diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 06cc11a..6df4b42 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -34,6 +34,13 @@ npm-debug.log
 # files with that name (https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/1862). So, each template instead has a template_gitignore
 # file which gets renamed after the files are copied. And so any files that need to be excluded in the source
 # repo have to be excluded here.
-/templates/*/node_modules/
+
+# Note that we need to exclude node_modules/** (i.e., subdirs, not the whole of node_modules) because we do need to
+# include the _placeholder.txt files, and can't do that using gitignore exclusion because developers aren't promoted to
+# commit files included that way. This is all a workaround for Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/templates/*/node_modules/**
 /templates/*/wwwroot/dist/
 .vscode/
+
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+!/templates/*/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
diff --git a/templates/Angular2Spa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt b/templates/Angular2Spa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09ae8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/Angular2Spa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+This file exists as a workaround for https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/1396
+('dotnet publish' does not publish any directories that didn't exist or were
+empty before the publish script started, which means it's not enough just to
+run 'npm install' during publishing: you need to ensure node_modules already
+existed at least).
+
+Hopefully, this can be removed after the move to the new MSBuild.
diff --git a/templates/Angular2Spa/template_gitignore b/templates/Angular2Spa/template_gitignore
index d410b8b..2ee8e59 100644
--- a/templates/Angular2Spa/template_gitignore
+++ b/templates/Angular2Spa/template_gitignore
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ ClientBin/
 *.dbproj.schemaview
 *.pfx
 *.publishsettings
-node_modules/
 orleans.codegen.cs
 
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/node_modules/**
+!/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
+
 # RIA/Silverlight projects
 Generated_Code/
 
diff --git a/templates/KnockoutSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt b/templates/KnockoutSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09ae8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/KnockoutSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+This file exists as a workaround for https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/1396
+('dotnet publish' does not publish any directories that didn't exist or were
+empty before the publish script started, which means it's not enough just to
+run 'npm install' during publishing: you need to ensure node_modules already
+existed at least).
+
+Hopefully, this can be removed after the move to the new MSBuild.
diff --git a/templates/KnockoutSpa/template_gitignore b/templates/KnockoutSpa/template_gitignore
index d410b8b..2ee8e59 100644
--- a/templates/KnockoutSpa/template_gitignore
+++ b/templates/KnockoutSpa/template_gitignore
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ ClientBin/
 *.dbproj.schemaview
 *.pfx
 *.publishsettings
-node_modules/
 orleans.codegen.cs
 
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/node_modules/**
+!/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
+
 # RIA/Silverlight projects
 Generated_Code/
 
diff --git a/templates/ReactReduxSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt b/templates/ReactReduxSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09ae8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/ReactReduxSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+This file exists as a workaround for https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/1396
+('dotnet publish' does not publish any directories that didn't exist or were
+empty before the publish script started, which means it's not enough just to
+run 'npm install' during publishing: you need to ensure node_modules already
+existed at least).
+
+Hopefully, this can be removed after the move to the new MSBuild.
diff --git a/templates/ReactReduxSpa/template_gitignore b/templates/ReactReduxSpa/template_gitignore
index d410b8b..2ee8e59 100644
--- a/templates/ReactReduxSpa/template_gitignore
+++ b/templates/ReactReduxSpa/template_gitignore
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ ClientBin/
 *.dbproj.schemaview
 *.pfx
 *.publishsettings
-node_modules/
 orleans.codegen.cs
 
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/node_modules/**
+!/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
+
 # RIA/Silverlight projects
 Generated_Code/
 
diff --git a/templates/ReactSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt b/templates/ReactSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09ae8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/ReactSpa/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+This file exists as a workaround for https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/1396
+('dotnet publish' does not publish any directories that didn't exist or were
+empty before the publish script started, which means it's not enough just to
+run 'npm install' during publishing: you need to ensure node_modules already
+existed at least).
+
+Hopefully, this can be removed after the move to the new MSBuild.
diff --git a/templates/ReactSpa/template_gitignore b/templates/ReactSpa/template_gitignore
index d410b8b..2ee8e59 100644
--- a/templates/ReactSpa/template_gitignore
+++ b/templates/ReactSpa/template_gitignore
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ ClientBin/
 *.dbproj.schemaview
 *.pfx
 *.publishsettings
-node_modules/
 orleans.codegen.cs
 
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/node_modules/**
+!/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
+
 # RIA/Silverlight projects
 Generated_Code/
 
diff --git a/templates/WebApplicationBasic/node_modules/_placeholder.txt b/templates/WebApplicationBasic/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09ae8c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/WebApplicationBasic/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+This file exists as a workaround for https://github.com/dotnet/cli/issues/1396
+('dotnet publish' does not publish any directories that didn't exist or were
+empty before the publish script started, which means it's not enough just to
+run 'npm install' during publishing: you need to ensure node_modules already
+existed at least).
+
+Hopefully, this can be removed after the move to the new MSBuild.
diff --git a/templates/WebApplicationBasic/template_gitignore b/templates/WebApplicationBasic/template_gitignore
index d410b8b..2ee8e59 100644
--- a/templates/WebApplicationBasic/template_gitignore
+++ b/templates/WebApplicationBasic/template_gitignore
@@ -184,9 +184,12 @@ ClientBin/
 *.dbproj.schemaview
 *.pfx
 *.publishsettings
-node_modules/
 orleans.codegen.cs
 
+# Workaround for https://github.com/aspnet/JavaScriptServices/issues/235
+/node_modules/**
+!/node_modules/_placeholder.txt
+
 # RIA/Silverlight projects
 Generated_Code/