diff --git a/plugin/plugin.jelly b/plugin/plugin.jelly
index f4dbbb48..c1f2e103 100644
--- a/plugin/plugin.jelly
+++ b/plugin/plugin.jelly
@@ -222,14 +222,17 @@ Try: maven plugin:download -DgroupId=maven -DartifactId=${pluginToTest} -Dversio
   <goal name="plugin:plugin" description="Build a plugin jar">
     <!-- For some reason a prereq on this causes an internal error... -->
     <attainGoal name="jar:jar" />
-    <artifact:rewritePOM path="${maven.build.dir}/project.xml"/>
-    <ant:jar
-      jarfile="${maven.build.dir}/${maven.jar.final.name}"
-      basedir="${maven.build.dir}"
-      update="true">       
-      <ant:setProperty name="includes" value="project.xml" />
-    </ant:jar>
-    <ant:delete file="${maven.build.dir}/project.xml" quiet="true"/>
+    <!-- We can't use it in the bootstrap phase because classes aren't yet build in the artifact plugin -->
+    <j:if test="${bootstrapping == null}">
+      <artifact:rewritePOM path="${maven.build.dir}/project.xml"/>
+      <ant:jar
+        jarfile="${maven.build.dir}/${maven.jar.final.name}"
+        basedir="${maven.build.dir}"
+        update="true">       
+        <ant:setProperty name="includes" value="project.xml" />
+      </ant:jar>
+      <ant:delete file="${maven.build.dir}/project.xml" quiet="true"/>
+    </j:if>
   </goal>
 
   <goal name="plugin:install" prereqs="plugin:plugin"