diff --git a/src/Shell/Task/AssetsTask.php b/src/Shell/PluginAssetsShell.php
similarity index 58%
rename from src/Shell/Task/AssetsTask.php
rename to src/Shell/PluginAssetsShell.php
index f6a1dc78405..bf63fc90e13 100644
--- a/src/Shell/Task/AssetsTask.php
+++ b/src/Shell/PluginAssetsShell.php
@@ -12,40 +12,41 @@
  * @since         3.0.0
  * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
  */
-namespace Cake\Shell\Task;
+namespace Cake\Shell;
 
 use Cake\Console\Shell;
-use Cake\Core\App;
 use Cake\Core\Plugin;
 use Cake\Filesystem\Folder;
 use Cake\Utility\Inflector;
 
 /**
- * Task for symlinking / copying plugin assets to app's webroot.
+ * Shell for symlinking / copying plugin assets to app's webroot.
  *
  */
-class AssetsTask extends Shell {
+class PluginAssetsShell extends Shell {
 
 /**
- * Execution method always used for tasks
+ * Attempt to symlink plugin assets to app's webroot. If symlinking fails it
+ * fallback to copying the assets. For vendor namespaced plugin, parent folder
+ * for vendor name are created if required.
  *
  * @return void
  */
-	public function main() {
-		$this->_process();
+	public function symlink() {
+		$this->_process($this->_list());
 	}
 
 /**
- * Process plugins
+ * Get list of plugins to process. Plugins without a webroot directory are skipped.
  *
- * @return void
+ * @return array
  */
-	protected function _process() {
-		$plugins = Plugin::loaded();
-		foreach ($plugins as $plugin) {
+	protected function _list() {
+		$plugins = [];
+		foreach (Plugin::loaded() as $plugin) {
 			$path = Plugin::path($plugin) . 'webroot';
 			if (!is_dir($path)) {
-				$this->out();
+				$this->out('', 1, Shell::VERBOSE);
 				$this->out(
 					sprintf('Skipping plugin %s. It does not have webroot folder.', $plugin),
 					2,
@@ -54,32 +55,67 @@ protected function _process() {
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			$this->out();
-			$this->out('For plugin: ' . $plugin);
-			$this->hr();
-
 			$link = Inflector::underscore($plugin);
 			$dir = WWW_ROOT;
-
+			$namespaced = false;
 			if (strpos('/', $link) !== false) {
+				$namespaced = true;
 				$parts = explode('/', $link);
 				$link = array_pop($parts);
 				$dir = WWW_ROOT . implode(DS, $parts) . DS;
-				if (!is_dir($dir) && !$this->_createDirectory($dir)) {
-					continue;
-				}
 			}
 
-			if (file_exists($dir . $link)) {
-				$this->out($link . ' already exists', 1, Shell::VERBOSE);
+			$plugins[$plugin] = [
+				'srcPath' => Plugin::path($plugin) . 'webroot',
+				'destDir' => $dir,
+				'link' => $link,
+				'namespaced' => $namespaced
+			];
+		}
+		return $plugins;
+	}
+
+/**
+ * Process plugins
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	protected function _process($plugins) {
+		foreach ($plugins as $plugin => $config) {
+			$path = Plugin::path($plugin) . 'webroot';
+
+			$this->out();
+			$this->out('For plugin: ' . $plugin);
+			$this->hr();
+
+			if ($config['namespaced'] &&
+				!is_dir($config['destDir']) &&
+				!$this->_createDirectory($config['destDir'])
+			) {
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			if (file_exists($config['destDir'] . $config['link'])) {
+				$this->out(
+					$config['destDir'] . $config['link'] . ' already exists',
+					1,
+					Shell::VERBOSE
+				);
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			if ($this->_createSymlink($path, $dir . $link)) {
+			$result = $this->_createSymlink(
+				$config['srcPath'],
+				$config['destDir'] . $config['link']
+			);
+			if ($result) {
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			$this->_copyDirectory($path, $dir . $link);
+			$this->_copyDirectory(
+				$config['srcPath'],
+				$config['destDir'] . $config['link']
+			);
 		}
 
 		$this->out();
@@ -146,4 +182,19 @@ protected function _copyDirectory($source, $destination) {
 		return false;
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Gets the option parser instance and configures it.
+ *
+ * @return \Cake\Console\ConsoleOptionParser
+ */
+	public function getOptionParser() {
+		$parser = parent::getOptionParser();
+
+		$parser->addSubcommand('symlink', [
+			'help' => 'Symlink / copy assets to app\'s webroot'
+		]);
+
+		return $parser;
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/src/Shell/PluginShell.php b/src/Shell/PluginShell.php
deleted file mode 100644
index e3e58305ea3..00000000000
--- a/src/Shell/PluginShell.php
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-<?php
-/**
- * CakePHP(tm) : Rapid Development Framework (http://cakephp.org)
- * Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
- *
- * Licensed under The MIT License
- * For full copyright and license information, please see the LICENSE.txt
- * Redistributions of files must retain the above copyright notice.
- *
- * @copyright     Copyright (c) Cake Software Foundation, Inc. (http://cakefoundation.org)
- * @link          http://cakephp.org CakePHP(tm) Project
- * @since         3.0.0
- * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
- */
-namespace Cake\Shell;
-
-use Cake\Console\Shell;
-
-/**
- * Shell for Plugin management.
- *
- */
-class PluginShell extends Shell {
-
-/**
- * Contains tasks to load and instantiate
- *
- * @var array
- */
-	public $tasks = ['Assets'];
-
-/**
- * Symlink / copy plugin assets to app's webroot
- *
- * @return void
- */
-	public function assets() {
-		$this->Assets->main();
-	}
-
-/**
- * Gets the option parser instance and configures it.
- *
- * @return \Cake\Console\ConsoleOptionParser
- */
-	public function getOptionParser() {
-		$parser = parent::getOptionParser();
-
-		$parser->addSubcommand('assets', [
-			'help' => 'Symlink / copy assets to app\'s webroot'
-		]);
-
-		return $parser;
-	}
-
-}
diff --git a/tests/TestCase/Shell/Task/AssetsTaskTest.php b/tests/TestCase/Shell/PluginAssetsShellTest.php
similarity index 63%
rename from tests/TestCase/Shell/Task/AssetsTaskTest.php
rename to tests/TestCase/Shell/PluginAssetsShellTest.php
index e95ccb26ded..8ddf505227c 100644
--- a/tests/TestCase/Shell/Task/AssetsTaskTest.php
+++ b/tests/TestCase/Shell/PluginAssetsShellTest.php
@@ -12,20 +12,20 @@
  * @since         3.0.0
  * @license       http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php MIT License
  */
-namespace Cake\Test\TestCase\Shell\Task;
+namespace Cake\Test\TestCase\Shell;
 
 use Cake\Core\App;
 use Cake\Core\Configure;
 use Cake\Core\Plugin;
 use Cake\Filesystem\Folder;
-use Cake\Shell\Task\AssetsTask;
+use Cake\Shell\PluginAssetsTask;
 use Cake\TestSuite\TestCase;
 
 /**
- * SymlinkAssetsTask class
+ * PluginAssetsShellTest class
  *
  */
-class SymlinkAssetsTaskTest extends TestCase {
+class PluginAssetsShellTest extends TestCase {
 
 /**
  * setUp method
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ public function setUp() {
 		parent::setUp();
 		$this->io = $this->getMock('Cake\Console\ConsoleIo', [], [], '', false);
 
-		$this->Task = $this->getMock(
-			'Cake\Shell\Task\AssetsTask',
+		$this->shell = $this->getMock(
+			'Cake\Shell\PluginAssetsShell',
 			array('in', 'out', 'err', '_stop'),
 			array($this->io)
 		);
@@ -50,20 +50,20 @@ public function setUp() {
  */
 	public function tearDown() {
 		parent::tearDown();
-		unset($this->Task);
+		unset($this->shell);
 		Plugin::unload();
 	}
 
 /**
- * testExecute method
+ * testSymlink method
  *
  * @return void
  */
-	public function testExecute() {
+	public function testSymlink() {
 		Plugin::load('TestPlugin');
 		Plugin::load('Company/TestPluginThree');
 
-		$this->Task->main();
+		$this->shell->symlink();
 
 		$path = WWW_ROOT . 'test_plugin';
 		$link = new \SplFileInfo($path);
@@ -71,6 +71,27 @@ public function testExecute() {
 		$this->assertTrue(file_exists($path . DS . 'root.js'));
 		unlink($path);
 
+		$path = WWW_ROOT . 'company' . DS . 'test_plugin_three';
+		$link = new \SplFileInfo($path);
+		// If "company" directory exists beforehand "test_plugin_three" would
+		// be a link. But if the directory is created by the shell itself
+		// symlinking fails and the assets folder is copied as fallback.
+		$this->assertTrue($link->isDir());
+		$this->assertTrue(file_exists($path . DS . 'css' . DS . 'company.css'));
+		$folder = new Folder(WWW_ROOT . 'company');
+		$folder->delete();
+	}
+
+/**
+ * testSymlinkWhenVendorDirectoryExits
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testSymlinkWhenVendorDirectoryExits() {
+		Plugin::load('Company/TestPluginThree');
+		mkdir(WWW_ROOT . 'company');
+
+		$this->shell->symlink();
 		$path = WWW_ROOT . 'company' . DS . 'test_plugin_three';
 		$link = new \SplFileInfo($path);
 		$this->assertTrue($link->isLink());
@@ -87,7 +108,7 @@ public function testExecute() {
 	public function testForPluginWithoutWebroot() {
 		Plugin::load('TestPluginTwo');
 
-		$this->Task->main();
+		$this->shell->symlink();
 		$this->assertFalse(file_exists(WWW_ROOT . 'test_plugin_two'));
 	}