diff --git a/.changeset/thirty-gorillas-train.md b/.changeset/thirty-gorillas-train.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..79214e457b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/thirty-gorillas-train.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/cli': patch
+---
+
+Export default module for `scaffolder-action` cli template
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/scaffolderModule.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/scaffolderModule.test.ts
index b43946228b..d83c2ce3f7 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/scaffolderModule.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/lib/new/factories/scaffolderModule.test.ts
@@ -80,6 +80,7 @@ describe('scaffolderModule factory', () => {
       'copying       example.test.ts',
       'copying       example.ts',
       'copying       index.ts',
+      'copying       module.ts',
       'Installing:',
       `moving        plugins${sep}scaffolder-backend-module-test`,
     ]);
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/index.ts b/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/index.ts
index e81099f333..06ce5befc0 100644
--- a/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/index.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/index.ts
@@ -1 +1,7 @@
+import { scaffolderModule } from './module';
+
+/*
+  @deprecated - this way of importing modules will soon be unsupported, and you should use `backend.add(import(...))` instead.
+*/
 export { createAcmeExampleAction } from './example';
+export default scaffolderModule;
diff --git a/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/module.ts b/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/module.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..238268dcec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/templates/scaffolder-module/src/actions/example/module.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import { createBackendModule } from "@backstage/backend-plugin-api";
+import { scaffolderActionsExtensionPoint  } from '@backstage/plugin-scaffolder-node/alpha';
+import { createAcmeExampleAction } from "./example";
+
+/**
+ * A backend module that registers the action into the scaffolder
+ */
+export const scaffolderModule = createBackendModule({
+  moduleId: 'acme:example',
+  pluginId: 'scaffolder',
+  register({ registerInit }) {
+    registerInit({
+      deps: {
+        scaffolderActions: scaffolderActionsExtensionPoint
+      },
+      async init({ scaffolderActions}) {
+        scaffolderActions.addActions(createAcmeExampleAction());
+      }
+    });
+  },
+})