diff --git a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/CapabilityEditors/TaskCoreEditor.tsx b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/CapabilityEditors/TaskCoreEditor.tsx
index 501edad..debdd4d 100644
--- a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/CapabilityEditors/TaskCoreEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/CapabilityEditors/TaskCoreEditor.tsx
@@ -1,25 +1,15 @@
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { useCallback } from "react";
 import { InputType } from "../../../../../components/common/Input";
-import {
-  TaskDefinition,
-  TaskMetadata,
-} from "../../services/WorkflowTemplateService";
+import { TaskDefinition } from "../../services/WorkflowTemplateService";
 import { renderTaskField } from "../taskEditorHelpers";
-import { TaskValidationResult } from "../TasksEditor";
+import { CapabilityEditorProps } from "../TasksEditor";
 import { Namespaces } from "../../../../../i18n/i18n";
 import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";
 import { getAllDescendants } from "../workflowGraphUtils";
+import { useValidation } from "../useValidation";
+import { useCapabilityDefaults } from "../useCapabilityDefaults";
 
-interface TaskCoreEditorProps {
-  task: TaskDefinition;
-  allTasks: TaskDefinition[];
-  allowedTasks: TaskMetadata[];
-  onChange: (updated: TaskDefinition) => void;
-  onValidate: (result: TaskValidationResult) => void;
-  shouldAssignDefaults: boolean;
-}
-
-export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
+export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<CapabilityEditorProps> = ({
   task,
   allTasks,
   allowedTasks,
@@ -28,8 +18,6 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
   shouldAssignDefaults,
 }) => {
   const { t: tTaskType } = useTranslation(Namespaces.TaskTypes);
-  const [fieldErrors, setFieldErrors] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
-  const prevErrorsRef = useRef<Record<string, string>>({});
 
   // Generate a unique default name
   const nameExists = (tasks: TaskDefinition[], candidate: string): boolean => {
@@ -49,7 +37,7 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
       if (!displayName) return "New Task";
 
       const base = `${tTaskType(displayName)} `;
-      let index = 1;
+      let index = 0;
 
       while (nameExists(tasks, `${base}${index}`)) {
         index++;
@@ -60,49 +48,33 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
     [allowedTasks, task.type, tTaskType],
   );
 
-  const assignDefaults = (
-    newConfig: Record<string, unknown>,
-    task: TaskDefinition,
-    allTasks: TaskDefinition[],
-    allowedTasks: TaskMetadata[],
-    formatNewTaskName: (tasks: TaskDefinition[]) => string,
-  ) => {
-    const displayName = allowedTasks.find(
-      (t) => t.taskType === task.type,
-    )?.displayName;
+  const assignDefaults = useCallback(
+    (newConfig: Record<string, unknown>) => {
+      const displayName = allowedTasks.find(
+        (t) => t.taskType === task.type,
+      )?.displayName;
 
-    // Assign default name
-    if (displayName) {
-      newConfig.name = formatNewTaskName(allTasks);
-    }
+      // Assign default name
+      if (displayName) {
+        newConfig.name = formatNewTaskName(allTasks);
+      }
 
-    // Assign default predecessor (the task immediately before this one)
-    const index = allTasks.findIndex((t) => t.config.guid === task.config.guid);
+      // Assign default predecessor (the task immediately before this one)
+      const index = allTasks.findIndex(
+        (t) => t.config.guid === task.config.guid,
+      );
 
-    if (index > 0) {
-      const previousTask = allTasks[index - 1];
-      newConfig.predecessors = [previousTask.config.guid as string];
-    }
-  };
+      if (index > 0) {
+        const previousTask = allTasks[index - 1];
+        newConfig.predecessors = [previousTask.config.guid as string];
+      }
+    },
+    [formatNewTaskName, task, allTasks, allowedTasks],
+  );
 
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!shouldAssignDefaults) return;
-
-    const newConfig = { ...task.config };
-
-    assignDefaults(newConfig, task, allTasks, allowedTasks, formatNewTaskName);
-
-    onChange({
-      ...task,
-      config: newConfig,
-    });
-  }, [
-    shouldAssignDefaults,
-    task,
+  useCapabilityDefaults(shouldAssignDefaults, task, onChange, assignDefaults, [
     allTasks,
     allowedTasks,
-    formatNewTaskName,
-    onChange,
   ]);
 
   const runValidation = useCallback(() => {
@@ -156,30 +128,7 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
     return { errors, isValid };
   }, [task, allTasks]);
 
-  const prevInitialValidationRef = useRef<{
-    isValid: boolean;
-    errors: Record<string, string>;
-  } | null>(null);
-
-  // Validate when task changes (new task selected / created)
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const result = runValidation();
-
-    const prev = prevInitialValidationRef.current;
-
-    const changed =
-      !prev ||
-      prev.isValid !== result.isValid ||
-      Object.keys(prev.errors).length !== Object.keys(result.errors).length ||
-      Object.entries(result.errors).some(([k, v]) => prev.errors[k] !== v);
-
-    if (changed) {
-      setFieldErrors(result.errors);
-      prevErrorsRef.current = result.errors;
-      onValidate(result);
-      prevInitialValidationRef.current = result;
-    }
-  }, [
+  const { fieldErrors } = useValidation(runValidation, onValidate, [
     task.config.guid,
     task.config.name,
     task.config.description,
@@ -211,7 +160,7 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
         "name",
         "Name",
         InputType.text,
-        fieldErrors["name"],
+        fieldErrors,
       )}
 
       {renderTaskField(
@@ -220,7 +169,7 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
         "description",
         "Description",
         InputType.textarea,
-        fieldErrors["description"],
+        fieldErrors,
       )}
 
       {renderTaskField(
@@ -229,7 +178,7 @@ export const TaskCoreEditor: React.FC<TaskCoreEditorProps> = ({
         "predecessors",
         "Predecessors",
         InputType.multiselect,
-        fieldErrors["predecessors"],
+        fieldErrors,
         "",
         0,
         {
diff --git a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/TasksEditor.tsx b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/TasksEditor.tsx
index 31432a1..5c18a5f 100644
--- a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/TasksEditor.tsx
+++ b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/TasksEditor.tsx
@@ -5,6 +5,15 @@ import {
 } from "../services/WorkflowTemplateService";
 import { TaskCoreEditor } from "./CapabilityEditors/TaskCoreEditor";
 
+export interface CapabilityEditorProps {
+  task: TaskDefinition;
+  allTasks: TaskDefinition[];
+  allowedTasks: TaskMetadata[];
+  onChange: (updated: TaskDefinition) => void;
+  onValidate: (result: TaskValidationResult) => void;
+  shouldAssignDefaults: boolean;
+}
+
 export interface TaskValidationResult {
   isValid: boolean;
   errors: Record<string, string>;
diff --git a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/taskEditorHelpers.tsx b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/taskEditorHelpers.tsx
index 76775ff..a6bb93e 100644
--- a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/taskEditorHelpers.tsx
+++ b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/taskEditorHelpers.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ export const renderTaskField = (
   field: string,
   label: string,
   type: InputType,
-  error?: string,
+  errors: Record<string, string>,
   placeholder?: string,
   maxLength?: number,
   extraProps?: {
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ export const renderTaskField = (
     field,
     label,
     (task.config as any)[field],
-    error,
+    errors[field],
     type,
     handleChange,
     false,
diff --git a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useCapabilityDefaults.tsx b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useCapabilityDefaults.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..00081d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useCapabilityDefaults.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import { useEffect } from "react";
+import { TaskDefinition } from "../services/WorkflowTemplateService";
+
+export function useCapabilityDefaults(
+  shouldAssignDefaults: boolean,
+  task: TaskDefinition,
+  onChange: (updated: TaskDefinition) => void,
+  assignDefaults: (newConfig: Record<string, unknown>) => void,
+  deps: unknown[],
+) {
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!shouldAssignDefaults) return;
+
+    const newConfig = { ...task.config };
+
+    assignDefaults(newConfig);
+
+    onChange({
+      ...task,
+      config: newConfig,
+    });
+  }, [shouldAssignDefaults, task, onChange, assignDefaults, ...deps]);
+}
diff --git a/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useValidation.tsx b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useValidation.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9db3fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/modules/manager/workflowTemplates/components/useValidation.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { TaskValidationResult } from "./TasksEditor";
+
+export function useValidation(
+  runValidation: () => TaskValidationResult,
+  onValidate: (result: TaskValidationResult) => void,
+  deps: unknown[],
+) {
+  const [fieldErrors, setFieldErrors] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
+  const prevErrorsRef = useRef<Record<string, string>>({});
+  const prevInitialValidationRef = useRef<TaskValidationResult | null>(null);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const result = runValidation();
+    const prev = prevInitialValidationRef.current;
+
+    const changed =
+      !prev ||
+      prev.isValid !== result.isValid ||
+      Object.keys(prev.errors).length !== Object.keys(result.errors).length ||
+      Object.entries(result.errors).some(([k, v]) => prev.errors[k] !== v);
+
+    if (changed) {
+      setFieldErrors(result.errors);
+      prevErrorsRef.current = result.errors;
+      onValidate(result);
+      prevInitialValidationRef.current = result;
+    }
+  }, deps);
+
+  return { fieldErrors };
+}