diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/InputStreamJarTemplate.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/InputStreamJarTemplate.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aca69a0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/InputStreamJarTemplate.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package com.beust.kobalt.api
+
+import com.beust.kobalt.Args
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
+import com.beust.kobalt.misc.kobaltLog
+import java.io.File
+import java.io.FileInputStream
+import java.io.FileOutputStream
+import java.io.IOException
+import java.net.URL
+import java.util.jar.JarInputStream
+
+/**
+ * Base class for templates that simply decompress a jar file found on the classpath to generate their project.
+ */
+interface InputStreamJarTemplate : ITemplate {
+    val inputStream: JarInputStream
+
+    override fun generateTemplate(args: Args, classLoader: ClassLoader) {
+        extractFile(inputStream, File("."))
+    }
+
+    private fun extractFile(ins: JarInputStream, destDir: File) {
+        var entry = ins.nextEntry
+        while (entry != null) {
+            val f = File(destDir.path + File.separator + entry.name)
+            if (entry.isDirectory) {
+                f.mkdir()
+                entry = ins.nextEntry
+                continue
+            }
+
+            kobaltLog(2, "  Extracting: $entry to ${f.absolutePath}")
+            FileOutputStream(f).use { fos ->
+                KFiles.copy(ins, fos)
+            }
+            entry = ins.nextEntry
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+abstract class ResourceJarTemplate(val jarName: String, val classLoader: ClassLoader) : InputStreamJarTemplate {
+    override val inputStream = JarInputStream(classLoader.getResource(jarName).openConnection().inputStream)
+}
+
+abstract class FileJarTemplate(val fileName: String, val classLoader: ClassLoader) : InputStreamJarTemplate {
+    override val inputStream = JarInputStream(FileInputStream(File(fileName)))
+}
+
+abstract class HttpJarTemplate(val url: String, val classLoader: ClassLoader) : InputStreamJarTemplate {
+    override val inputStream : JarInputStream
+        get() {
+            try {
+                val result = URL(url).openConnection().inputStream
+                return JarInputStream(result)
+            } catch(ex: IOException) {
+                throw IllegalArgumentException("Couldn't connect to $url")
+            }
+        }
+}
diff --git a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/JarTemplate.kt b/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/JarTemplate.kt
deleted file mode 100644
index 8c68b2b8..00000000
--- a/modules/kobalt-plugin-api/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/JarTemplate.kt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-package com.beust.kobalt.api
-
-import com.beust.kobalt.Args
-import com.beust.kobalt.misc.KFiles
-import com.beust.kobalt.misc.kobaltLog
-import java.io.File
-import java.io.FileOutputStream
-import java.util.jar.JarInputStream
-
-/**
- * Base class for templates that simply decompress a jar file to generate their project.
- */
-abstract class JarTemplate(val jarName: String) : ITemplate {
-    companion object {
-        fun extractFile(ins: JarInputStream, destDir: File) {
-            var entry = ins.nextEntry
-            while (entry != null) {
-                val f = File(destDir.path + File.separator + entry.name)
-                if (entry.isDirectory) {
-                    f.mkdir()
-                    entry = ins.nextEntry
-                    continue
-                }
-
-                kobaltLog(2, "Extracting: $entry to ${f.absolutePath}")
-                FileOutputStream(f).use { fos ->
-                    KFiles.copy(ins, fos)
-                }
-                entry = ins.nextEntry
-            }
-        }
-    }
-
-    override fun generateTemplate(args: Args, classLoader: ClassLoader) {
-        kobaltLog(2, "Generating template with class loader $classLoader")
-        val destDir = File(".")
-        val ins = JarInputStream(classLoader.getResource(jarName).openConnection().inputStream)
-        extractFile(ins, destDir)
-    }
-
-}
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/KobaltPluginTemplate.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/KobaltPluginTemplate.kt
index 2e4308c1..a498c7f4 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/KobaltPluginTemplate.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/KobaltPluginTemplate.kt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 package com.beust.kobalt.app
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.ITemplateContributor
-import com.beust.kobalt.api.JarTemplate
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.ResourceJarTemplate
 import com.beust.kobalt.plugin.KobaltPlugin
 
 /**
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ class KobaltPluginTemplate : ITemplateContributor {
         val NAME = "kobaltPlugin"
     }
 
-    val pluginTemplate = object: JarTemplate(ITemplateContributor.DIRECTORY_NAME + "/$NAME/$NAME.jar") {
+    val pluginTemplate = object: ResourceJarTemplate(
+            ITemplateContributor.DIRECTORY_NAME + "/$NAME/$NAME.jar",
+            this::class.java.classLoader) {
         override val templateDescription = "Generate a sample Kobalt plug-in project"
 
         override val templateName = NAME
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/ProjectGenerator.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/ProjectGenerator.kt
index 5c436547..4f33ee32 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/ProjectGenerator.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/app/ProjectGenerator.kt
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package com.beust.kobalt.app
 
 import com.beust.kobalt.Args
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.FileJarTemplate
+import com.beust.kobalt.api.HttpJarTemplate
 import com.beust.kobalt.api.ITemplate
 import com.beust.kobalt.internal.PluginInfo
 import com.beust.kobalt.misc.kobaltLog
@@ -22,14 +24,31 @@ class ProjectGenerator @Inject constructor(val pluginInfo: PluginInfo){
         }
 
         args.templates?.split(',')?.forEach { templateName ->
-            val template = map[templateName]
-            if (template != null) {
+
+            val finalTemplate: ITemplate? = map[templateName]
+                ?: if (File(templateName).exists()) {
+                    kobaltLog(2, "Found a template jar file at $templateName, extracting it")
+                    object : FileJarTemplate(templateName, classLoader) {
+                        override val templateDescription = "Extract jar template from file"
+                        override val templateName = "File template"
+                        override val pluginName = ""
+                    }
+                } else if (templateName.startsWith("http://") || templateName.startsWith("https://")) {
+                    object : HttpJarTemplate(templateName, classLoader) {
+                        override val templateDescription = "Extract jar template from HTTP"
+                        override val templateName = "HTTP template"
+                        override val pluginName = ""
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    warn("Couldn't find any template named $templateName")
+                    null
+                }
+
+            finalTemplate?.let {
                 kobaltLog(2, "Running template $templateName")
-                template.generateTemplate(args, classLoader)
+                it.generateTemplate(args, classLoader)
                 kobaltLog(1, "\n\nTemplate \"$templateName\" installed")
-                kobaltLog(1, template.instructions)
-            } else {
-                warn("Couldn't find any template named $templateName")
+                kobaltLog(1, finalTemplate.instructions)
             }
         }
     }