: 'a-random-id',
+        after: 10,
+      });
 
-      expect(unsubscribe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(subscriber!.closed).toBe(true);
     });
   });
 
   describe('GET /v2/tasks/:taskId/events', () => {
     it('should return log messages', async () => {
-      const unsubscribe = jest.fn();
+      let subscriber: ZenObservable.SubscriptionObserver<any>;
       (
-        taskBroker.observe as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['observe']
-      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }, callback) => {
-        callback(undefined, {
-          events: [
-            {
-              id: 0,
-              taskId,
-              type: 'log',
-              createdAt: '',
-              body: { message: 'My log message' },
-            },
-            {
-              id: 1,
-              taskId,
-              type: 'completion',
-              createdAt: '',
-              body: { message: 'Finished!' },
-            },
-          ],
+        taskBroker.event$ as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['event$']
+      ).mockImplementation(({ taskId }) => {
+        return new ObservableImpl(observer => {
+          subscriber = observer;
+          observer.next({
+            events: [
+              {
+                id: 0,
+                taskId,
+                type: 'log',
+                createdAt: '',
+                body: { message: 'My log message' },
+              },
+              {
+                id: 1,
+                taskId,
+                type: 'completion',
+                createdAt: '',
+                body: { message: 'Finished!' },
+              },
+            ],
+          });
         });
-        return { unsubscribe };
       });
 
       const response = await request(app).get('/v2/tasks/a-random-id/events');
@@ -375,21 +377,20 @@ data: {"id":1,"taskId":"a-random-id","type":"completion","createdAt":"","body":{
         },
       ]);
 
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledWith(
-        { taskId: 'a-random-id' },
-        expect.any(Function),
-      );
-      expect(unsubscribe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledWith({ taskId: 'a-random-id' });
+      expect(subscriber!.closed).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('should return log messages with after query', async () => {
-      const unsubscribe = jest.fn();
+      let subscriber: ZenObservable.SubscriptionObserver<any>;
       (
-        taskBroker.observe as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['observe']
-      ).mockImplementation((_, callback) => {
-        callback(undefined, { events: [] });
-        return { unsubscribe };
+        taskBroker.event$ as jest.Mocked<TaskBroker>['event$']
+      ).mockImplementation(() => {
+        return new ObservableImpl(observer => {
+          subscriber = observer;
+          observer.next({ events: [] });
+        });
       });
 
       const response = await request(app)
@@ -399,12 +400,12 @@ data: {"id":1,"taskId":"a-random-id","type":"completion","createdAt":"","body":{
       expect(response.status).toEqual(200);
       expect(response.body).toEqual([]);
 
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
-      expect(taskBroker.observe).toBeCalledWith(
-        { taskId: 'a-random-id', after: 10 },
-        expect.any(Function),
-      );
-      expect(unsubscribe).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(taskBroker.event$).toBeCalledWith({
+        taskId: 'a-random-id',
+        after: 10,
+      });
+      expect(subscriber!.closed).toBe(true);
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
index 371fc47dc2..b36670a340 100644
--- a/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/scaffolder-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   TemplateEntityV1beta2,
   TemplateEntityV1beta3,
   TaskSpecV1beta3,
+  TaskSpec,
   TaskSpecV1beta2,
 } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-common';
 import express from 'express';
@@ -40,7 +41,6 @@ import {
   createBuiltinActions,
   DatabaseTaskStore,
   TaskBroker,
-  TaskSpec,
   TaskWorker,
   TemplateAction,
   TemplateActionRegistry,
@@ -301,15 +301,13 @@ export async function createRouter(
       });
 
       // After client opens connection send all events as string
-      const { unsubscribe } = taskBroker.observe(
-        { taskId, after },
-        (error, { events }) => {
-          if (error) {
-            logger.error(
-              `Received error from event stream when observing taskId '${taskId}', ${error}`,
-            );
-          }
-
+      const subscription = taskBroker.event$({ taskId, after }).subscribe({
+        error: error => {
+          logger.error(
+            `Received error from event stream when observing taskId '${taskId}', ${error}`,
+          );
+        },
+        next: ({ events }) => {
           let shouldUnsubscribe = false;
           for (const event of events) {
             res.write(
@@ -317,19 +315,18 @@ export async function createRouter(
             );
             if (event.type === 'completion') {
               shouldUnsubscribe = true;
-              // Closing the event stream here would cause the frontend
-              // to automatically reconnect because it lost connection.
             }
           }
           // res.flush() is only available with the compression middleware
           res.flush?.();
-          if (shouldUnsubscribe) unsubscribe();
+          if (shouldUnsubscribe) subscription.unsubscribe();
         },
-      );
+      });
+
       // When client closes connection we update the clients list
       // avoiding the disconnected one
       req.on('close', () => {
-        unsubscribe();
+        subscription.unsubscribe();
         logger.debug(`Event stream observing taskId '${taskId}' closed`);
       });
     })
@@ -337,36 +334,29 @@ export async function createRouter(
       const { taskId } = req.params;
       const after = Number(req.query.after) || undefined;
 
-      let unsubscribe = () => {};
-
       // cancel the request after 30 seconds. this aligns with the recommendations of RFC 6202.
       const timeout = setTimeout(() => {
-        unsubscribe();
         res.json([]);
       }, 30_000);
 
       // Get all known events after an id (always includes the completion event) and return the first callback
-      ({ unsubscribe } = taskBroker.observe(
-        { taskId, after },
-        (error, { events }) => {
-          // stop the timeout
+      const subscription = taskBroker.event$({ taskId, after }).subscribe({
+        error: error => {
+          logger.error(
+            `Received error from event stream when observing taskId '${taskId}', ${error}`,
+          );
+        },
+        next: ({ events }) => {
           clearTimeout(timeout);
-          unsubscribe();
-
-          if (error) {
-            logger.error(
-              `Received error from log when observing taskId '${taskId}', ${error}`,
-            );
-          }
-
+          subscription.unsubscribe();
           res.json(events);
         },
-      ));
+      });
 
       // When client closes connection we update the clients list
       // avoiding the disconnected one
       req.on('close', () => {
-        unsubscribe();
+        subscription.unsubscribe();
         clearTimeout(timeout);
       });
     });