diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 9ab0dd3..6761b55 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
-test = ["pytest", "pytest-cov", "django", "streamlit", "copier", "jinja2-time", "flask"]
+test = ["pytest", "pytest-cov", "django", "streamlit", "copier", "jinja2-time", "flask",
+    "maturin"]
 qt = ["pyqt>5,<6", "pyqtwebengin>5,<6"]
 
 [project.scripts]
diff --git a/src/projspec/__main__.py b/src/projspec/__main__.py
index 796dcb3..61ffea0 100755
--- a/src/projspec/__main__.py
+++ b/src/projspec/__main__.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ def make(artifact, path, storage_options, types, xtypes):
     proj = projspec.Project(
         path, storage_options=storage_options, types=types, xtypes=xtypes
     )
-    proj.make(artifact)
+    print("Created:", proj.make(artifact))
 
 
 @main.command()
diff --git a/src/projspec/proj/base.py b/src/projspec/proj/base.py
index f94b57f..26e22ca 100644
--- a/src/projspec/proj/base.py
+++ b/src/projspec/proj/base.py
@@ -83,9 +83,16 @@ def __init__(
         self.artifacts = AttrDict()
         # read and respect .gitignore? for exclude directories?
         self.excludes = excludes or default_excludes
-        self._pyproject = None
-        self._scanned_files = None
+        self._reset()
         self.resolve(walk=walk, types=types, xtypes=xtypes)
+
+    def _reset(self):
+        """Prepare this project for parsing with new specs"""
+        # cached properties
+        self.__dict__.pop("basenames", None)
+        self.__dict__.pop("filelist", None)
+        self.__dict__.pop("pyproject", None)
+        self._scanned_files = None
         # clear cached files
         self._scanned_files = None
 
@@ -368,12 +375,22 @@ def from_dict(dic):
         proj.fs, proj.url = fsspec.url_to_fs(proj.path, **proj.storage_options)
         return proj
 
-    def create(self, name: str):
-        """Make this project conform to the given project spec type."""
+    def create(self, name: str) -> list[str]:
+        """Make this project conform to the given project spec type.
+
+        Returns a list of files that were created.
+        """
         cls = get_cls(name)
         # causes reparse and makes a new instance
         # could rerun resolve or only parse for give type and add, instead.
-        return cls.create(self.path)
+        allfiles = self.fs.find(self.url, detail=False)
+        cls.create(self.url)
+        allfiles2 = self.fs.find(self.url, detasil=False)
+        self._reset()
+        spec = cls(self)
+        spec.parse()
+        self.specs[camel_to_snake(cls.__name__)] = spec
+        return sorted(set(allfiles2) - set(allfiles))
 
     def make(self, qname: str, **kwargs) -> None:
         """Make an artifact of the given type
@@ -467,7 +484,7 @@ def _create(path: str) -> None:
         raise NotImplementedError("Subclass must implement this")
 
     @classmethod
-    def create(cls, path: str) -> Project:
+    def create(cls, path: str):
         """Make the target directory compliant with this project type, if not already"""
         # TODO: implement remote??
         # TODO: implement dry-run?
@@ -476,8 +493,6 @@ def create(cls, path: str) -> Project:
         os.makedirs(path, exist_ok=True)
         if not cls.snake_name() in Project(path):
             cls._create(path)
-        # perhaps should return ProjSpec, but it needs to be added to a project
-        return Project(path)
 
     def parse(self) -> None:
         raise ParseFailed
diff --git a/src/projspec/proj/rust.py b/src/projspec/proj/rust.py
index 48b942f..24a4631 100644
--- a/src/projspec/proj/rust.py
+++ b/src/projspec/proj/rust.py
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
+import subprocess
+
 import toml
 from projspec.proj import ProjectSpec, PythonLibrary
+from projspec.utils import AttrDict
 
 
 class Rust(ProjectSpec):
@@ -12,12 +15,31 @@ def match(self) -> bool:
 
     def parse(self):
         from projspec.content.metadata import DescriptiveMetadata
+        from projspec.artifact.base import FileArtifact
 
         with self.proj.fs.open(f"{self.proj.url}/Cargo.toml", "rt") as f:
             meta = toml.load(f)
         self.contents["desciptive_metadata"] = DescriptiveMetadata(
             proj=self.proj, meta=meta.get("package")
         )
+        bin = AttrDict()
+        bin["debug"] = FileArtifact(
+            proj=self.proj,
+            cmd=["cargo", "build"],
+            # extension is platform specific
+            fn=f"{self.proj.url}/target/debug/{meta['package']['name']}.*",
+        )
+        bin["release"] = FileArtifact(
+            proj=self.proj,
+            cmd=["cargo", "build", "--release"],
+            # extension is platform specific
+            fn=f"{self.proj.url}/target/release/{meta['package']['name']}.*",
+        )
+        self.artifacts["file"] = bin
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _create(path: str) -> None:
+        subprocess.check_call(["cargo", "init"], cwd=path)
 
 
 class RustPython(Rust, PythonLibrary):
@@ -33,10 +55,18 @@ def match(self) -> bool:
         # have a python package directory with the same name as the rust library.
 
         # You can also have metadata.maturin in the Cargo.toml
-        return (
-            Rust.match(self)
-            and "maturin" in self.proj.pyproject.get("tool", {})
-            and self.proj.pyproject.get("build-backend", "") == "maturin"
+        return Rust.match(self) and (
+            "maturin" in self.proj.pyproject.get("tool", {})
+            or self.proj.pyproject.get("build-system", {}).get("build-backend", "")
+            == "maturin"
         )
 
-    # this builds a python-installable wheel in addition to rust artifacts.
+    def parse(self):
+        super().parse()
+        Rust.parse(self)
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _create(path: str) -> None:
+        # will fail for existing python libraries, since it doesn't want to edit
+        # the pyproject.toml build backend.
+        subprocess.check_call(["maturin", "init", "-b", "pyo3", "--mixed"], cwd=path)
diff --git a/tests/test_roundtrips.py b/tests/test_roundtrips.py
index 8ea51d0..676fb29 100644
--- a/tests/test_roundtrips.py
+++ b/tests/test_roundtrips.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import os.path
 import pytest
 
 import projspec.proj
@@ -24,12 +25,16 @@
         "HuggingFaceRepo",
         "uv_script",
         "MLFlow",
+        "Rust",
+        "RustPython",
     ],
 )
 def test_compliant(tmpdir, cls_name):
     path = str(tmpdir)
     cls = get_cls(cls_name)
-    proj = cls.create(path)
+    proj = projspec.Project(path)
+    files = proj.create(cls_name)
+    assert os.path.exists(files[0])
     if not issubclass(cls, projspec.proj.ProjectExtra):
         assert cls_name in proj
     else:
diff --git a/tests/test_webapp.py b/tests/test_webapp.py
index e926a86..7f8209a 100644
--- a/tests/test_webapp.py
+++ b/tests/test_webapp.py
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 
 def test_webapp_kwargs(tmpdir):
     proj = projspec.Project(str(tmpdir))
-    proj2 = proj.create("flask")
-    art = proj2.flask.artifacts["server"]["flask-app"]
+    proj.create("flask")
+    art = proj.flask.artifacts["server"]["flask-app"]
     art.make()
     # defaults for flask
     assert art._port == 5000