diff --git a/docs/installing.md b/docs/installing.md
index 2209a14..4a669cc 100644
--- a/docs/installing.md
+++ b/docs/installing.md
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ buildscript {
 apply plugin: 'com.moowork.node'
 ```
 
+In multi-project builds the plugin can be applied to the individual projects making use of it. By
+further applying it to the root project, child project will make use of the root configuration
+and share a download cache directory.
+ 
 
 ## Installing snapshots
 
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntExtension.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntExtension.groovy
index 3086d8b..2b6f93b 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntExtension.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntExtension.groovy
@@ -18,4 +18,21 @@ class GruntExtension
     {
         this.workDir = project.projectDir
     }
+
+    static GruntExtension get( final Project project )
+    {
+        return project.extensions.getByType( GruntExtension )
+    }
+
+    static GruntExtension create( final Project project )
+    {
+        def config = project.extensions.create( NAME, GruntExtension, project )
+        if(project.rootProject.hasProperty( GruntExtension.NAME) ){
+            def rootConfig = GruntExtension.get( project.rootProject )
+            config.colors = rootConfig.colors
+            config.bufferOutput = rootConfig.bufferOutput
+            config.gruntFile = rootConfig.gruntFile
+        }
+        return config
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntPlugin.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntPlugin.groovy
index 430d599..5d74d42 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntPlugin.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/grunt/GruntPlugin.groovy
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class GruntPlugin
     {
         project.plugins.apply( NodePlugin.class )
 
-        project.extensions.create( GruntExtension.NAME, GruntExtension, project )
+        GruntExtension.create( project )
 
         project.extensions.extraProperties.set( 'GruntTask', GruntTask.class )
         project.tasks.create( GRUNT_INSTALL_NAME, GruntInstallTask.class )
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpExtension.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpExtension.groovy
index bc1245c..0d897bf 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpExtension.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpExtension.groovy
@@ -16,4 +16,20 @@ class GulpExtension
     {
         this.workDir = project.projectDir
     }
+
+    static GulpExtension get( final Project project )
+    {
+        return project.extensions.getByType( GulpExtension )
+    }
+
+    static GulpExtension create( final Project project )
+    {
+        def config = project.extensions.create( NAME, GulpExtension, project )
+        if(project.rootProject.hasProperty( GulpExtension.NAME) ){
+            def rootConfig = GulpExtension.get( project.rootProject )
+            config.colors = rootConfig.colors
+            config.bufferOutput = rootConfig.bufferOutput
+        }
+        return config
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpPlugin.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpPlugin.groovy
index 7a52534..370e52b 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpPlugin.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/gulp/GulpPlugin.groovy
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class GulpPlugin
     {
         project.plugins.apply( NodePlugin.class )
 
-        project.extensions.create( GulpExtension.NAME, GulpExtension, project )
+        GulpExtension.create( project )
 
         project.extensions.extraProperties.set( 'GulpTask', GulpTask.class )
         project.tasks.create( GULP_INSTALL_NAME, GulpInstallTask.class )
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodeExtension.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodeExtension.groovy
index 99f93ec..83c0361 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodeExtension.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodeExtension.groovy
@@ -47,6 +47,21 @@ class NodeExtension
 
     static NodeExtension create( final Project project )
     {
-        return project.extensions.create( NAME, NodeExtension, project )
+        def config = project.extensions.create( NAME, NodeExtension, project )
+        if(project.rootProject.hasProperty( NodeExtension.NAME) ){
+            def rootConfig = NodeExtension.get( project.rootProject )
+            config.workDir = rootConfig.workDir
+            config.npmWorkDir = rootConfig.npmWorkDir
+            config.yarnWorkDir = rootConfig.yarnWorkDir
+            config.version = rootConfig.version
+            config.npmVersion = rootConfig.npmVersion
+            config.yarnVersion = rootConfig.yarnVersion
+            config.distBaseUrl = rootConfig.distBaseUrl
+            config.npmCommand = rootConfig.npmCommand
+            config.yarnCommand = rootConfig.yarnCommand
+            config.download = rootConfig.download
+            config.variant = rootConfig.variant
+        }
+        return config
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodePlugin.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodePlugin.groovy
index e89abf1..3b08fca 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodePlugin.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/moowork/gradle/node/NodePlugin.groovy
@@ -38,9 +38,14 @@ class NodePlugin
 
         this.project.afterEvaluate {
             this.config.variant = new VariantBuilder( this.config ).build()
-            configureSetupTask()
-            configureNpmSetupTask()
-            configureYarnSetupTask()
+
+            // for root project the dependency to the root setup tasks will perform the setup and
+            // the tasks here will remain disabled
+            if( !hasRoot() ) {
+                configureSetupTask()
+                configureNpmSetupTask()
+                configureYarnSetupTask()
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -51,6 +56,11 @@ class NodePlugin
         addGlobalTaskType( YarnTask )
     }
 
+    private boolean hasRoot()
+    {
+        return this.project.parent != null && this.project.rootProject.hasProperty( NodeExtension.NAME)
+    }
+
     private void addTasks()
     {
         this.project.tasks.create( NpmInstallTask.NAME, NpmInstallTask )
@@ -58,6 +68,12 @@ class NodePlugin
         this.setupTask = this.project.tasks.create( SetupTask.NAME, SetupTask )
         this.npmSetupTask = this.project.tasks.create( NpmSetupTask.NAME, NpmSetupTask )
         this.yarnSetupTask = this.project.tasks.create( YarnSetupTask.NAME, YarnSetupTask )
+
+        if( hasRoot() ){
+            this.setupTask.dependsOn( this.project.rootProject.tasks.getByName( SetupTask.NAME ) )
+            this.npmSetupTask.dependsOn( this.project.rootProject.tasks.getByName( NpmSetupTask.NAME ) )
+            this.yarnSetupTask.dependsOn( this.project.rootProject.tasks.getByName( YarnSetupTask.NAME ) )
+        }
     }
 
     private void addGlobalTaskType( Class type )