diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/app/index.ts b/packages/schematics/src/app/index.ts
index c8c50b8629..1567a3d1bf 100644
--- a/packages/schematics/src/app/index.ts
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/app/index.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 import * as ts from 'typescript';
 import {addBootstrapToModule} from '@schematics/angular/utility/ast-utils';
 import {insertImport} from '@schematics/angular/utility/route-utils';
+import {addApp} from '../utility/config-file-utils';
 
 function addBootstrap(path: string): Rule {
   return (host: Tree) => {
@@ -35,7 +36,13 @@ function addNxModule(path: string): Rule {
 }
 function addAppToAngularCliJson(options: Schema): Rule {
   return (host: Tree) => {
-    const appConfig = {
+    if (!host.exists('.angular-cli.json')) {
+      throw new Error('Missing .angular-cli.json');
+    }
+
+    const sourceText = host.read('.angular-cli.json')!.toString('utf-8');
+    const json = JSON.parse(sourceText);
+    json.apps = addApp(json.apps, {
       'name': options.name,
       'root': path.join('apps', options.name, options.sourceDir),
       'outDir': `dist/apps/${options.name}`,
@@ -51,18 +58,7 @@ function addAppToAngularCliJson(options: Schema): Rule {
       'scripts': [],
       'environmentSource': 'environments/environment.ts',
       'environments': {'dev': 'environments/environment.ts', 'prod': 'environments/environment.prod.ts'}
-    };
-
-    if (!host.exists('.angular-cli.json')) {
-      throw new Error('Missing .angular-cli.json');
-    }
-
-    const sourceText = host.read('.angular-cli.json')!.toString('utf-8');
-    const json = JSON.parse(sourceText);
-    if (!json['apps']) {
-      json['apps'] = [];
-    }
-    json['apps'].push(appConfig);
+    });
 
     host.overwrite('.angular-cli.json', JSON.stringify(json, null, 2));
     return host;
diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/lib/index.ts b/packages/schematics/src/lib/index.ts
index 3f83af7d1a..99f5428641 100644
--- a/packages/schematics/src/lib/index.ts
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/lib/index.ts
@@ -2,26 +2,22 @@ import {apply, branchAndMerge, chain, externalSchematic, mergeWith, move, Rule,
 import {Schema} from './schema';
 import {names, toFileName} from '@nrwl/schematics';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import {addApp} from '../utility/config-file-utils';
 
 function addLibToAngularCliJson(options: Schema): Rule {
   return (host: Tree) => {
-    const appConfig = {
-      'name': options.name,
-      'root': path.join('libs', options.name, options.sourceDir),
-      'test': '../../../test.js',
-      'appRoot': ''
-    };
-
     if (!host.exists('.angular-cli.json')) {
       throw new Error('Missing .angular-cli.json');
     }
 
     const sourceText = host.read('.angular-cli.json')!.toString('utf-8');
     const json = JSON.parse(sourceText);
-    if (!json['apps']) {
-      json['apps'] = [];
-    }
-    json['apps'].push(appConfig);
+    json.apps = addApp(json.apps, {
+      'name': options.name,
+      'root': path.join('libs', options.name, options.sourceDir),
+      'test': '../../../test.js',
+      'appRoot': ''
+    });
 
     host.overwrite('.angular-cli.json', JSON.stringify(json, null, 2));
     return host;
diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.spec.ts b/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e6fe298f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import {addApp} from './config-file-utils';
+
+describe('configFileUtils', () => {
+  describe('sortApps', () => {
+    it('should handle undefined', () => {
+      expect(addApp(undefined, {name: 'a'})).toEqual([{name: 'a'}]);
+    });
+
+    it('should handle an empty array', () => {
+      expect(addApp([], {name: 'a'})).toEqual([{name: 'a'}]);
+    });
+
+    it('should sort apps by name', () => {
+      expect(addApp([{name: 'a'}, {name: 'b'}], {name: 'c'})).toEqual([{name: 'a'}, {name: 'b'}, {name: 'c'}]);
+    });
+
+    it('should prioritize apps with "main" defined', () => {
+      expect(addApp([{name: 'c'}, {name: 'a'}, {name: 'a', main: 'a'}], {name: 'b', main: 'b'})).toEqual([
+        {name: 'a', main: 'a'}, {name: 'b', main: 'b'}, {name: 'a'}, {name: 'c'}
+      ]);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.ts b/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f7e215134b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/schematics/src/utility/config-file-utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+export function addApp(apps: any[]|undefined, newApp: any): any[] {
+  if (!apps) {
+    apps = [];
+  }
+  apps.push(newApp);
+
+  apps.sort((a: any, b: any) => {
+    if (a.main && !b.main) return -1;
+    if (!a.main && b.main) return 1;
+    if (a.name > b.name) return 1;
+    return -1;
+  });
+
+  return apps;
+}