diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/add-linting/add-linting.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/add-linting/add-linting.ts
index 0cbe631879610..c07709450d908 100755
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/add-linting/add-linting.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/add-linting/add-linting.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ export async function addLintingGenerator(
     skipFormat: true,
     rootProject: rootProject,
     addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
+    addExplicitTargets: !options.addPlugin,
   });
   tasks.push(lintTask);
 
diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/application/lib/add-e2e.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/application/lib/add-e2e.ts
index 58a98c319242e..3ca335b87dc34 100644
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/application/lib/add-e2e.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/application/lib/add-e2e.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,9 @@ import { getInstalledAngularVersionInfo } from '../../utils/version-utils';
 import type { NormalizedSchema } from './normalized-schema';
 
 export async function addE2e(tree: Tree, options: NormalizedSchema) {
+  // check for explicit false, separate e2e projects infer targets by default
+  const addPlugin = process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS !== 'false';
+
   if (options.e2eTestRunner === 'cypress') {
     // TODO: This can call `@nx/web:static-config` generator when ready
     addFileServerTarget(tree, options, 'serve-static');
@@ -34,7 +37,7 @@ export async function addE2e(tree: Tree, options: NormalizedSchema) {
       devServerTarget: `${options.name}:serve:development`,
       baseUrl: 'http://localhost:4200',
       rootProject: options.rootProject,
-      addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
+      addPlugin: addPlugin,
     });
   } else if (options.e2eTestRunner === 'playwright') {
     const { configurationGenerator: playwrightConfigurationGenerator } =
@@ -62,7 +65,7 @@ export async function addE2e(tree: Tree, options: NormalizedSchema) {
       }`,
       webServerAddress: `http://localhost:${options.port ?? 4200}`,
       rootProject: options.rootProject,
-      addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
+      addPlugin: addPlugin,
     });
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/cypress-component-configuration/cypress-component-configuration.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/cypress-component-configuration/cypress-component-configuration.ts
index 66b9627e82191..99503584d13a1 100644
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/cypress-component-configuration/cypress-component-configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/cypress-component-configuration/cypress-component-configuration.ts
@@ -46,13 +46,14 @@ export async function cypressComponentConfigurationInternal(
   tree: Tree,
   options: CypressComponentConfigSchema
 ) {
-  options.addPlugin ??= process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS !== 'false';
+  options.addPlugin ??= process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS === 'true';
 
   const projectConfig = readProjectConfiguration(tree, options.project);
   const installTask = await baseCyCTConfig(tree, {
     project: options.project,
     skipFormat: true,
     addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
+    addExplicitTargets: !options.addPlugin,
   });
 
   await configureCypressCT(tree, options);
diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/ng-add/utilities/workspace.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/ng-add/utilities/workspace.ts
index d81f8d2640d7a..905af4cc94a96 100644
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/ng-add/utilities/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/ng-add/utilities/workspace.ts
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ export async function updateRootEsLintConfig(
   unitTestRunner?: string
 ): Promise<void> {
   await lintInitGenerator(tree, {
-    addPlugin: process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS !== 'false',
+    addPlugin: process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS === 'true',
   });
 
   if (!existingEsLintConfig) {
diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/storybook-configuration/lib/generate-storybook-configuration.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/storybook-configuration/lib/generate-storybook-configuration.ts
index 556b9c8784b40..5f825f2dbd458 100644
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/storybook-configuration/lib/generate-storybook-configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/storybook-configuration/lib/generate-storybook-configuration.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,11 @@ export async function generateStorybookConfiguration(
   tree: Tree,
   options: StorybookConfigurationOptions
 ): Promise<GeneratorCallback> {
-  const { configurationGenerator } = ensurePackage('@nx/storybook', nxVersion);
+  const addPlugin = process.env.NX_ADD_PLUGINS === 'true';
+
+  const { configurationGenerator } = ensurePackage<
+    typeof import('@nx/storybook')
+  >('@nx/storybook', nxVersion);
   return await configurationGenerator(tree, {
     project: options.project,
     uiFramework: '@storybook/angular',
@@ -17,5 +21,7 @@ export async function generateStorybookConfiguration(
     interactionTests: options.interactionTests,
     configureStaticServe: options.configureStaticServe,
     skipFormat: true,
+    addPlugin: addPlugin,
+    addExplicitTargets: !addPlugin,
   });
 }
diff --git a/packages/angular/src/generators/utils/add-jest.ts b/packages/angular/src/generators/utils/add-jest.ts
index e2ecd6d25be0d..a7150fbca16a6 100644
--- a/packages/angular/src/generators/utils/add-jest.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/src/generators/utils/add-jest.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ export async function addJest(
     skipPackageJson: options.skipPackageJson,
     skipFormat: true,
     addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
+    addExplicitTargets: !options.addPlugin,
   });
 
   const setupFile = joinPathFragments(
diff --git a/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/component-configuration.ts b/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/component-configuration.ts
index 0dc933855339b..6875aa38a0490 100644
--- a/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/component-configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/component-configuration.ts
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export async function componentConfigurationGeneratorInternal(
   tasks.push(updateDeps(tree, opts));
 
   addProjectFiles(tree, projectConfig, opts);
-  if (!hasPlugin) {
+  if (!hasPlugin || opts.addExplicitTargets) {
     addTargetToProject(tree, projectConfig, opts);
   }
   updateNxJsonConfiguration(tree, hasPlugin);
diff --git a/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/schema.d.ts b/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/schema.d.ts
index 11430de45c51e..bd9aef559c8b2 100644
--- a/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/schema.d.ts
+++ b/packages/cypress/src/generators/component-configuration/schema.d.ts
@@ -5,4 +5,9 @@ export interface CypressComponentConfigurationSchema {
   bundler?: 'webpack' | 'vite';
   jsx?: boolean;
   addPlugin?: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  addExplicitTargets?: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/packages/cypress/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts b/packages/cypress/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
index 6c29bc895aaa5..dcfc9325dca1f 100644
--- a/packages/cypress/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/cypress/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ export async function configurationGeneratorInternal(
   const linterTask = await addLinterToCyProject(tree, {
     ...opts,
     cypressDir: opts.directory,
+    addPlugin: opts.addPlugin,
   });
   tasks.push(linterTask);
 
diff --git a/packages/cypress/src/utils/add-linter.ts b/packages/cypress/src/utils/add-linter.ts
index 5679d65da15ed..821c9565a83b7 100644
--- a/packages/cypress/src/utils/add-linter.ts
+++ b/packages/cypress/src/utils/add-linter.ts
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ export interface CyLinterOptions {
    * This is useful when adding linting to a brand new project vs an existing one
    **/
   overwriteExisting?: boolean;
+  addPlugin?: boolean;
 }
 
 export async function addLinterToCyProject(
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ export async function addLinterToCyProject(
         setParserOptionsProject: options.setParserOptionsProject,
         skipPackageJson: options.skipPackageJson,
         rootProject: options.rootProject,
+        addPlugin: options.addPlugin,
       })
     );
   }
diff --git a/packages/eslint/src/generators/lint-project/lint-project.ts b/packages/eslint/src/generators/lint-project/lint-project.ts
index 0a93999a88485..3e9acec2af810 100644
--- a/packages/eslint/src/generators/lint-project/lint-project.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint/src/generators/lint-project/lint-project.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,11 @@ interface LintProjectOptions {
   rootProject?: boolean;
   keepExistingVersions?: boolean;
   addPlugin?: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  addExplicitTargets?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function lintProjectGenerator(tree: Tree, options: LintProjectOptions) {
@@ -91,7 +96,7 @@ export async function lintProjectGeneratorInternal(
   }
 
   const hasPlugin = hasEslintPlugin(tree);
-  if (hasPlugin) {
+  if (hasPlugin && !options.addExplicitTargets) {
     if (
       lintFilePatterns &&
       lintFilePatterns.length &&
diff --git a/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts b/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
index a786f6f9ed9ba..41c25e7ef2ab8 100644
--- a/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ export async function configurationGeneratorInternal(
       );
     }
   });
-  if (!hasPlugin) {
+  if (!hasPlugin || options.addExplicitTargets) {
     updateWorkspace(tree, options);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts b/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
index e3021f1cb1d23..afc7659eae769 100644
--- a/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
+++ b/packages/jest/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ export interface JestProjectSchema {
   compiler?: 'tsc' | 'babel' | 'swc';
   skipPackageJson?: boolean;
   js?: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  addExplicitTargets?: boolean;
 }
 
 export type NormalizedJestProjectSchema = JestProjectSchema & {
diff --git a/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts b/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
index be3d53e8ca84a..45fa2609c92cd 100644
--- a/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
+++ b/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/configuration.ts
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ export async function configurationGeneratorInternal(
 
   let devDeps = {};
 
-  if (!hasPlugin) {
+  if (!hasPlugin || schema.addExplicitTargets) {
     if (schema.uiFramework === '@storybook/angular') {
       addAngularStorybookTarget(tree, schema.project, schema.interactionTests);
     } else {
diff --git a/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts b/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
index 81e9b5519cb0a..cc42b504cdcfa 100644
--- a/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
+++ b/packages/storybook/src/generators/configuration/schema.d.ts
@@ -20,4 +20,9 @@ export interface StorybookConfigureSchema {
    */
   cypressDirectory?: string;
   addPlugin?: boolean;
+
+  /**
+   * @internal
+   */
+  addExplicitTargets?: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/packages/workspace/src/generators/preset/preset.ts b/packages/workspace/src/generators/preset/preset.ts
index 93b77fad063e1..27dd003874c28 100644
--- a/packages/workspace/src/generators/preset/preset.ts
+++ b/packages/workspace/src/generators/preset/preset.ts
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ async function createPreset(tree: Tree, options: Schema) {
       e2eTestRunner: options.e2eTestRunner ?? 'cypress',
       bundler: options.bundler,
       ssr: options.ssr,
-      addPlugin,
     });
   } else if (options.preset === Preset.AngularStandalone) {
     const {
@@ -53,7 +52,6 @@ async function createPreset(tree: Tree, options: Schema) {
       e2eTestRunner: options.e2eTestRunner ?? 'cypress',
       bundler: options.bundler,
       ssr: options.ssr,
-      addPlugin,
     });
   } else if (options.preset === Preset.ReactMonorepo) {
     const { applicationGenerator: reactApplicationGenerator } = require('@nx' +