diff --git a/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Commands/PublishCommand.cs b/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Commands/PublishCommand.cs
index dd64de81..37d96bed 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Commands/PublishCommand.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Commands/PublishCommand.cs
@@ -167,6 +167,19 @@ public static Command CreateCommand(
                     logger.LogInformation("Please customize the manifest files before publishing");
                 }
 
+                // Ensure agenticUserTemplateManifest.json exists in the manifest directory.
+                // It may be missing if the manifest directory was created by a previous partial run
+                // or an older CLI version that did not include this file.
+                if (!File.Exists(agenticUserManifestTemplatePath))
+                {
+                    logger.LogInformation("agenticUserTemplateManifest.json not found. Extracting from embedded resources...");
+                    if (!manifestTemplateService.EnsureTemplateFile(manifestDir, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json"))
+                    {
+                        logger.LogError("Failed to extract agenticUserTemplateManifest.json from embedded resources");
+                        return;
+                    }
+                }
+
                 if (!File.Exists(manifestPath))
                 {
                     logger.LogError("Manifest file not found at {Path}", manifestPath);
@@ -258,9 +271,10 @@ public static Command CreateCommand(
                     try { File.Delete(zipPath); } catch { /* ignore */ }
                 }
 
-                // Identify up to 4 files (manifest.json + icons + any additional up to 4 total)
+                // Identify files to include in zip; agenticUserTemplateManifest.json is explicitly listed
+                // to ensure it is always included regardless of other files present in the directory
                 var expectedFiles = new List<string>();
-                string[] candidateNames = ["manifest.json", "color.png", "outline.png", "logo.png", "icon.png"];
+                string[] candidateNames = ["manifest.json", "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json", "color.png", "outline.png", "logo.png", "icon.png"];
                 foreach (var name in candidateNames)
                 {
                     var p = Path.Combine(manifestDir, name);
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Services/ManifestTemplateService.cs b/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Services/ManifestTemplateService.cs
index c09217c7..00d254d6 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Services/ManifestTemplateService.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli/Services/ManifestTemplateService.cs
@@ -74,6 +74,47 @@ public bool ExtractTemplates(string workingDirectory)
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Extracts a single embedded template file to the working directory only if it does not already exist.
+    /// Existing files are not overwritten, preserving any user customizations or previously applied blueprint IDs.
+    /// Use this method to recover missing files from a manifest directory created by an older CLI version
+    /// or a partial previous run, without disturbing other files in the directory.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="workingDirectory">Directory to extract the template to</param>
+    /// <param name="fileName">Name of the embedded template file (e.g., "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json")</param>
+    /// <returns>True if the file already exists or was successfully extracted</returns>
+    public bool EnsureTemplateFile(string workingDirectory, string fileName)
+    {
+        var targetPath = Path.Combine(workingDirectory, fileName);
+        if (File.Exists(targetPath))
+        {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        try
+        {
+            var fullResourceName = $"{ResourcePrefix}{fileName}";
+            using var stream = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(fullResourceName);
+
+            if (stream == null)
+            {
+                _logger.LogError("Embedded resource not found: {Resource}", fullResourceName);
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            using var fileStream = File.Create(targetPath);
+            stream.CopyTo(fileStream);
+
+            _logger.LogDebug("Extracted template: {File}", fileName);
+            return true;
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Failed to extract template file {File}", fileName);
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Updates manifest files with agent-specific identifiers.
     /// </summary>
diff --git a/src/Tests/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli.Tests/Services/ManifestTemplateServiceTests.cs b/src/Tests/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli.Tests/Services/ManifestTemplateServiceTests.cs
index 966b2f28..d65719ff 100644
--- a/src/Tests/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli.Tests/Services/ManifestTemplateServiceTests.cs
+++ b/src/Tests/Microsoft.Agents.A365.DevTools.Cli.Tests/Services/ManifestTemplateServiceTests.cs
@@ -486,6 +486,65 @@ public void TryGetExistingManifestDirectory_ReturnsFalse_WhenProjectPathIsNull()
 
     #endregion
 
+    #region EnsureTemplateFile Tests
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureTemplateFile_ReturnsTrue_WhenFileAlreadyExists()
+    {
+        // Arrange
+        var existingContent = "existing content";
+        var filePath = Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json");
+        File.WriteAllText(filePath, existingContent);
+
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.EnsureTemplateFile(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json");
+
+        // Assert
+        result.Should().BeTrue();
+        // Existing file should NOT be overwritten
+        File.ReadAllText(filePath).Should().Be(existingContent);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureTemplateFile_ExtractsFile_WhenFileMissing()
+    {
+        // Arrange - directory exists but file is absent
+        var filePath = Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json");
+        File.Exists(filePath).Should().BeFalse();
+
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.EnsureTemplateFile(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json");
+
+        // Assert
+        result.Should().BeTrue();
+        File.Exists(filePath).Should().BeTrue();
+        new FileInfo(filePath).Length.Should().BeGreaterThan(0);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureTemplateFile_ExtractedFile_ContainsValidJson()
+    {
+        // Act
+        _service.EnsureTemplateFile(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json");
+
+        // Assert
+        var content = File.ReadAllText(Path.Combine(_testDirectory, "agenticUserTemplateManifest.json"));
+        var act = () => System.Text.Json.JsonDocument.Parse(content);
+        act.Should().NotThrow();
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void EnsureTemplateFile_ReturnsFalse_WhenResourceNameIsInvalid()
+    {
+        // Act
+        var result = _service.EnsureTemplateFile(_testDirectory, "nonexistent-file.json");
+
+        // Assert
+        result.Should().BeFalse();
+    }
+
+    #endregion
+
     #region ValidateManifestFormatAsync Tests
 
     [Fact]