diff --git a/config/api/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/config/condition/GraphCondition.java b/config/api/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/config/condition/GraphCondition.java
index 479f81795a..9845062c34 100644
--- a/config/api/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/config/condition/GraphCondition.java
+++ b/config/api/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/config/condition/GraphCondition.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package org.jboss.windup.config.condition;
 
 import org.jboss.windup.config.GraphRewrite;
+import org.jboss.windup.config.operation.Iteration;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.Condition;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.DefaultConditionBuilder;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.context.EvaluationContext;
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ public abstract class GraphCondition extends DefaultConditionBuilder
 {
 
     private String inputVariablesName;
-    private String outputVariablesName;
+    private String outputVariablesName = Iteration.DEFAULT_VARIABLE_LIST_STRING;
 
     public abstract boolean evaluate(GraphRewrite event, EvaluationContext context);
 
diff --git a/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/Project.java b/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/Project.java
index 118135ee90..752d679515 100644
--- a/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/Project.java
+++ b/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/Project.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import org.jboss.windup.graph.model.WindupVertexFrame;
 import org.jboss.windup.graph.service.GraphService;
 import org.jboss.windup.rules.apps.java.model.project.MavenProjectModel;
+import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.ConditionBuilder;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.context.EvaluationContext;
 
 public class Project extends GraphCondition
@@ -26,6 +27,15 @@ public static Project dependsOnArtifact(Artifact artifact)
         project.artifact = artifact;
         return project;
     }
+    
+    public static ProjectFrom from(String from)
+    {
+        return new ProjectFrom(from);
+    }
+    
+    public void setArtifact(Artifact artifact) {
+        this.artifact=artifact;
+    }
 
     public Artifact getArtifact()
     {
@@ -86,9 +96,10 @@ public boolean evaluate(GraphRewrite event, EvaluationContext context)
     
     
 
-    public void as(String as)
+    public ConditionBuilder as(String as)
     {
         super.setOutputVariablesName(as);
+        return this;
     }
 
     public String toString()
diff --git a/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/ProjectFrom.java b/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/ProjectFrom.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e35f028bf4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-java-project/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/ProjectFrom.java
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package org.jboss.windup.project.condition;
+
+
+public class ProjectFrom
+{
+    private String inputVarName;
+
+    public ProjectFrom(String from)
+    {
+        this.inputVarName = from;
+    }
+
+    public Project dependsOnArtifact(Artifact artifact)
+    {
+        Project project = new Project();
+        project.setArtifact(artifact); 
+        project.setInputVariablesName(inputVarName);
+        return project;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules-java-project/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/test/ProjectTest.java b/rules-java-project/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/test/ProjectTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..60f9cc84c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-java-project/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/project/condition/test/ProjectTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package org.jboss.windup.project.condition.test;
+
+import org.jboss.windup.project.condition.Artifact;
+import org.jboss.windup.project.condition.Project;
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class ProjectTest
+{
+
+    /**
+     * Testing that .from() and .as() sets the right variable
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void xmlFileInputOutputVariableTest() {
+        Project as = (Project)Project.from("input").dependsOnArtifact(Artifact.withArtifactId("abc")).as("output");
+        Assert.assertEquals("input", as.getInputVariablesName());
+        Assert.assertEquals("output", as.getOutputVariablesName());
+    }
+}
diff --git a/rules-java/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/java/condition/JavaClass.java b/rules-java/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/java/condition/JavaClass.java
index 134f898836..1647594311 100644
--- a/rules-java/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/java/condition/JavaClass.java
+++ b/rules-java/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/java/condition/JavaClass.java
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ public class JavaClass extends ParameterizedGraphCondition implements JavaClassB
 
     private final String uniqueID; // maintains a unique identifier for each
     private List<TypeReferenceLocation> locations = Collections.emptyList();
-    private String variable = Iteration.DEFAULT_VARIABLE_LIST_STRING;
 
     private RegexParameterizedPatternParser referencePattern;
     private RegexParameterizedPatternParser typeFilterPattern;
@@ -111,7 +110,7 @@ public JavaClassBuilderAt at(TypeReferenceLocation... locations)
     public ConditionBuilder as(String variable)
     {
         Assert.notNull(variable, "Variable name must not be null.");
-        this.variable = variable;
+        this.setOutputVariablesName(variable);
         return this;
     }
 
@@ -326,7 +325,7 @@ public void setParameterStore(ParameterStore store)
     @Override
     protected String getVarname()
     {
-        return variable;
+        return getOutputVariablesName();
     }
 
     public String toString()
@@ -345,7 +344,7 @@ public String toString()
         {
             builder.append(".at(" + locations + ")");
         }
-        builder.append(".as(" + variable + ")");
+        builder.append(".as(" + getVarname() + ")");
         return builder.toString();
     }
 }
diff --git a/rules-java/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/java/JavaClassTest.java b/rules-java/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/java/JavaClassTest.java
index de4b4c4dc5..a02770a966 100644
--- a/rules-java/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/java/JavaClassTest.java
+++ b/rules-java/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/java/JavaClassTest.java
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 import org.junit.Assert;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.ConditionBuilder;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.Configuration;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.config.ConfigurationBuilder;
 import org.ocpsoft.rewrite.context.EvaluationContext;
@@ -135,6 +136,17 @@ public void testJavaClassCondition() throws IOException, InstantiationException,
             Assert.assertEquals(2, provider.getSecondRuleMatchCount());
         }
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * Testing that .from() and .as() sets the right variable
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void testJavaClassInputOutputVariables() 
+    {
+        JavaClass as = (JavaClass) JavaClass.from("input").references("abc").as("output");
+        Assert.assertEquals("input", as.getInputVariablesName());
+        Assert.assertEquals("output", as.getOutputVariablesName());
+    }
 
     private Path getDefaultPath()
     {
diff --git a/rules-xml/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/xml/condition/XmlFile.java b/rules-xml/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/xml/condition/XmlFile.java
index 1e49863665..b8484dd889 100644
--- a/rules-xml/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/xml/condition/XmlFile.java
+++ b/rules-xml/src/main/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/apps/xml/condition/XmlFile.java
@@ -54,7 +54,6 @@ public class XmlFile extends GraphCondition
     private static XPathFactory factory = XPathFactory.newInstance();
     private XPath xpathEngine = factory.newXPath();
 
-    private String variable = Iteration.DEFAULT_VARIABLE_LIST_STRING;
     private String xpathString;
     private XPathExpression compiledXPath;
     private Map<String, String> namespaces = new HashMap<>();
@@ -94,7 +93,7 @@ public static XmlFile withDTDPublicId(String publicIdRegex)
     public ConditionBuilder as(String variable)
     {
         Assert.notNull(variable, "Variable name must not be null.");
-        this.variable = variable;
+        this.setOutputVariablesName(variable);
         return this;
     }
 
@@ -255,7 +254,7 @@ else if (iterated instanceof XmlFileModel)
                 }
             }
         }
-        Variables.instance(event).setVariable(variable, resultLocations);
+        Variables.instance(event).setVariable(getOutputVariablesName(), resultLocations);
         ExecutionStatistics.get().end("XmlFile.evaluate");
         return !resultLocations.isEmpty();
     }
@@ -314,7 +313,7 @@ public String toString()
         {
             builder.append(".withDTDPublicId(" + publicId + ")");
         }
-        builder.append(".as(" + variable + ")");
+        builder.append(".as(" + getInputVariablesName() + ")");
         return builder.toString();
     }
 }
diff --git a/rules-xml/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/xml/XmlFileTest.java b/rules-xml/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/xml/XmlFileTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..47034d1a3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rules-xml/src/test/java/org/jboss/windup/rules/xml/XmlFileTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package org.jboss.windup.rules.xml;
+
+import org.jboss.windup.rules.apps.xml.condition.XmlFile;
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class XmlFileTest
+{
+
+    /**
+     * Testing that .from() and .as() sets the right variable
+     */
+    @Test
+    public void xmlFileInputOutputVariableTest() {
+        XmlFile as = (XmlFile)XmlFile.from("input").matchesXpath("abc").as("output");
+        Assert.assertEquals("input", as.getInputVariablesName());
+        Assert.assertEquals("output", as.getOutputVariablesName());
+    }
+}