diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml b/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
index bbd6bbd6ed..bcd8c1c7ea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,10 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Enable Corepack
+        run: corepack enable
 
       - name: Configure Git
         run: |
@@ -47,20 +50,14 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: v3.8.0
 
-      - name: Setup Nodejs and npm
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
-
-      - name: Setup yarn
-        run: npm install -g yarn
-
       - name: Setup Nodejs with yarn caching
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
-          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
           cache: yarn
 
+      - name: Setup yarn
+        run: npm install -g yarn
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: yarn
 
@@ -75,9 +72,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build and push UI image
         run: |
           publish="yarn publish-pkgs -cp -r ${{ inputs.registry_target }} -o ${{ github.repository_owner }}"
-          
+
           if [[ -n "${{ inputs.tagged_release }}" ]]; then
             publish="$publish -t ${{ inputs.tagged_release }}"
           fi
-          
+
           $publish
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml b/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
index a1ffe2d621..bc832cdc7b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
@@ -28,10 +28,13 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
+      - name: Enable Corepack
+        run: corepack enable
+
       - name: Configure Git
         run: |
           git config user.name 'github-actions[bot]'
@@ -42,20 +45,14 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: v3.8.0
 
-      - name: Setup Nodejs and npm
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
-
-      - name: Setup yarn
-        run: npm install -g yarn
-
       - name: Setup Nodejs with yarn caching
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
-          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
           cache: yarn
 
+      - name: Setup yarn
+        run: npm install -g yarn
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: yarn
 
@@ -76,7 +73,7 @@ jobs:
           if [[ -n "${{ inputs.tagged_release }}" ]]; then
             publish="$publish -t ${{ inputs.tagged_release }}"
           fi
-          
+
           $publish
 
       - name: Upload charts artifact
@@ -98,9 +95,9 @@ jobs:
       pages: write
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          ref: "${{ inputs.target_branch }}"
+          ref: '${{ inputs.target_branch }}'
 
       - name: Configure Git
         run: |
@@ -125,4 +122,3 @@ jobs:
         env:
           CR_TOKEN: '${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}'
           CR_SKIP_EXISTING: true
-
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-plugins.yaml b/.github/workflows/check-plugins.yaml
index bef1266370..7d8dcd5bd0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-plugins.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-plugins.yaml
@@ -9,23 +9,29 @@ jobs:
   validate:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - name: Checkout
-      uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Setup Node.js
-      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-      with:
-        node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
-    - name: Validate Plugin build system
-      run: ./shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
-      shell: bash
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-    - name: Upload files
-      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-      if: failure()
-      with:
-        name: test
-        path: |
-          /tmp/tmp.**/test-app
-          !/tmp/tmp.**/test-app/node_modules/
-          !/tmp/tmp.**/test-app/pkg/test-pkg/node_modules/
-        retention-days: 2
+      - name: Enable Corepack
+        run: corepack enable
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
+          cache: 'yarn'
+
+      - name: Validate Plugin build system
+        run: ./shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Upload files
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        if: failure()
+        with:
+          name: test
+          path: |
+            /tmp/tmp.**/test-app
+            !/tmp/tmp.**/test-app/node_modules/
+            !/tmp/tmp.**/test-app/pkg/test-pkg/node_modules/
+          retention-days: 2
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-shell-pkg.yaml b/.github/workflows/release-shell-pkg.yaml
index 7a0879f2a0..eed1093a2d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-shell-pkg.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-shell-pkg.yaml
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ name: Publish Shell Package
 on:
   push:
     tags:
-        - 'shell-pkg-v*'
-        - 'creators-pkg-v*'
+      - 'shell-pkg-v*'
+      - 'creators-pkg-v*'
 
 jobs:
   build:
@@ -13,46 +13,46 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
       packages: write
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      with:
-        fetch-depth: 0
-        persist-credentials: false
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          persist-credentials: false
 
-    - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-      with:
-        node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
 
-    - name: Check Tags Version Matching
-      env:
-        TAG: ${{github.ref_name}}
-      run: ./.github/workflows/scripts/check-package-tag-version.sh
-      shell: bash
+      - name: Check Tags Version Matching
+        env:
+          TAG: ${{github.ref_name}}
+        run: ./.github/workflows/scripts/check-package-tag-version.sh
+        shell: bash
 
-    - name: Validate Plugin build system
-      run: ./shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
-      shell: bash
+      - name: Validate Plugin build system
+        run: ./shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
+        shell: bash
 
-    # Reset the local (ci) repository state because
-    # The previous step (Validate Plugin build system) changes
-    # the version number on package.json for Shell in order
-    # to release it in verdaccio for it's tests
-    - name: Reset repository (file system)
-      run: | 
-        git reset --hard HEAD
-        echo $YARN_REGISTRY
-        cat ./shell/package.json
+      # Reset the local (ci) repository state because
+      # The previous step (Validate Plugin build system) changes
+      # the version number on package.json for Shell in order
+      # to release it in verdaccio for it's tests
+      - name: Reset repository (file system)
+        run: |
+          git reset --hard HEAD
+          echo $NPM_REGISTRY
+          cat ./shell/package.json
 
-    - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-      with:
-        node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
-        registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-        scope: '@rancher'
-    
-    - name: Install packages
-      run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
+          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
+          scope: '@rancher'
 
-    - name: Publish Shell Package to npm
-      run: ./shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh --npm
-      env:
-        TAG: ${{github.ref_name}}
-        NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+      - name: Install packages
+        run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile
+
+      - name: Publish Shell Package to npm
+        run: ./shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh --npm
+        env:
+          TAG: ${{github.ref_name}}
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/app.package.json b/creators/extension/app/app.package.json
similarity index 97%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/app.package.json
rename to creators/extension/app/app.package.json
index 4222d09d21..809dbfa446 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/app/app.package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/app/app.package.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   "version": "0.1.0",
   "private": false,
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=20"
+    "node": ">=16"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "cache-loader": "^4.1.0",
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintignore b/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintignore
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintignore
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.eslintignore
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintrc.js b/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintrc.js
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.eslintrc.js
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.eslintrc.js
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml b/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-catalog.yml
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml b/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows/build-extension-charts.yml
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml b/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.vscode/settings.json b/creators/extension/app/files/.vscode/settings.json
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.vscode/settings.json
rename to creators/extension/app/files/.vscode/settings.json
diff --git a/creators/extension/app/files/.yarnrc.yml b/creators/extension/app/files/.yarnrc.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..29a16cc945
--- /dev/null
+++ b/creators/extension/app/files/.yarnrc.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+nodeLinker: node-modules
+pnpMode: false
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/babel.config.js b/creators/extension/app/files/babel.config.js
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/babel.config.js
rename to creators/extension/app/files/babel.config.js
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitignore b/creators/extension/app/files/gitignore
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitignore
rename to creators/extension/app/files/gitignore
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/tsconfig.json b/creators/extension/app/files/tsconfig.json
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/tsconfig.json
rename to creators/extension/app/files/tsconfig.json
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/files/vue.config.js b/creators/extension/app/files/vue.config.js
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/files/vue.config.js
rename to creators/extension/app/files/vue.config.js
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/init b/creators/extension/app/init
similarity index 91%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/init
rename to creators/extension/app/init
index e0830e1b38..766c2f5553 100755
--- a/shell/creators/extension/app/init
+++ b/creators/extension/app/init
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 /* eslint-disable no-console */
 
-const { execSync } = require('child_process');
 const path = require('path');
 const fs = require('fs-extra');
 
@@ -14,9 +13,10 @@ const targets = {
 const files = [
   'tsconfig.json',
   'vue.config.js',
-  '.gitignore',
+  'gitignore',
   '.eslintignore',
   '.eslintrc.js',
+  '.yarnrc.yml',
   'babel.config.js',
   '.vscode/settings.json'
 ];
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ console.log('Creating Skeleton Application');
 
 const args = process.argv;
 let appFolder = path.resolve('.');
+let shellVersion = '';
 
 if ( args.length > 2 ) {
   const name = args[2];
@@ -40,7 +41,9 @@ let addGitlabWorkflow = false;
 let addWorkflowFolder = true;
 
 // Check for Gitlab integration option
-if ( args.length > 3 ) {
+if ( args.length >= 3 ) {
+  shellVersion = args[3];
+
   for (let i = 3; i < args.length; i++) {
     switch (args[i]) {
     case '-l':
@@ -95,10 +98,7 @@ Object.keys(targets).forEach((target) => {
 const creatorPkgData = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, 'package.json'));
 const creatorPkg = JSON.parse(creatorPkgData);
 
-// Fetch the latest version of @rancher/shell
-const shellVersion = execSync('npm view @rancher/shell version').toString().trim();
-
-// Set the latest version of @rancher/shell in the dependencies
+// Set the package version of @rancher/shell in the dependencies
 pkg.dependencies['@rancher/shell'] = `^${ shellVersion }`;
 
 // Rest of dependencies are in the _pkgs property of package.json - copy then across
@@ -138,8 +138,9 @@ if ( addWorkflowFolder ) {
 
 // Copy base files
 files.forEach((file) => {
+  const destinationFile = file === 'gitignore' ? '.gitignore' : file;
   const src = path.join(__dirname, 'files', file);
-  const dest = path.join(appFolder, file);
+  const dest = path.join(appFolder, destinationFile);
 
   if (!fs.existsSync(dest)) {
     console.log(`  Adding file: ${ file }`);
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/app/package.json b/creators/extension/app/package.json
similarity index 94%
rename from shell/creators/extension/app/package.json
rename to creators/extension/app/package.json
index 46f8f99d72..f75c3628aa 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/app/package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/app/package.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     "init"
   ],
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=20.0.0"
+    "node": ">=16.0.0"
   },
   "_requires": [
     "core-js",
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/init b/creators/extension/init
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
similarity index 73%
rename from shell/creators/extension/init
rename to creators/extension/init
index 64f9a1dc5f..80683293aa
--- a/shell/creators/extension/init
+++ b/creators/extension/init
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 const { execSync } = require('child_process');
 const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
+const creatorPkg = require('./package.json');
 
 const args = process.argv.slice(2);
 let extensionName = '';
@@ -11,6 +12,7 @@ let appName = '';
 let updateOnly = false;
 let skeletonOnly = false;
 let ignoreShellDepCheck = false;
+let tagUsed = ''; // To store the inferred tag
 
 args.forEach((arg, index) => {
   switch (arg) {
@@ -47,6 +49,45 @@ if ( !extensionName && !updateOnly && !skeletonOnly ) {
   process.exit(1);
 }
 
+// Infer the tag used based on the installed version and dist-tags
+try {
+  const packageName = creatorPkg.name;
+  const currentVersion = creatorPkg.version;
+
+  // Fetch the dist-tags from npm
+  const distTags = JSON.parse(execSync(`npm view ${ packageName } dist-tags --json`).toString());
+
+  // Find the tag matching the current version
+  tagUsed = Object.keys(distTags).find((tag) => distTags[tag] === currentVersion) || 'latest';
+
+  console.log(`Inferred tag used: ${ tagUsed }`);
+} catch (error) {
+  console.error('Error inferring tag:', error.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// Now, check the version of `@rancher/shell` package based on the inferred tag
+let shellVersion = 'latest';
+const shellPackageName = '@rancher/shell';
+
+try {
+  // Fetch the version of the `@rancher/shell` package that corresponds to the inferred tag
+  const tagVersion = execSync(`npm view ${ shellPackageName } dist-tags.${ tagUsed }`).toString().trim();
+
+  if (tagVersion) {
+    shellVersion = tagVersion;
+  } else {
+    const latestVersion = execSync(`npm view ${ shellPackageName } version`).toString().trim();
+
+    shellVersion = latestVersion;
+  }
+} catch (error) {
+  console.error(`  Failed to determine version for ${ shellPackageName }:`, error.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+console.log(`  Using version ${ shellVersion } for ${ shellPackageName }`);
+
 const basePath = process.cwd();
 let skeletonPath;
 let isInsideSkeleton = false;
@@ -98,7 +139,7 @@ try {
   if ( !isInsideSkeleton && !skeletonExists ) {
     console.log(`Creating skeleton application: ${ appName }...`);
     // Pass all arguments to the app/init script
-    execSync(`node ${ path.join(__dirname, 'app', 'init') } ${ appName } ${ args.join(' ') }`, { stdio: 'inherit' });
+    execSync(`node ${ path.join(__dirname, 'app', 'init') } ${ appName }  ${ shellVersion } ${ args.join(' ') }`, { stdio: 'inherit' });
 
     // Ensure the skeleton path directory is created before attempting to change directory
     if ( !fs.existsSync(skeletonPath) ) {
@@ -124,7 +165,7 @@ try {
   // Check for package existence and create it if necessary
   if ( !pkgExists ) {
     console.log(`Creating package: ${ extensionName }...`);
-    execSync(`node ${ path.join(__dirname, 'pkg', 'init') } ${ extensionName } ${ args.join(' ') }`, { stdio: 'inherit' });
+    execSync(`node ${ path.join(__dirname, 'pkg', 'init') } ${ extensionName } ${ shellVersion } ${ args.join(' ') }`, { stdio: 'inherit' });
   }
 
   if ( args.includes('--update') || args.includes('-u') ) {
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/package.json b/creators/extension/package.json
similarity index 73%
rename from shell/creators/extension/package.json
rename to creators/extension/package.json
index d5a7d1ac83..043d1959cd 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/package.json
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
 {
   "name": "@rancher/create-extension",
   "description": "Rancher UI Extension generator",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "0.2.0",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "author": "SUSE",
-  "private": false,
-  "bin": "./init",
+  "packageManager": "yarn@4.4.1",
+  "bin": {
+    "create-extension": "./init"
+  },
   "files": [
     "**/*",
     "init"
   ],
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=12"
+    "node": ">=16"
   },
   "_requires": [
     "core-js",
@@ -22,4 +24,4 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "fs-extra": "^10.0.0"
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/babel.config.js b/creators/extension/pkg/files/babel.config.js
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/babel.config.js
rename to creators/extension/pkg/files/babel.config.js
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/index.ts b/creators/extension/pkg/files/index.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/index.ts
rename to creators/extension/pkg/files/index.ts
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/tsconfig.json b/creators/extension/pkg/files/tsconfig.json
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/tsconfig.json
rename to creators/extension/pkg/files/tsconfig.json
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/vue.config.js b/creators/extension/pkg/files/vue.config.js
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/files/vue.config.js
rename to creators/extension/pkg/files/vue.config.js
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/init b/creators/extension/pkg/init
similarity index 90%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/init
rename to creators/extension/pkg/init
index 99b969c4af..a46ee7905f 100755
--- a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/init
+++ b/creators/extension/pkg/init
@@ -36,10 +36,13 @@ const args = process.argv;
 const name = args[2];
 const folder = path.resolve('.');
 const pkgFolder = path.join(folder, 'pkg', name);
+let shellVersion = '';
 
 let addTypeFolders = true;
 
-if ( args.length > 3 ) {
+if ( args.length >= 3 ) {
+  shellVersion = args[3];
+
   for ( let i = 3; i < args.length; i++ ) {
     switch (args[i]) {
     case '--skip-templates':
@@ -115,20 +118,12 @@ function fetchLatestVersion() {
 
           pkg.rancher = { annotations: { 'catalog.cattle.io/rancher-version': `>= ${ release.tag_name }` } };
 
-          // Fetch the latest version of @rancher/shell
-          const latestShellVersion = execSync('npm view @rancher/shell version').toString().trim() || null;
-
-          if (!latestShellVersion) {
+          if ( !shellVersion ) {
             console.log('Could not get a shell version from npm, skipping adding catalog.cattle.io/ui-extensions-version annotation to package.json');
           } else {
-            const splitShellVersion = latestShellVersion.split('.');
-            const majorVersion = splitShellVersion[0];
-            const minorVersion = splitShellVersion[1];
-            const parsedShellVersion = `${ majorVersion }.${ minorVersion }.0`;
+            console.log(`  Adding catalog.cattle.io/ui-extensions-version '>= ${ shellVersion }' to package.json`);
 
-            console.log(`  Adding catalog.cattle.io/ui-extensions-version '>= ${ parsedShellVersion }' to package.json`);
-
-            pkg.rancher.annotations['catalog.cattle.io/ui-extensions-version'] = `>= ${ parsedShellVersion }`;
+            pkg.rancher.annotations['catalog.cattle.io/ui-extensions-version'] = `>= ${ shellVersion }`;
           }
 
           writePackageJson();
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/package.json b/creators/extension/pkg/package.json
similarity index 96%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/package.json
rename to creators/extension/pkg/package.json
index 8b48374aa7..0566ff56fd 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/pkg/package.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     "init"
   ],
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=20.0.0"
+    "node": ">=16.0.0"
   },
   "resolutions": {
     "d3-color": "3.1.0",
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json b/creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json
similarity index 97%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json
rename to creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json
index 9d1a44ec42..988b17589e 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/pkg/pkg.package.json
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
   "rancher": true,
   "scripts": {},
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=12"
+    "node": ">=16"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@vue/cli-plugin-babel": "~5.0.0",
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/pkg/vue-shim.ts b/creators/extension/pkg/vue-shim.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/pkg/vue-shim.ts
rename to creators/extension/pkg/vue-shim.ts
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/update/init b/creators/extension/update/init
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/update/init
rename to creators/extension/update/init
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/update/package.json b/creators/extension/update/package.json
similarity index 93%
rename from shell/creators/extension/update/package.json
rename to creators/extension/update/package.json
index 46d1ff35f3..a847b9abcd 100644
--- a/shell/creators/extension/update/package.json
+++ b/creators/extension/update/package.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     "upgrade"
   ],
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=20.0.0"
+    "node": ">=16.0.0"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "fs-extra": "^10.0.0"
diff --git a/shell/creators/extension/update/upgrade b/creators/extension/update/upgrade
similarity index 100%
rename from shell/creators/extension/update/upgrade
rename to creators/extension/update/upgrade
diff --git a/docusaurus/docs/extensions/extensions-getting-started.md b/docusaurus/docs/extensions/extensions-getting-started.md
index 836ce7a3fe..34d76e5b20 100644
--- a/docusaurus/docs/extensions/extensions-getting-started.md
+++ b/docusaurus/docs/extensions/extensions-getting-started.md
@@ -67,14 +67,14 @@ You should be able to reach the older Ember UI by navigating to the Rancher API
 
 There are a few options available to be passed as an argument to the `@rancher/extension` script:
 
-|          Option           | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
-| :-----------------------: | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
-|     `--update \| -u`      | This will update all dependencies within the extension to match the declared versions in the shell. Update can be ran independently or along with creating an extension (e.g. `yarn create @rancher/extension my-extension --update`                                                          |
-| `--app-name \| -a <name>` | Allows specifying a different name for the skeleton application instead of using the extension name.                                                                                                                                                                                          |
-|  `--skeleton-only \| -s`  | Installs only the skeleton application without creating the extension package.                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
-|           `-l`            | This will automatically add the [`.gitlab-ci.yml`](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/blob/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml) pipeline file for integration with GitLab                                                                                              |
-|           `-w`            | Does not add the Github workflow files [`build-extension-catalog.yml`, `build-extension-charts.yml`](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) to be used as Github actions. These files will be added automatically by default. |
-|           `-t`            | Does not add the template folders automatically into the Extension package. These folders will be added automatically by default                                                                                                                                                              |
+|          Option           | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
+| :-----------------------: | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+|     `--update \| -u`      | This will update all dependencies within the extension to match the declared versions in the shell. Update can be ran independently or along with creating an extension (e.g. `yarn create @rancher/extension my-extension --update`                                                    |
+| `--app-name \| -a <name>` | Allows specifying a different name for the skeleton application instead of using the extension name.                                                                                                                                                                                    |
+|  `--skeleton-only \| -s`  | Installs only the skeleton application without creating the extension package.                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
+|           `-l`            | This will automatically add the [`.gitlab-ci.yml`](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/blob/master/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml) pipeline file for integration with GitLab                                                                                              |
+|           `-w`            | Does not add the Github workflow files [`build-extension-catalog.yml`, `build-extension-charts.yml`](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) to be used as Github actions. These files will be added automatically by default. |
+|           `-t`            | Does not add the template folders automatically into the Extension package. These folders will be added automatically by default                                                                                                                                                        |
 
 ---
 
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ You'll notice that if you reload the Rancher UI, the extension is not persistent
 
 Creating a Release for your extension is the official avenue for loading extensions into any Rancher instance. As mentioned in the [Introduction](./introduction.md), the extension can be packaged into a Helm chart and added as a Helm repository to be easily accessible from your Rancher Manager.
 
-We have created [workflows](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) for [Github Actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions) which will automatically build, package, and release your extension as a Helm chart for use within your Github repository, and an [Extension Catalog Image](./advanced/air-gapped-environments) (ECI) which is published into a specified container registry (`ghcr.io` by default). Depending on the use case, you can utilize the Github repository as a [Helm repository](https://helm.sh/docs/topics/chart_repository/) endpoint which we can use to consume the chart in Rancher, or you can import the ECI into the Extension Catalog list and serve the Helm charts locally.
+We have created [workflows](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) for [Github Actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions) which will automatically build, package, and release your extension as a Helm chart for use within your Github repository, and an [Extension Catalog Image](./advanced/air-gapped-environments) (ECI) which is published into a specified container registry (`ghcr.io` by default). Depending on the use case, you can utilize the Github repository as a [Helm repository](https://helm.sh/docs/topics/chart_repository/) endpoint which we can use to consume the chart in Rancher, or you can import the ECI into the Extension Catalog list and serve the Helm charts locally.
 
 > **Note:** GitLab support is offered through leverging the ECI build. For configuration instructions, follow the setps in the [Gitlab Integration](./publishing#gitlab-integration) section.
 
diff --git a/docusaurus/docs/extensions/publishing.md b/docusaurus/docs/extensions/publishing.md
index 332a356b39..af5747ba4d 100644
--- a/docusaurus/docs/extensions/publishing.md
+++ b/docusaurus/docs/extensions/publishing.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ There are currently two options for building and publishing a extensions:
 1. Building the Helm charts and necessary assets of an extension that can be committed into a Github or Helm repository.
 2. Building an [Extension Catalog Image](./advanced/air-gapped-environments) that can be pushed or mirrored into a container registry.
 
-As discussed in the [Getting Started](./extensions-getting-started#creating-a-release) section, we have established a [workflow](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) using [Github reusable workflows](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/reusing-workflows), that automatically handles the build and publication of both the Helm charts and ECI into the Extension's GitHub repository. However, this workflow can be omitted for a more hands-on approach to publishing Extensions.
+As discussed in the [Getting Started](./extensions-getting-started#creating-a-release) section, we have established a [workflow](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows) using [Github reusable workflows](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/reusing-workflows), that automatically handles the build and publication of both the Helm charts and ECI into the Extension's GitHub repository. However, this workflow can be omitted for a more hands-on approach to publishing Extensions.
 
 > Note: An explanation on the workflow files can be found in the [Additional Release Configuration](#additional-release-configuration) section.
 
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ yarn publish-pkgs -c -p -r <REGISTRY> -o <ORGANIZATION>
 
 # Additional Release Configuration
 
-Depending on your use case, there are multiple options on building and creating releases. When building an extension within a Github repository, you have the option of utilizing an action that triggers [prebuilt workflows](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows). When added to your extension, the `./github/workflows` directory will contain the files: `build-extension-charts.yml` and `build-extension-catalog.yml`. These workflows accomplish two seperate actions:
+Depending on your use case, there are multiple options on building and creating releases. When building an extension within a Github repository, you have the option of utilizing an action that triggers [prebuilt workflows](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/tree/master/creators/extension/app/files/.github/workflows). When added to your extension, the `./github/workflows` directory will contain the files: `build-extension-charts.yml` and `build-extension-catalog.yml`. These workflows accomplish two seperate actions:
 
 - `build-extension-charts` - Builds the Helm charts and necessary assets that are then published to the specified branch (defaults to `gh-pages`).
   - The versioning of these builds is determined by the Extension Package `version` property found in `./pkg/<package-name>/package.json`
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ By default, both of these actions are triggered by pushing into the `main` branc
 
 ## GitLab Integration
 
-When building an extension that will be housed in a GitLab repository or hosted environment, there is only one option for publishing automatically - That is by utilizing the provided [GitLab Pipeline CI file](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/blob/master/shell/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml) that is generated when [creating the skeleton app](extensions-getting-started#creating-the-skeleton-app).
+When building an extension that will be housed in a GitLab repository or hosted environment, there is only one option for publishing automatically - That is by utilizing the provided [GitLab Pipeline CI file](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/blob/master/creators/extension/app/files/.gitlab-ci.yml) that is generated when [creating the skeleton app](extensions-getting-started#creating-the-skeleton-app).
 
 This pipeline will build an ECI and publish it to container registry (`registry.gitlab.com` by default) to allow for importing into Rancher Manager.
 The actual pipeline jobs are defined in the [Dashboard repo](https://github.com/rancher/dashboard/blob/master/.gitlab/workflows/build-extension-catalog.gitlab-ci.yml) to allow for proper versioning and to apply any updates to the pipeline without any additional work from the Extension developer.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index eceaeb3aba..f1eaae33f5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
     "node": ">=20.0.0"
   },
   "workspaces": [
-    "pkg/rancher-components"
+    "pkg/rancher-components",
+    "creators/extension"
   ],
   "scripts": {
     "build-pkg": "yarn lint && ./shell/scripts/build-pkg.sh",
diff --git a/shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh b/shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh
index 6f657ea4ff..e2ce2841eb 100755
--- a/shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh
+++ b/shell/scripts/publish-shell.sh
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ BASE_DIR="$(
   pwd
 )"
 SHELL_DIR=$BASE_DIR/shell/
-CREATORS_DIR=$BASE_DIR/shell/creators/extension
-PUBLISH_ARGS="--no-git-tag-version --access public $NPM_TAG"
+CREATORS_DIR=$BASE_DIR/creators/extension
+PUBLISH_ARGS="--no-git-tag-version --access public --registry $NPM_REGISTRY $NPM_TAG"
 FORCE_PUBLISH_TO_NPM="false"
-DEFAULT_YARN_REGISTRY="https://registry.npmjs.org"
+DEFAULT_NPM_REGISTRY="https://registry.npmjs.org"
 
 # if TAG doesn't exist, we can exit as it's needed for any type of publish.
 if [ -z "$TAG" ]; then
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ if [ "$1" == "--npm" ]; then
 fi
 
 if [ "$FORCE_PUBLISH_TO_NPM" == "true" ]; then
-  export YARN_REGISTRY=$DEFAULT_YARN_REGISTRY
+  export NPM_REGISTRY=$DEFAULT_NPM_REGISTRY
 fi
 
 pushd ${SHELL_DIR} >/dev/null
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ function publish() {
 
   # if the PKG_VERSION has a - it means it will be a pre-release
   if [[ $PKG_VERSION == *"-"* ]]; then
-    PUBLISH_ARGS="--no-git-tag-version --access public --tag pre-release"
+    PUBLISH_ARGS="--no-git-tag-version --access public --registry $NPM_REGISTRY --tag pre-release"
   fi
 
   echo "Publishing ${NAME} from ${FOLDER}"
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ function publish() {
   # Make a note of dependency versions, if required
   node ${SCRIPT_DIR}/record-deps.js
 
-  yarn publish . --new-version ${PKG_VERSION} ${PUBLISH_ARGS}
+  echo "Publishing to registry: $NPM_REGISTRY"
+
+  npm publish ${PUBLISH_ARGS}
   RET=$?
 
   popd >/dev/null
@@ -75,9 +77,6 @@ function publish() {
   fi
 }
 
-# Generate the type definitions for the shell
-${SCRIPT_DIR}/typegen.sh
-
 echo "TAG ${TAG}"
   
   # let's get the package name and version from the tag
@@ -87,6 +86,11 @@ PKG_V=$(sed 's/.*-pkg-v//'<<< "$TAG")
 echo "PKG_NAME ${PKG_NAME}"
 echo "PKG_V ${PKG_V}"
 
+# Generate the type definitions for the shell
+if [ ${PKG_NAME} == "shell" ]; then
+  ${SCRIPT_DIR}/typegen.sh
+fi
+
 # version comparison checks
 case $PKG_NAME in
   "shell")
diff --git a/shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh b/shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
index e1a73bc44a..bbac4cc4f7 100755
--- a/shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
+++ b/shell/scripts/test-plugins-build.sh
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
 BASE_DIR="$( cd $SCRIPT_DIR && cd ../.. & pwd)"
 SHELL_DIR=$BASE_DIR/shell/
 SHELL_VERSION="99.99.99"
-DEFAULT_YARN_REGISTRY="https://registry.yarnpkg.com/"
-VERDACCIO_YARN_REGISTRY="http://localhost:4873"
+DEFAULT_NPM_REGISTRY="https://registry.npmjs.org/"
+VERDACCIO_NPM_REGISTRY="http://localhost:4873"
 
 echo ${SCRIPT_DIR}
 
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ else
   rm -rf ~/.config/verdaccio/storage/@rancher/*
 fi
 
-export YARN_REGISTRY=$VERDACCIO_YARN_REGISTRY
+export NPM_REGISTRY=$VERDACCIO_NPM_REGISTRY
 export NUXT_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1
 
 # Remove test package from previous run, if present
@@ -81,12 +81,17 @@ fi
 # We need to patch the version number of the shell, otherwise if we are running
 # with the currently published version, things will fail as those versions
 # are already published and Verdaccio will check, since it is a read-through cache
-sed -i.bak -e "s/\"version\": \"[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\(-alpha\.[0-9]*\|-release[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\|-rc\.[0-9]*\)\{0,1\}\",/\"version\": \"${SHELL_VERSION}\",/g" ${SHELL_DIR}/package.json
-rm ${SHELL_DIR}/package.json.bak
+update_version_in_package_json() {
+  local package_json_path="$1"
+  local version="$2"
 
-# Same as above for Rancher Components
-# We might have bumped the version number but its not published yet, so this will fail
-sed -i.bak -e "s/\"version\": \"[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\(-alpha\.[0-9]*\|-release[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\|-rc\.[0-9]*\)\{0,1\}\",/\"version\": \"${SHELL_VERSION}\",/g" ${BASE_DIR}/pkg/rancher-components/package.json
+  sed -i.bak -e "s/\"version\": \"[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\(-alpha\.[0-9]*\|-release[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\|-rc\.[0-9]*\)\{0,1\}\",/\"version\": \"${version}\",/g" "$package_json_path"
+  rm "${package_json_path}.bak"
+}
+
+update_version_in_package_json "${SHELL_DIR}/package.json" "${SHELL_VERSION}"
+update_version_in_package_json "${BASE_DIR}/pkg/rancher-components/package.json" "${SHELL_VERSION}"
+update_version_in_package_json "${BASE_DIR}/creators/extension/package.json" "${SHELL_VERSION}"
 
 # Publish shell pkg (tag is needed as publish-shell is optimized to work with release-shell-pkg workflow)
 echo "Publishing Shell package to local registry"
@@ -101,6 +106,9 @@ ${SHELL_DIR}/scripts/publish-shell.sh
 
 # Publish rancher components
 yarn build:lib
+
+npm set registry ${VERDACCIO_NPM_REGISTRY}
+yarn config set registry ${VERDACCIO_NPM_REGISTRY}
 yarn publish:lib
 
 # We pipe into cat for cleaner logging - we need to set pipefail
@@ -167,7 +175,7 @@ function clone_repo_test_extension_build() {
   echo -e "\nSetting up $REPO_NAME repository locally\n"
 
   # set registry to default (to install all of the other dependencies)
-  yarn config set registry ${DEFAULT_YARN_REGISTRY}
+  yarn config set registry ${DEFAULT_NPM_REGISTRY}
 
   if [ "${TEST_PERSIST_BUILD}" != "true" ]; then
     echo "Removing folder ${BASE_DIR}/$REPO_NAME"
@@ -182,7 +190,7 @@ function clone_repo_test_extension_build() {
   yarn install
 
   # set registry to local verdaccio (to install new shell)
-  yarn config set registry ${VERDACCIO_YARN_REGISTRY}
+  yarn config set registry ${VERDACCIO_NPM_REGISTRY}
 
   # update package.json to use a specific version of shell
   sed -i.bak -e "s/\"\@rancher\/shell\": \"[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*\",/\"\@rancher\/shell\": \"${SHELL_VERSION}\",/g" package.json
@@ -210,7 +218,7 @@ function clone_repo_test_extension_build() {
   # delete folder
   echo "Removing folder ${BASE_DIR}/$REPO_NAME"
   rm -rf ${BASE_DIR}/$REPO_NAME
-  yarn config set registry ${DEFAULT_YARN_REGISTRY}
+  yarn config set registry ${DEFAULT_NPM_REGISTRY}
 }
 
 # Here we just add the extension that we want to include as a check (all our official extensions should be included here)
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index f6ffded3ab..09ed17997b 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
     "dist",
     "dist-pkg",
     "cypress",
-    "shell/creators",
     "shell/scripts",
     "cypress",
     "./cypress.config.ts",