diff --git a/.changeset/slow-poets-itch.md b/.changeset/slow-poets-itch.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a29a23b97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/slow-poets-itch.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps": minor
+---
+
+Added experimental Yarn plugin to simplify dependency alignment
diff --git a/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/README.md b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..778e95ce9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# @rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps
+
+[![Build](https://github.com/microsoft/rnx-kit/actions/workflows/build.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/microsoft/rnx-kit/actions/workflows/build.yml)
+[![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps)
+
+🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧
+
+### THIS TOOL IS EXPERIMENTAL — USE WITH CAUTION
+
+🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧🚧
+
+This is a sample folder to use as base for generating new packages for
+`rnx-kit`.
+
+## Motivation
+
+We want new packages to follow an existing set of patterns and guidelines; via
+this package, we can enforce easily allow new folders to stick to at least a
+common starting point.
+
+## Installation
+
+```sh
+yarn add @rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps --dev
+```
+
+or if you're using npm
+
+```sh
+npm add --save-dev @rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps
+```
+
+## Usage
diff --git a/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/eslint.config.js b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/eslint.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..89ed77c6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/eslint.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = require("@rnx-kit/eslint-config");
diff --git a/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/index.js b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cb86fd63c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+// @ts-check
+
+/**
+ * @import { Hooks, Manifest, PackageExtensionData, Plugin } from "@yarnpkg/core";
+ * @typedef {{ [key: string]: string | number | boolean | JSONObject | JSONObject[] | null }} JSONObject;
+ * @typedef {Manifest["raw"]} RawManifest;
+ */
+
+const PLUGIN_NAME = "@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps";
+
+/**
+ * @param {RawManifest} manifest
+ * @returns {JSONObject | undefined}
+ */
+function getKitConfig({ "rnx-kit": rnxconfig }) {
+  if (!rnxconfig || typeof rnxconfig !== "object") {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  return /** @type {JSONObject} */ (rnxconfig);
+}
+
+/**
+ * @param {RawManifest} manifest
+ * @param {string} projectRoot
+ * @param {NodeJS.Require} require
+ * @returns {Promise<((cwd: string, manifest: RawManifest) => PackageExtensionData | undefined) | void>}
+ */
+async function loadUserProfiles(
+  manifest,
+  projectRoot,
+  // @ts-expect-error `tsc` thinks `require` is unused
+  require
+) {
+  const rnxconfig = getKitConfig(manifest);
+  if (!rnxconfig || !("profiles" in rnxconfig)) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const { profiles } = rnxconfig;
+  if (!profiles) {
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (typeof profiles === "string") {
+    const path = require("node:path");
+
+    // On Windows, import paths must include the `file:` protocol and we must
+    // manually prefix it. `URL.pathToFileURL` incorrectly adds the disk station
+    // so the URL becomes `file://C:/C:/...`.
+    const profilesPath = path.posix.resolve(projectRoot, profiles);
+    const external = await import(`file://${encodeURI(profilesPath)}`);
+    return external?.default ?? external;
+  }
+
+  if (typeof profiles === "object" && !Array.isArray(profiles)) {
+    return (_cwd, manifest) => {
+      const rnxconfig = getKitConfig(manifest);
+      if (!rnxconfig || !("profile" in rnxconfig)) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const { profile } = rnxconfig;
+      if (typeof profile !== "string") {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const p = profiles[profile];
+      if (!p || typeof p !== "object" || Array.isArray(p)) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      return /** @type {PackageExtensionData} */ (p);
+    };
+  }
+
+  console.warn(
+    `${PLUGIN_NAME}: invalid configuration: 'profiles' must be an object or a string`
+  );
+}
+
+// This module *must* be CommonJS because `actions/setup-node` (and probably
+// others) does not support ESM. Yarn itself does.
+exports.name = PLUGIN_NAME;
+
+/** @type {(require: NodeJS.Require) => Plugin<Hooks>} */
+exports.factory = (require) => ({
+  hooks: {
+    registerPackageExtensions: async (
+      configuration,
+      registerPackageExtension
+    ) => {
+      const { projectCwd } = configuration;
+      if (!projectCwd) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const { Project, structUtils } = require("@yarnpkg/core");
+
+      const { workspace } = await Project.find(configuration, projectCwd);
+      if (!workspace) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      const { manifest, project } = workspace;
+      const getUserProfile = await loadUserProfiles(
+        manifest.raw,
+        projectCwd,
+        require
+      );
+      if (!getUserProfile) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      project.workspacesByCwd.forEach(({ cwd, manifest }) => {
+        const { name, version, raw } = manifest;
+        if (!name || !version) {
+          return;
+        }
+
+        const profile = getUserProfile(cwd, raw);
+        if (!profile) {
+          return;
+        }
+
+        const descriptor = structUtils.makeDescriptor(name, version);
+        registerPackageExtension(descriptor, profile);
+      });
+    },
+  },
+});
diff --git a/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/package.json b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4ba07878f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+{
+  "private": true,
+  "name": "@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps",
+  "version": "0.0.1",
+  "description": "EXPERIMENTAL - USE WITH CAUTION - yarn-plugin-align-deps",
+  "homepage": "https://github.com/microsoft/rnx-kit/tree/main/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps#readme",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "author": {
+    "name": "Microsoft Open Source",
+    "email": "microsoftopensource@users.noreply.github.com"
+  },
+  "files": [
+    "index.js"
+  ],
+  "main": "index.js",
+  "exports": {
+    ".": "./index.js"
+  },
+  "repository": {
+    "type": "git",
+    "url": "https://github.com/microsoft/rnx-kit",
+    "directory": "incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps"
+  },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=18.12"
+  },
+  "scripts": {
+    "build": "rnx-kit-scripts build",
+    "format": "rnx-kit-scripts format",
+    "lint": "rnx-kit-scripts lint",
+    "test": "rnx-kit-scripts test"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@rnx-kit/eslint-config": "*",
+    "@rnx-kit/scripts": "*",
+    "@rnx-kit/tsconfig": "*",
+    "@yarnpkg/core": "^4.0.0",
+    "eslint": "^9.0.0",
+    "prettier": "^3.0.0",
+    "typescript": "^5.0.0"
+  },
+  "experimental": true
+}
diff --git a/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/tsconfig.json b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/tsconfig.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8b08be4b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps/tsconfig.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "extends": "@rnx-kit/tsconfig/tsconfig.json",
+  "compilerOptions": {
+    "noEmit": true
+  },
+  "include": ["index.js"]
+}
diff --git a/packages/template/package.json b/packages/template/package.json
index b10b30438..e7a1c921c 100644
--- a/packages/template/package.json
+++ b/packages/template/package.json
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
     "directory": "packages/template"
   },
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=16.17"
+    "node": ">=18.12"
   },
   "scripts": {
     "build": "rnx-kit-scripts build",
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index f543588fd..f06da3ea5 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -4838,6 +4838,20 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: unknown
   linkType: soft
 
+"@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps@workspace:incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps":
+  version: 0.0.0-use.local
+  resolution: "@rnx-kit/yarn-plugin-align-deps@workspace:incubator/yarn-plugin-align-deps"
+  dependencies:
+    "@rnx-kit/eslint-config": "npm:*"
+    "@rnx-kit/scripts": "npm:*"
+    "@rnx-kit/tsconfig": "npm:*"
+    "@yarnpkg/core": "npm:^4.0.0"
+    eslint: "npm:^9.0.0"
+    prettier: "npm:^3.0.0"
+    typescript: "npm:^5.0.0"
+  languageName: unknown
+  linkType: soft
+
 "@shikijs/engine-oniguruma@npm:^1.25.1":
   version: 1.26.1
   resolution: "@shikijs/engine-oniguruma@npm:1.26.1"
@@ -5564,7 +5578,7 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"@yarnpkg/core@npm:^4.1.6, @yarnpkg/core@npm:^4.2.0":
+"@yarnpkg/core@npm:^4.0.0, @yarnpkg/core@npm:^4.1.6, @yarnpkg/core@npm:^4.2.0":
   version: 4.2.0
   resolution: "@yarnpkg/core@npm:4.2.0"
   dependencies: