diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
index cb2918d3..4f25ee7a 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/Plugins.kt
@@ -154,8 +154,6 @@ public class Plugins @Inject constructor (val taskManagerProvider : Provider<Tas
 
                 projects.filter { plugin.accept(it) }.forEach { project ->
                     plugin.addStaticTask(annotation, project, toTask(method, project, plugin))
-                    annotation.runBefore.forEach { plugin.dependsOn(it, annotation.name) }
-                    annotation.runAfter.forEach { plugin.dependsOn(annotation.name, it) }
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
index 5aa68e55..1813068f 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/BasePlugin.kt
@@ -16,19 +16,14 @@ abstract public class BasePlugin : Plugin {
     override fun accept(project: Project) = true
     var plugins : Plugins by Delegates.notNull()
 
-    fun addSyntheticTask(name: String, project: Project, task: (Project) -> TaskResult) {
-        val task = object: PluginTask() {
-            override val doc = "A synthetic task"
-            override val name = name
-            override val plugin = this@BasePlugin
-            override val project = project
-
-            override fun call(): TaskResult2<PluginTask>? {
-                val taskResult = task(project)
-                return TaskResult2(taskResult.success, this)
-            }
-        }
-        tasks.add(task)
+    /**
+     * Add a dynamic task.
+     */
+    fun addTask(project: Project, name: String, description: String = "",
+            runBefore: List<String> = arrayListOf<String>(),
+            runAfter: List<String> = arrayListOf<String>(),
+            task: (Project) -> TaskResult) {
+        addGenericTask(project, name, description, runBefore, runAfter, task)
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Plugin.kt b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Plugin.kt
index aacebc39..c6a635b1 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Plugin.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/com/beust/kobalt/api/Plugin.kt
@@ -18,12 +18,21 @@ public interface Plugin {
     val methodTasks : ArrayList<MethodTask>
 
     fun addStaticTask(annotation: Task, project: Project, task: (Project) -> TaskResult) {
-        tasks.add(object : BasePluginTask(this, annotation.name, annotation.description, project) {
-            override fun call(): TaskResult2<PluginTask> {
-                val taskResult = task(project)
-                return TaskResult2(taskResult.success, this)
-            }
-        })
+        addGenericTask(project, annotation.name, annotation.description, annotation.runBefore.toList(),
+                annotation.runAfter.toList(), task)
+    }
+
+    fun addGenericTask(project: Project, name: String, description: String,
+            runBefore: List<String>, runAfter: List<String>, task: (Project) -> TaskResult) {
+        tasks.add(
+            object : BasePluginTask(this, name, description, project) {
+                override fun call(): TaskResult2<PluginTask> {
+                    val taskResult = task(project)
+                    return TaskResult2(taskResult.success, this)
+                }
+            })
+        runBefore.forEach { dependsOn(it, name) }
+        runAfter.forEach { dependsOn(name, it) }
     }
 
     var taskManager : TaskManager