diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
index ad074041fab32..4903c8776c60c 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { InvokeHook } from '../../../init';
 import { shell } from '../../../os';
 
-export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string) => {
-  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%.sln');
-  const csprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%', '%name.PascalCased%.csproj');
+export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string, context) => {
+  const pname = context.placeholder('name.PascalCased');
+  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', `${pname}.sln`);
+  const csprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', pname, `${pname}.csproj`);
   try {
     await shell(['dotnet', 'sln', slnPath, 'add', csprojPath]);
   } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error(`Could not add project %name.PascalCased%.csproj to solution %name.PascalCased%.sln. ${e.message}`);
+    throw new Error(`Could not add project ${pname}.csproj to solution ${pname}.sln. ${e.message}`);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
index e3cae76dba992..1298c91432636 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { InvokeHook } from '../../../init';
 import { shell } from '../../../os';
 
-export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string) => {
-  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%.sln');
-  const fsprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%', '%name.PascalCased%.fsproj');
+export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string, context) => {
+  const pname = context.placeholder('name.PascalCased');
+  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', `${pname}.sln`);
+  const fsprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', pname, `${pname}.fsproj`);
   try {
     await shell(['dotnet', 'sln', slnPath, 'add', fsprojPath]);
   } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error(`Could not add project %name.PascalCased%.fsproj to solution %name.PascalCased%.sln. ${e.message}`);
+    throw new Error(`Could not add project ${pname}.fsproj to solution ${pname}.sln. ${e.message}`);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
index ad074041fab32..4903c8776c60c 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/csharp/add-project.hook.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { InvokeHook } from '../../../init';
 import { shell } from '../../../os';
 
-export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string) => {
-  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%.sln');
-  const csprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%', '%name.PascalCased%.csproj');
+export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string, context) => {
+  const pname = context.placeholder('name.PascalCased');
+  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', `${pname}.sln`);
+  const csprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', pname, `${pname}.csproj`);
   try {
     await shell(['dotnet', 'sln', slnPath, 'add', csprojPath]);
   } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error(`Could not add project %name.PascalCased%.csproj to solution %name.PascalCased%.sln. ${e.message}`);
+    throw new Error(`Could not add project ${pname}.csproj to solution ${pname}.sln. ${e.message}`);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
index e3cae76dba992..1298c91432636 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init-templates/sample-app/fsharp/add-project.hook.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import { InvokeHook } from '../../../init';
 import { shell } from '../../../os';
 
-export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string) => {
-  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%.sln');
-  const fsprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', '%name.PascalCased%', '%name.PascalCased%.fsproj');
+export const invoke: InvokeHook = async (targetDirectory: string, context) => {
+  const pname = context.placeholder('name.PascalCased');
+  const slnPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', `${pname}.sln`);
+  const fsprojPath = path.join(targetDirectory, 'src', pname, `${pname}.fsproj`);
   try {
     await shell(['dotnet', 'sln', slnPath, 'add', fsprojPath]);
   } catch (e) {
-    throw new Error(`Could not add project %name.PascalCased%.fsproj to solution %name.PascalCased%.sln. ${e.message}`);
+    throw new Error(`Could not add project ${pname}.fsproj to solution ${pname}.sln. ${e.message}`);
   }
 };
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init.ts
index e5ecef421cde4..ba6555e26d62d 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/init.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ export interface HookContext {
    * This makes token substitution available to non-`.template` files.
    */
   readonly substitutePlaceholdersIn: SubstitutePlaceholders;
+
+  /**
+   * Return a single placeholder
+   */
+  placeholder(name: string): string;
 }
 
 export type InvokeHook = (targetDirectory: string, context: HookContext) => Promise<void>;
@@ -119,7 +124,6 @@ export class InitTemplate {
     };
 
     const sourceDirectory = path.join(this.basePath, language);
-    const hookTempDirectory = path.join(this.basePath, `${HOOK_DIR_PREFIX}-${projectInfo.name}`);
 
     const hookContext: HookContext = {
       substitutePlaceholdersIn: async (...fileNames: string[]) => {
@@ -129,33 +133,27 @@ export class InitTemplate {
           await fs.writeFile(fullPath, this.expand(template, language, projectInfo));
         }
       },
+      placeholder: (ph: string) => this.expand(`%${ph}%`, language, projectInfo),
     };
 
-    try {
-      await fs.mkdir(hookTempDirectory);
-      await this.installFiles(sourceDirectory, targetDirectory, hookTempDirectory, language, projectInfo);
-      await this.applyFutureFlags(targetDirectory);
-      await this.invokeHooks(hookTempDirectory, targetDirectory, hookContext);
-    } catch (e) {
-      warning(`Unable to create ${projectInfo.name}: ${e.message}`);
-    } finally {
-      await fs.remove(hookTempDirectory);
-    }
+    await this.installFiles(sourceDirectory, targetDirectory, language, projectInfo);
+    await this.applyFutureFlags(targetDirectory);
+    await this.invokeHooks(sourceDirectory, targetDirectory, hookContext);
   }
 
-  private async installFiles(sourceDirectory: string, targetDirectory: string, hookTempDirectory: string, language:string, project: ProjectInfo) {
+  private async installFiles(sourceDirectory: string, targetDirectory: string, language:string, project: ProjectInfo) {
     for (const file of await fs.readdir(sourceDirectory)) {
       const fromFile = path.join(sourceDirectory, file);
       const toFile = path.join(targetDirectory, this.expand(file, language, project));
       if ((await fs.stat(fromFile)).isDirectory()) {
         await fs.mkdir(toFile);
-        await this.installFiles(fromFile, toFile, hookTempDirectory, language, project);
+        await this.installFiles(fromFile, toFile, language, project);
         continue;
       } else if (file.match(/^.*\.template\.[^.]+$/)) {
         await this.installProcessed(fromFile, toFile.replace(/\.template(\.[^.]+)$/, '$1'), language, project);
         continue;
       } else if (file.match(/^.*\.hook\.(d.)?[^.]+$/)) {
-        await this.installProcessed(fromFile, path.join(hookTempDirectory, file), language, project);
+        // Ignore
         continue;
       } else {
         await fs.copy(fromFile, toFile);