diff --git a/src/integration-test/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest.groovy b/src/integration-test/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest.groovy
index cb9d3ba..da206c2 100644
--- a/src/integration-test/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest.groovy
+++ b/src/integration-test/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest.groovy
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import com.amazonaws.waiters.Waiter
 import com.amazonaws.waiters.WaiterParameters
 import com.fieldju.gradle.plugins.lambdasam.AwsSamDeployerPlugin
 import groovy.util.logging.Slf4j
+import org.gradle.api.Project
 import org.gradle.testfixtures.ProjectBuilder
 import org.junit.After
 import org.junit.Before
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ class DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest {
         Files.copy(samTemplateSource, samTemplateDest)
         Files.copy(fatJarSource, fatJarDest)
 
-        def project = ProjectBuilder.builder().withName('DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest').withProjectDir(temp).build()
+        Project project = ProjectBuilder.builder().withName('DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest').withProjectDir(temp).build()
         AwsSamDeployerPlugin plugin = new AwsSamDeployerPlugin()
         plugin.apply(project)
         project.'aws-sam-deployer' {
@@ -99,6 +100,7 @@ class DeploySamTaskIntegrationTest {
             forceUploads = true
         }
 
+        project.evaluate()
         // run the package sam task, since deploy depends on it
         def packageSameTask = project.tasks.getByName(AwsSamDeployerPlugin.TaskDefinitions.PACKAGE_SAM_TASK.name as String) as PackageSamTask
         packageSameTask.taskAction()
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerExtension.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerExtension.groovy
index ce54614..f063e0a 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerExtension.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerExtension.groovy
@@ -14,19 +14,11 @@ class AwsSamDeployerExtension {
     Map<String, String> parameterOverrides = [:]
     boolean forceUploads = false
 
-    String getSamTemplateAsString() {
+    String getSamTemplatePath() {
         if (samTemplatePath == null || samTemplatePath == "") {
             throw new GradleException("samTemplatePath is a required lambdasam extention property")
         }
-
-        File samTemplate = new File(samTemplatePath)
-
-        // if the template is not a real file fail
-        if (! (samTemplate.exists() && samTemplate.isFile())) {
-            throw new GradleException("The template: ${samTemplatePath} did not exist or was not a file")
-        }
-
-        return samTemplate.text
+        return samTemplatePath
     }
 
     String getStackName() {
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerPlugin.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerPlugin.groovy
index 63f93a9..039a582 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerPlugin.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/AwsSamDeployerPlugin.groovy
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package com.fieldju.gradle.plugins.lambdasam
 
 import com.fieldju.gradle.plugins.lambdasam.tasks.DeploySamTask
 import com.fieldju.gradle.plugins.lambdasam.tasks.PackageSamTask
-import com.fieldju.gradle.plugins.lambdasam.tasks.SamTask
 import org.gradle.api.Plugin
 import org.gradle.api.Project
 import org.gradle.api.logging.Logger
@@ -36,22 +35,22 @@ class AwsSamDeployerPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
     }
 
     protected void configureTasks(Project project) {
-        project.tasks.withType(SamTask) {
-            conventionMapping.region = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).region }
-        }
+        AwsSamDeployerExtension extension = project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension
 
-        project.tasks.withType(DeploySamTask) {
-            conventionMapping.stackName = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).stackName }
-            conventionMapping.parameterOverrides = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).parameterOverrides }
-        }
+        project.afterEvaluate {
+            DeploySamTask deploySamTask = project.tasks.getByName(TaskDefinitions.DEPLOY_SAM_TASK.name) as DeploySamTask
+            deploySamTask.region = extension.getRegion()
+            deploySamTask.stackName = extension.getStackName()
+            deploySamTask.parameterOverrides = extension.parameterOverrides
 
-        project.tasks.withType(PackageSamTask) {
-            conventionMapping.s3Bucket = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).s3Bucket }
-            conventionMapping.s3Prefix = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).s3Prefix }
-            conventionMapping.kmsKeyId = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).kmsKeyId }
-            conventionMapping.forceUploads = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).forceUploads }
-            conventionMapping.samTemplatePath = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).samTemplatePath }
-            conventionMapping.tokenArtifactMap = { (project.extensions.getByName(EXTENSION_NAME) as AwsSamDeployerExtension).tokenArtifactMap }
+            PackageSamTask packageSamTask = project.tasks.getByName(TaskDefinitions.PACKAGE_SAM_TASK.name) as PackageSamTask
+            packageSamTask.region = extension.getRegion()
+            packageSamTask.s3Bucket = extension.s3Bucket
+            packageSamTask.s3Prefix = extension.s3Prefix
+            packageSamTask.kmsKeyId = extension.kmsKeyId
+            packageSamTask.forceUploads = extension.forceUploads
+            packageSamTask.samTemplatePath = extension.getSamTemplatePath()
+            packageSamTask.tokenArtifactMap = extension.tokenArtifactMap
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/PackageSamTask.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/PackageSamTask.groovy
index 9185a90..89d235c 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/PackageSamTask.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/fieldju/gradle/plugins/lambdasam/tasks/PackageSamTask.groovy
@@ -68,11 +68,22 @@ class PackageSamTask extends SamTask {
         File buildDir = new File("${project.getBuildDir().absolutePath}${File.separator}sam")
         buildDir.mkdirs()
         File dest = new File("${buildDir.absolutePath}${File.separator}sam-deploy.yaml")
-        dest.write(samTemplatePath)
+        dest.write(getSamTemplateAsString())
         // replace the tokens with the s3 URIs
         tokenS3UriMap.each { token, uri ->
             logger.lifecycle("Injecting ${uri} into ${dest.absolutePath} for token: ${token}")
             ant.replace(file: dest.absolutePath, token: token, value: uri)
         }
     }
+
+    private String getSamTemplateAsString() {
+        File samTemplate = new File(samTemplatePath)
+
+        // if the template is not a real file fail
+        if (! (samTemplate.exists() && samTemplate.isFile())) {
+            throw new GradleException("The template: ${samTemplatePath} did not exist or was not a file")
+        }
+
+        return samTemplate.text
+    }
 }