diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
index 14dd345b..d1b2a693 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 package com.beust.kobalt.api
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.Plugins
+import com.beust.kobalt.TaskResult
 import com.beust.kobalt.internal.TaskManager
+import com.beust.kobalt.internal.Variant
 import java.util.*
 import kotlin.properties.Delegates
 
@@ -23,4 +25,26 @@ abstract public class BasePlugin : IPlugin {
     fun addProject(project: Project, dependsOn: Array<out Project>) {
         projects.add(ProjectDescription(project, dependsOn.toList()))
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Register dynamic tasks corresponding to the variants found in the project,e.g. assembleDevDebug,
+     * assembleDevRelease, etc...
+     */
+    protected fun addVariantTasks(project: Project, taskName: String, runAfter : List<String>,
+            runTask: (Project) -> TaskResult) {
+        project.productFlavors.keys.forEach { pf ->
+            project.buildTypes.keys.forEach { bt ->
+                val variant = Variant(pf, bt)
+                val taskName = variant.toTask(taskName)
+                addTask(project, taskName, taskName,
+                        runAfter = runAfter.map { variant.toTask(it) },
+                        task = { p: Project ->
+                            context.variant = Variant(pf, bt)
+                            runTask(project)
+                            TaskResult()
+                        })
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/JvmCompilerPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/JvmCompilerPlugin.kt
index 51c33780..d939973c 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/JvmCompilerPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/internal/JvmCompilerPlugin.kt
@@ -53,18 +53,7 @@ abstract class JvmCompilerPlugin @Inject constructor(
         super.apply(project, context)
         project.projectProperties.put(BUILD_DIR, project.buildDirectory + File.separator + "classes")
         project.projectProperties.put(DEPENDENT_PROJECTS, projects())
-
-        project.productFlavors.keys.forEach { pf ->
-            project.buildTypes.keys.forEach { bt ->
-                val taskName = Variant(pf, bt).toTask("compile")
-                addTask(project, taskName, "Compile $taskName",
-                        task = { p: Project ->
-                            context.variant = Variant(pf, bt)
-                            taskCompile(project)
-                            TaskResult()
-                        })
-            }
-        }
+        addVariantTasks(project, "compile", emptyList(), { taskCompile(project) })
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
index d86730b4..c7b5bf70 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/application/ApplicationPlugin.kt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package com.beust.kobalt.plugin.application
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.*
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.ConfigPlugin
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.KobaltContext
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.Project
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.ProjectDescription
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.annotation.Directive
@@ -42,6 +43,11 @@ class ApplicationPlugin @Inject constructor(val executors: KobaltExecutors,
 
     override val name = NAME
 
+    override fun apply(project: Project, context: KobaltContext) {
+        super.apply(project, context)
+        addVariantTasks(project, "run", listOf("assemble"), { taskRun(project) })
+    }
+
     @Task(name = "run", description = "Run the main class", runAfter = arrayOf("assemble"))
     fun taskRun(project: Project): TaskResult {
         var result = TaskResult()
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/packaging/PackagingPlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/packaging/PackagingPlugin.kt
index d7767631..c5dffd03 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/packaging/PackagingPlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/plugin/packaging/PackagingPlugin.kt
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ import com.beust.kobalt.api.annotation.ExportedProjectProperty
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.annotation.Task
 import com.beust.kobalt.glob
 import com.beust.kobalt.internal.JvmCompilerPlugin
-import com.beust.kobalt.internal.Variant
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.DependencyManager
 import com.beust.kobalt.maven.LocalRepo
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
@@ -61,21 +60,7 @@ class PackagingPlugin @Inject constructor(val dependencyManager : DependencyMana
     override fun apply(project: Project, context: KobaltContext) {
         super.apply(project, context)
         project.projectProperties.put(LIBS_DIR, libsDir(project))
-
-
-        project.productFlavors.keys.forEach { pf ->
-            project.buildTypes.keys.forEach { bt ->
-                val variant = Variant(pf, bt)
-                val taskName = variant.toTask("assemble")
-                addTask(project, taskName, "Assemble $taskName",
-                        runAfter = listOf(variant.toTask("compile")),
-                        task = { p: Project ->
-                            context.variant = Variant(pf, bt)
-                            taskAssemble(project)
-                            TaskResult()
-                        })
-            }
-        }
+        addVariantTasks(project, "assemble", listOf("compile"), { taskAssemble(project) })
     }
 
     private fun libsDir(project: Project) = KFiles.makeDir(buildDir(project).path, "libs").path
@@ -210,8 +195,10 @@ class PackagingPlugin @Inject constructor(val dependencyManager : DependencyMana
                 val fromPath = directory + "/" + includedFile.from
                 if (File(fromPath).exists()) {
                     spec.toFiles(fromPath).forEach { file ->
-                        if (!File(fromPath, file.path).exists()) {
-                            throw AssertionError("File should exist: $file")
+                        File(fromPath, file.path).let {
+                            if (! it.exists()) {
+                                throw AssertionError("File should exist: $it")
+                            }
                         }
 
                         if (!isExcluded(file, excludes)) {