diff --git a/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift b/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift
index c77f51a5..6845bb15 100644
--- a/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift
+++ b/Sources/ContainerCommands/Application.swift
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ public struct Application: AsyncLoggableCommand {
             // by ArgumentParser and lands here.
             let containsHelp = fullArgs.contains("-h") || fullArgs.contains("--help")
             if fullArgs.count <= 2 && containsHelp {
-                let pluginLoader = try? await createPluginLoader()
+                let pluginLoader = try? await Utility.createPluginLoader(log: bootstrapLogger)
                 await Self.printModifiedHelpText(pluginLoader: pluginLoader)
                 return
             }
@@ -143,51 +143,6 @@ public struct Application: AsyncLoggableCommand {
         }
     }
 
-    public static func createPluginLoader() async throws -> PluginLoader {
-        let installRootPath = CommandLine.executablePath
-            .removingLastComponent()
-            .removingLastComponent()
-        // TODO: Remove when we convert PluginLoader to FilePath.
-        let installRootURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: installRootPath.string)
-        let pluginsURL = PluginLoader.userPluginsDir(installRoot: installRootURL)
-        var directoryExists: ObjCBool = false
-        _ = FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: pluginsURL.path, isDirectory: &directoryExists)
-        let userPluginsURL = directoryExists.boolValue ? pluginsURL : nil
-
-        // plugins built into the application installed as a macOS app bundle
-        let appBundlePluginsURL = Bundle.main.resourceURL?.appending(path: "plugins")
-
-        // plugins built into the application installed as a Unix-like application
-        let installRootPluginsPath =
-            installRootPath
-            .appending(FilePath.Component("libexec"))
-            .appending(FilePath.Component("container"))
-            .appending(FilePath.Component("plugins"))
-        let installRootPluginsURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: installRootPluginsPath.string)
-        let pluginDirectories = [
-            userPluginsURL,
-            appBundlePluginsURL,
-            installRootPluginsURL,
-        ].compactMap { $0 }
-
-        let pluginFactories: [any PluginFactory] = [
-            DefaultPluginFactory(logger: bootstrapLogger),
-            AppBundlePluginFactory(logger: bootstrapLogger),
-        ]
-
-        guard let systemHealth = try? await ClientHealthCheck.ping(timeout: .seconds(10)) else {
-            throw ContainerizationError(.timeout, message: "unable to retrieve application data root from API server")
-        }
-        return try PluginLoader(
-            appRoot: systemHealth.appRoot,
-            installRoot: systemHealth.installRoot,
-            logRoot: systemHealth.logRoot,
-            pluginDirectories: pluginDirectories,
-            pluginFactories: pluginFactories,
-            log: bootstrapLogger
-        )
-    }
-
     /// Load the system configuration using `appRoot` / `installRoot` reported by the
     /// daemon. `container system start` MUST have previously been run to start the daemon.
     public static func loadContainerSystemConfig() async throws -> ContainerSystemConfig {
diff --git a/Sources/ContainerCommands/DefaultCommand.swift b/Sources/ContainerCommands/DefaultCommand.swift
index 3df8f570..e1e6ac39 100644
--- a/Sources/ContainerCommands/DefaultCommand.swift
+++ b/Sources/ContainerCommands/DefaultCommand.swift
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ struct DefaultCommand: AsyncLoggableCommand {
 
     func run() async throws {
         // See if we have a possible plugin command.
-        let pluginLoader = try? await Application.createPluginLoader()
+        let pluginLoader = try? await Utility.createPluginLoader(log: log)
         guard let command = remaining.first else {
             await Application.printModifiedHelpText(pluginLoader: pluginLoader)
             return
diff --git a/Sources/ContainerCommands/HelpCommand.swift b/Sources/ContainerCommands/HelpCommand.swift
index 43e9107c..e6d3015b 100644
--- a/Sources/ContainerCommands/HelpCommand.swift
+++ b/Sources/ContainerCommands/HelpCommand.swift
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ struct HelpCommand: AsyncLoggableCommand {
 
     func run() async throws {
         if subcommandPath.isEmpty {
-            let pluginLoader = try? await Application.createPluginLoader()
+            let pluginLoader = try? await Utility.createPluginLoader(log: log)
             await Application.printModifiedHelpText(pluginLoader: pluginLoader)
             return
         }
diff --git a/Sources/Services/ContainerAPIService/Client/Utility+PluginLoader.swift b/Sources/Services/ContainerAPIService/Client/Utility+PluginLoader.swift
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d631e67c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Sources/Services/ContainerAPIService/Client/Utility+PluginLoader.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
+// Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. and the container project authors.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//   https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
+
+import ContainerPlugin
+import ContainerizationError
+import Foundation
+import Logging
+import SystemPackage
+
+extension Utility {
+    public static func createPluginLoader(log: Logger) async throws -> PluginLoader {
+        let installRootPath = CommandLine.executablePath
+            .removingLastComponent()
+            .removingLastComponent()
+        // TODO: Remove when we convert PluginLoader to FilePath.
+        let installRootURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: installRootPath.string)
+        let pluginsURL = PluginLoader.userPluginsDir(installRoot: installRootURL)
+        var directoryExists: ObjCBool = false
+        _ = FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: pluginsURL.path, isDirectory: &directoryExists)
+        let userPluginsURL = directoryExists.boolValue ? pluginsURL : nil
+
+        // plugins built into the application installed as a macOS app bundle
+        let appBundlePluginsURL = Bundle.main.resourceURL?.appending(path: "plugins")
+
+        // plugins built into the application installed as a Unix-like application
+        let installRootPluginsPath =
+            installRootPath
+            .appending(FilePath.Component("libexec"))
+            .appending(FilePath.Component("container"))
+            .appending(FilePath.Component("plugins"))
+        let installRootPluginsURL = URL(fileURLWithPath: installRootPluginsPath.string)
+        let pluginDirectories = [
+            userPluginsURL,
+            appBundlePluginsURL,
+            installRootPluginsURL,
+        ].compactMap { $0 }
+
+        let pluginFactories: [any PluginFactory] = [
+            DefaultPluginFactory(logger: log),
+            AppBundlePluginFactory(logger: log),
+        ]
+
+        guard let systemHealth = try? await ClientHealthCheck.ping(timeout: .seconds(10)) else {
+            throw ContainerizationError(.timeout, message: "unable to retrieve application data root from API server")
+        }
+        return try PluginLoader(
+            appRoot: systemHealth.appRoot,
+            installRoot: systemHealth.installRoot,
+            logRoot: systemHealth.logRoot,
+            pluginDirectories: pluginDirectories,
+            pluginFactories: pluginFactories,
+            log: log
+        )
+    }
+}