diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/create.test.ts b/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/create.test.ts
index 972b38533..72ab2c64f 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/create.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/create.test.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,18 @@ describe('create command', () => {
       expect(json.success).toBe(false);
       expect(json.error.includes('conflicts')).toBeTruthy();
     });
+
+    it('creates project-only scaffold with --project-name and no --name', async () => {
+      const projectName = `ProjOnly${Date.now()}`;
+      const result = await runCLI(['create', '--project-name', projectName, '--no-agent', '--json'], testDir);
+
+      expect(result.exitCode, `stderr: ${result.stderr}, stdout: ${result.stdout}`).toBe(0);
+
+      const json = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      expect(json.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(json.projectPath).toMatch(new RegExp(`/${projectName}$`));
+      expect(await exists(join(json.projectPath, 'agentcore'))).toBeTruthy();
+    });
   });
 
   describe('with agent', () => {
@@ -144,6 +156,44 @@ describe('create command', () => {
       expect(episodic?.namespaces).toEqual(['/episodes/{actorId}/{sessionId}']);
       expect(episodic?.reflectionNamespaces).toEqual(['/episodes/{actorId}']);
     });
+
+    it('uses --project-name for project and --name for agent resource', async () => {
+      const projectName = `AgentProj${Date.now().toString().slice(-6)}`;
+      const agentName = `AgentResource${randomUUID().replace(/-/g, '').slice(0, 16)}`;
+      const result = await runCLI(
+        [
+          'create',
+          '--project-name',
+          projectName,
+          '--name',
+          agentName,
+          '--language',
+          'Python',
+          '--framework',
+          'Strands',
+          '--model-provider',
+          'Bedrock',
+          '--memory',
+          'none',
+          '--skip-git',
+          '--skip-install',
+          '--json',
+        ],
+        testDir
+      );
+
+      expect(result.exitCode, `stdout: ${result.stdout}, stderr: ${result.stderr}`).toBe(0);
+
+      const json = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      expect(json.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(json.projectPath).toMatch(new RegExp(`/${projectName}$`));
+      expect(json.agentName).toBe(agentName);
+      expect(await exists(join(json.projectPath, 'app', agentName))).toBeTruthy();
+
+      const projectSpec = JSON.parse(await readFile(join(json.projectPath, 'agentcore/agentcore.json'), 'utf-8'));
+      expect(projectSpec.name).toBe(projectName);
+      expect(projectSpec.runtimes[0].name).toBe(agentName);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('--defaults', () => {
@@ -167,6 +217,21 @@ describe('create command', () => {
       expect(result.stdout.includes('would create') || result.stdout.includes('Dry run')).toBeTruthy();
       expect(await exists(join(testDir, name)), 'Should not create directory').toBe(false);
     });
+
+    it('uses project-name for project paths and name for app paths', async () => {
+      const projectName = `DryProj${Date.now().toString().slice(-6)}`;
+      const agentName = `DryAgent${Date.now().toString().slice(-6)}`;
+      const result = await runCLI(
+        ['create', '--project-name', projectName, '--name', agentName, '--defaults', '--dry-run', '--json'],
+        testDir
+      );
+
+      expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+      const json = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      expect(json.projectPath).toMatch(new RegExp(`/${projectName}$`));
+      expect(json.wouldCreate).toContain(`${json.projectPath}/app/${agentName}/`);
+      expect(await exists(join(testDir, projectName)), 'Should not create directory').toBe(false);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('--skip-git', () => {
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/validate.test.ts b/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/validate.test.ts
index e5938a964..8c118ebf5 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/validate.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/__tests__/validate.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ describe('validateCreateOptions', () => {
   beforeAll(() => {
     testDir = join(tmpdir(), `create-opts-${randomUUID()}`);
     mkdirSync(testDir, { recursive: true });
+    mkdirSync(join(testDir, 'ExistingProject'), { recursive: true });
   });
 
   afterAll(() => {
@@ -59,6 +60,42 @@ describe('validateCreateOptions', () => {
     expect(result.error).toContain('already exists');
   });
 
+  it('validates projectName separately from agent name', () => {
+    const result = validateCreateOptions(
+      {
+        name: `Agent${'A'.repeat(30)}`,
+        projectName: 'ShortProject',
+        language: 'Python',
+        framework: 'Strands',
+        modelProvider: 'Bedrock',
+        memory: 'none',
+      },
+      testDir
+    );
+    expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('checks folder existence using projectName', () => {
+    const result = validateCreateOptions(
+      {
+        name: 'AgentName',
+        projectName: 'ExistingProject',
+        language: 'Python',
+        framework: 'Strands',
+        modelProvider: 'Bedrock',
+        memory: 'none',
+      },
+      testDir
+    );
+    expect(result.valid).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.error).toContain('ExistingProject');
+  });
+
+  it('allows project-only create with only projectName', () => {
+    const result = validateCreateOptions({ projectName: 'OnlyProject', agent: false }, testDir);
+    expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it('returns valid with --no-agent flag', () => {
     const result = validateCreateOptions({ name: 'NoAgentProject', agent: false }, testDir);
     expect(result.valid).toBe(true);
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/action.ts b/src/cli/commands/create/action.ts
index 59126d66f..dbfc215d7 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/action.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/action.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ type MemoryOption = 'none' | 'shortTerm' | 'longAndShortTerm';
 
 export interface CreateWithAgentOptions {
   name: string;
+  projectName?: string;
   cwd: string;
   type?: 'create' | 'import';
   buildType?: BuildType;
@@ -139,6 +140,7 @@ export interface CreateWithAgentOptions {
 export async function createProjectWithAgent(options: CreateWithAgentOptions): Promise<CreateResult> {
   const {
     name,
+    projectName: explicitProjectName,
     cwd,
     buildType,
     language,
@@ -159,7 +161,8 @@ export async function createProjectWithAgent(options: CreateWithAgentOptions): P
     skipPythonSetup,
     onProgress,
   } = options;
-  const projectRoot = join(cwd, name);
+  const projectName = explicitProjectName ?? name;
+  const projectRoot = join(cwd, projectName);
   const configBaseDir = join(projectRoot, CONFIG_DIR);
 
   // Check CLI dependencies first (with language for conditional uv check)
@@ -172,7 +175,14 @@ export async function createProjectWithAgent(options: CreateWithAgentOptions): P
   }
 
   // First create the base project (skip dependency check since we already did it)
-  const projectResult = await createProject({ name, cwd, skipGit, skipInstall, skipDependencyCheck: true, onProgress });
+  const projectResult = await createProject({
+    name: projectName,
+    cwd,
+    skipGit,
+    skipInstall,
+    skipDependencyCheck: true,
+    onProgress,
+  });
   if (!projectResult.success) {
     // Merge warnings from both checks
     const allWarnings = [...depWarnings, ...(projectResult.warnings ?? [])];
@@ -243,7 +253,7 @@ export async function createProjectWithAgent(options: CreateWithAgentOptions): P
 
     if (!isMcp && resolvedModelProvider !== 'Bedrock') {
       strategy = await credentialPrimitive.resolveCredentialStrategy(
-        name,
+        projectName,
         agentName,
         resolvedModelProvider,
         apiKey,
@@ -295,9 +305,15 @@ export async function createProjectWithAgent(options: CreateWithAgentOptions): P
   }
 }
 
-export function getDryRunInfo(options: { name: string; cwd: string; language?: string }): CreateResult {
+export function getDryRunInfo(options: {
+  name: string;
+  cwd: string;
+  language?: string;
+  projectName?: string;
+}): CreateResult {
   const { name, cwd, language } = options;
-  const projectRoot = join(cwd, name);
+  const projectName = options.projectName ?? name;
+  const projectRoot = join(cwd, projectName);
 
   const wouldCreate = [
     `${projectRoot}/`,
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/command.tsx b/src/cli/commands/create/command.tsx
index af7317c0b..ac9d4b3ae 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/command.tsx
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/command.tsx
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ function printCreateSummary(
 /** Handle CLI mode with progress output */
 async function handleCreateCLI(options: CreateOptions): Promise<void> {
   const cwd = options.outputDir ?? getWorkingDirectory();
+  const name = options.name ?? options.projectName;
+  const projectName = options.projectName ?? name;
 
   const validation = validateCreateOptions(options, cwd);
   if (!validation.valid) {
@@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ async function handleCreateCLI(options: CreateOptions): Promise<void> {
 
   // Handle dry-run mode
   if (options.dryRun) {
-    const result = getDryRunInfo({ name: options.name!, cwd, language: options.language });
+    const result = getDryRunInfo({ name: name!, projectName, cwd, language: options.language });
     if (options.json) {
       console.log(JSON.stringify(result));
     } else {
@@ -121,14 +123,15 @@ async function handleCreateCLI(options: CreateOptions): Promise<void> {
 
   const result = skipAgent
     ? await createProject({
-        name: options.name!,
+        name: projectName!,
         cwd,
         skipGit: options.skipGit,
         skipInstall: options.skipInstall,
         onProgress,
       })
     : await createProjectWithAgent({
-        name: options.name!,
+        name: name!,
+        projectName,
         cwd,
         type: options.type as 'create' | 'import' | undefined,
         buildType: (options.build as BuildType) ?? 'CodeZip',
@@ -156,7 +159,7 @@ async function handleCreateCLI(options: CreateOptions): Promise<void> {
   if (options.json) {
     console.log(JSON.stringify(result));
   } else if (result.success) {
-    printCreateSummary(options.name!, result.agentName, options.language, options.framework);
+    printCreateSummary(projectName!, result.agentName, options.language, options.framework);
     if (options.skipInstall) {
       console.log(
         "\nDependency installation was skipped. Run 'npm install' in agentcore/cdk/ and 'uv sync' in your agent directory manually."
@@ -173,7 +176,11 @@ export const registerCreate = (program: Command) => {
   program
     .command('create')
     .description(COMMAND_DESCRIPTIONS.create)
-    .option('--name <name>', 'Project name (start with letter, alphanumeric only, max 23 chars) [non-interactive]')
+    .option('--name <name>', 'Resource name (agent or harness) [non-interactive]')
+    .option(
+      '--project-name <name>',
+      'Project name (start with letter, alphanumeric only, max 23 chars) [non-interactive]'
+    )
     .option('--no-agent', 'Skip agent creation [non-interactive]')
     .option('--defaults', 'Use defaults (Python, Strands, Bedrock, no memory) [non-interactive]')
     .option('--build <type>', 'Build type: CodeZip or Container (default: CodeZip) [non-interactive]')
@@ -225,6 +232,7 @@ export const registerCreate = (program: Command) => {
         // Any flag triggers non-interactive CLI mode
         const hasAnyFlag = Boolean(
           options.name ??
+          options.projectName ??
           (options.agent === false ? true : null) ??
           options.defaults ??
           options.build ??
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/types.ts b/src/cli/commands/create/types.ts
index 26b83b200..f870ec1fc 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/types.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/types.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import type { VpcOptions } from '../shared/vpc-utils';
 
 export interface CreateOptions extends VpcOptions {
   name?: string;
+  projectName?: string;
   agent?: boolean;
   defaults?: boolean;
   type?: string;
diff --git a/src/cli/commands/create/validate.ts b/src/cli/commands/create/validate.ts
index 7d2026ce3..a59c7d752 100644
--- a/src/cli/commands/create/validate.ts
+++ b/src/cli/commands/create/validate.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import {
+  AgentNameSchema,
   BuildTypeSchema,
   ModelProviderSchema,
   ProjectNameSchema,
@@ -36,18 +37,20 @@ export function validateFolderNotExists(name: string, cwd: string): true | strin
 
 export function validateCreateOptions(options: CreateOptions, cwd?: string): ValidationResult {
   // Name is required for non-interactive mode
-  if (!options.name) {
+  if (!options.name && !(options.agent === false && options.projectName)) {
     return { valid: false, error: '--name is required' };
   }
 
-  // Validate name format
-  const nameResult = ProjectNameSchema.safeParse(options.name);
-  if (!nameResult.success) {
-    return { valid: false, error: nameResult.error.issues[0]?.message ?? 'Invalid project name' };
+  const projectName = options.projectName ?? options.name!;
+
+  // Validate project name format
+  const projectNameResult = ProjectNameSchema.safeParse(projectName);
+  if (!projectNameResult.success) {
+    return { valid: false, error: projectNameResult.error.issues[0]?.message ?? 'Invalid project name' };
   }
 
   // Check if directory already exists
-  const folderCheck = validateFolderNotExists(options.name, cwd ?? process.cwd());
+  const folderCheck = validateFolderNotExists(projectName, cwd ?? process.cwd());
   if (folderCheck !== true) {
     return { valid: false, error: folderCheck };
   }
@@ -57,6 +60,11 @@ export function validateCreateOptions(options: CreateOptions, cwd?: string): Val
     return { valid: true };
   }
 
+  const agentNameResult = AgentNameSchema.safeParse(options.name);
+  if (!agentNameResult.success) {
+    return { valid: false, error: agentNameResult.error.issues[0]?.message ?? 'Invalid agent name' };
+  }
+
   // Import path: validate import-specific options
   if (options.type === 'import') {
     if (!options.agentId) return { valid: false, error: '--agent-id is required for import' };