diff --git a/gradle/backend/build.gradle b/gradle/backend/build.gradle
deleted file mode 100644
index 56428a267..000000000
--- a/gradle/backend/build.gradle
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-plugins {
-  id 'war'
-}
-
-// Set this directory before applying the appengine plugin so that the plugin
-// will recognize this as an app-engine standard app (and also obtains the
-// appengine-web.xml from the correct location)
-project.convention.plugins['war'].webAppDirName =
-    '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/backend'
-
-apply plugin: 'com.google.cloud.tools.appengine'
-
-// Get the web.xml file for the service.
-war {
-  webInf {
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/common/backend/WEB-INF'
-  }
-}
-
-appengine {
-  deploy {
-    project = 'domain-registry-crash'
-  }
-}
-
-dependencies {
-  compile project(':core')
-}
diff --git a/gradle/build.gradle b/gradle/build.gradle
index 206af2dcf..4adb4af10 100644
--- a/gradle/build.gradle
+++ b/gradle/build.gradle
@@ -24,14 +24,63 @@ gradleLint.autoLintAfterFailure = false
 ext.javaDir = "${rootDir}/../java"
 ext.javatestsDir = "${rootDir}/../javatests"
 
+// Tasks to deploy/stage all App Engine services
+task deploy {
+  group = 'deployment'
+  description = 'Deploys all services to App Engine.'
+}
+
+task stage {
+  group = 'deployment'
+  description = 'Generates application directories for all services.'
+}
+
 subprojects {
+  // Skip no-op project
+  if (project.name == 'services') return
+
   repositories {
     jcenter()
     mavenCentral()
   }
 
-  // Exclude all of the module deployment projects.
-  if (project.name in ['default', 'backend', 'tools', 'pubapi']) return
+  // Set up all of the deployment projects.
+  if (project.name in ['default', 'backend', 'tools', 'pubapi']) {
+
+    apply plugin: 'war'
+
+    // Set this directory before applying the appengine plugin so that the
+    // plugin will recognize this as an app-engine standard app (and also
+    // obtains the appengine-web.xml from the correct location)
+    project.convention.plugins['war'].webAppDirName =
+        "../../../java/google/registry/env/crash/${project.name}"
+
+    apply plugin: 'com.google.cloud.tools.appengine'
+
+    // Get the web.xml file for the service.
+    war {
+      webInf {
+        from "../../../java/google/registry/env/common/${project.name}/WEB-INF"
+      }
+    }
+
+    appengine {
+      deploy {
+        // TODO: change this to a variable.
+        project = 'domain-registry-crash'
+      }
+    }
+
+    dependencies {
+      compile project(':core')
+    }
+
+    rootProject.deploy.dependsOn appengineDeploy
+    rootProject.stage.dependsOn appengineStage
+
+    // Return early, do not apply the settings below.
+    return
+  }
 
   apply plugin: 'java'
   apply plugin: 'nebula.lint'
diff --git a/gradle/default/build.gradle b/gradle/default/build.gradle
deleted file mode 100644
index 02db5a69a..000000000
--- a/gradle/default/build.gradle
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-plugins {
-  id 'war'
-}
-
-// Set this directory before applying the appengine plugin so that the plugin
-// will recognize this as an app-engine standard app (and also obtains the
-// appengine-web.xml from the correct location)
-project.convention.plugins['war'].webAppDirName =
-    '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/default'
-
-apply plugin: 'com.google.cloud.tools.appengine'
-
-// Get the web.xml and cron.xml files for the service.
-war {
-  webInf {
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/common/default/WEB-INF'
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/tools/WEB-INF/cron.xml'
-  }
-}
-
-appengine {
-  deploy {
-    project = 'domain-registry-crash'
-  }
-}
-
-dependencies {
-  compile project(':core')
-}
diff --git a/gradle/pubapi/build.gradle b/gradle/pubapi/build.gradle
deleted file mode 100644
index 27fbb9b97..000000000
--- a/gradle/pubapi/build.gradle
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-plugins {
-  id 'war'
-}
-
-// Set this directory before applying the appengine plugin so that the plugin
-// will recognize this as an app-engine standard app (and also obtains the
-// appengine-web.xml from the correct location)
-project.convention.plugins['war'].webAppDirName =
-    '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/pubapi'
-
-apply plugin: 'com.google.cloud.tools.appengine'
-
-// Get the web.xml file for the service.
-war {
-  webInf {
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/common/pubapi/WEB-INF'
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/pubapi/WEB-INF/cron.xml'
-  }
-}
-
-appengine {
-  deploy {
-    project = 'domain-registry-crash'
-  }
-}
-
-dependencies {
-  compile project(':core')
-}
diff --git a/gradle/services/backend/README.txt b/gradle/services/backend/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..956793fc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gradle/services/backend/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This directory is intentionally empty. This subproject is configred through root
+project build script.
diff --git a/gradle/services/default/README.txt b/gradle/services/default/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..956793fc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gradle/services/default/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This directory is intentionally empty. This subproject is configred through root
+project build script.
diff --git a/gradle/services/pubapi/README.txt b/gradle/services/pubapi/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..956793fc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gradle/services/pubapi/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This directory is intentionally empty. This subproject is configred through root
+project build script.
diff --git a/gradle/services/tools/README.txt b/gradle/services/tools/README.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..956793fc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gradle/services/tools/README.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+This directory is intentionally empty. This subproject is configred through root
+project build script.
diff --git a/gradle/settings.gradle b/gradle/settings.gradle
index 1806b5156..30879379f 100644
--- a/gradle/settings.gradle
+++ b/gradle/settings.gradle
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ include 'core'
 include 'proxy'
 include 'third_party'
 include 'util'
-include 'default'
-include 'backend'
-include 'tools'
-include 'pubapi'
+include 'services:default'
+include 'services:backend'
+include 'services:tools'
+include 'services:pubapi'
diff --git a/gradle/tools/build.gradle b/gradle/tools/build.gradle
deleted file mode 100644
index ddf0e2beb..000000000
--- a/gradle/tools/build.gradle
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-plugins {
-  id 'war'
-}
-
-// Set this directory before applying the appengine plugin so that the plugin
-// will recognize this as an app-engine standard app (and also obtains the
-// appengine-web.xml from the correct location)
-project.convention.plugins['war'].webAppDirName =
-    '../../java/google/registry/env/crash/tools'
-
-apply plugin: 'com.google.cloud.tools.appengine'
-
-// Get the web.xml file for the service.
-war {
-  webInf {
-    from '../../java/google/registry/env/common/tools/WEB-INF'
-  }
-}
-
-appengine {
-  deploy {
-    project = 'domain-registry-crash'
-  }
-}
-
-dependencies {
-  compile project(':core')
-}