diff --git a/src/generator-runner.js b/src/generator-runner.js
index b45e791..9094cc5 100644
--- a/src/generator-runner.js
+++ b/src/generator-runner.js
@@ -5,17 +5,16 @@ import colors from 'colors';
 import promptBypass from './prompt-bypass';
 import * as buildInActions from './actions';
 
-
-export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
+export default function(plopfileApi, flags) {
 	let abort;
 
 	// triggers inquirer with the correct prompts for this generator
 	// returns a promise that resolves with the user's answers
-	const runGeneratorPrompts = co.wrap(function* (genObject, bypassArr = []) {
-		const {prompts} = genObject;
+	const runGeneratorPrompts = co.wrap(function*(genObject, bypassArr = []) {
+		const { prompts, name } = genObject;
 
 		if (prompts == null) {
-			throw Error(`${genObject.name} has no prompts`);
+			throw Error(`${name} has no prompts`);
 		}
 
 		if (typeof prompts === 'function') {
@@ -23,7 +22,11 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 		}
 
 		// handle bypass data when provided
-		const [promptsAfterBypass, bypassAnswers] = promptBypass(prompts, bypassArr, plopfileApi);
+		const [promptsAfterBypass, bypassAnswers] = promptBypass(
+			prompts,
+			bypassArr,
+			plopfileApi
+		);
 
 		return yield plopfileApi.inquirer
 			.prompt(promptsAfterBypass)
@@ -31,26 +34,26 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 	});
 
 	// Run the actions for this generator
-	const runGeneratorActions = co.wrap(function* (genObject, data) {
-		var changes = [];          // array of changed made by the actions
-		var failures = [];         // array of actions that failed
-		var {actions} = genObject; // the list of actions to execute
+	const runGeneratorActions = co.wrap(function*({ actions, name }, data) {
+		var changes = []; // array of changed made by the actions
+		var failures = []; // array of actions that failed
 		const customActionTypes = getCustomActionTypes();
 		const actionTypes = Object.assign({}, customActionTypes, buildInActions);
-
 		abort = false;
 
 		// if action is a function, run it to get our array of actions
-		if (typeof actions === 'function') { actions = actions(data); }
+		if (typeof actions === 'function') {
+			actions = actions(data);
+		}
 
 		// if actions are not defined... we cannot proceed.
 		if (actions == null) {
-			throw Error(`${genObject.name} has no actions`);
+			throw Error(`${name} has no actions`);
 		}
 
 		// if actions are not an array, invalid!
 		if (!(actions instanceof Array)) {
-			throw Error(`${genObject.name} has invalid actions`);
+			throw Error(`${name} has invalid actions`);
 		}
 
 		for (let [actionIdx, action] of actions.entries()) {
@@ -64,14 +67,18 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 				continue;
 			}
 
-			action.force = (flags.force === true || action.force === true);
+			action.force = flags.force === true || action.force === true;
 
 			const actionIsFunction = typeof action === 'function';
-			const actionCfg = (actionIsFunction ? {} : action);
-			const actionLogic = (actionIsFunction ? action : actionTypes[actionCfg.type]);
+			const actionCfg = actionIsFunction ? {} : action;
+			const actionLogic = actionIsFunction
+				? action
+				: actionTypes[actionCfg.type];
 
 			if (typeof actionLogic !== 'function') {
-				if (actionCfg.abortOnFail !== false) { abort = true; }
+				if (actionCfg.abortOnFail !== false) {
+					abort = true;
+				}
 				failures.push({
 					type: action.type || '',
 					path: action.path || '',
@@ -81,9 +88,13 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 			}
 
 			try {
-				const actionResult = yield executeActionLogic(actionLogic, actionCfg, data);
-				changes.push(actionResult);
-			} catch(failure) {
+				const actionResults = yield executeActionLogic(
+					actionLogic,
+					actionCfg,
+					data
+				);
+				changes.push(...actionResults);
+			} catch (failure) {
 				failures.push(failure);
 			}
 		}
@@ -92,20 +103,44 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 	});
 
 	// handle action logic
-	const executeActionLogic = co.wrap(function* (action, cfg, data) {
-		const failure = makeErrorLogger(cfg.type || 'function', '', cfg.abortOnFail);
+	const executeActionLogic = co.wrap(function*(action, cfg, data) {
+		const failure = makeErrorLogger(
+			cfg.type || 'function',
+			'',
+			cfg.abortOnFail
+		);
 
+		const actionApi = Object.assign({}, plopfileApi, {
+			runActions: co.wrap(function*(actions, data) {
+				const { changes, failures } = yield runGeneratorActions(
+					{ actions, name: cfg.type },
+					data
+				);
+				if (failures.length > 0) {
+					// FIXME: error should always be error Object
+					// the logger should do the proper formatting
+					throw failures.map(f => '\n ->\t' + f.error.toString());
+				}
+
+				return changes;
+			})
+		});
 		// convert any returned data into a promise to
 		// return and wait on
 		const fullData = Object.assign({}, cfg.data, data);
-		return yield Promise.resolve(action(fullData, cfg, plopfileApi)).then(
+		return yield Promise.resolve(action(fullData, cfg, actionApi)).then(
 			// show the resolved value in the console
-			result => ({
-				type: cfg.type || 'function',
-				path: colors.blue(result.toString())
-			}),
+			result =>
+				Array.isArray(result)
+					? result
+					: [
+						{
+							type: cfg.type || 'function',
+							path: colors.blue(result.toString())
+						}
+					],
 			// a rejected promise is treated as a failure
-			function (err) {
+			function(err) {
 				throw failure(err.message || err.toString());
 			}
 		);
@@ -113,17 +148,18 @@ export default function (plopfileApi, flags) {
 
 	// request the list of custom actions from the plopfile
 	function getCustomActionTypes() {
-		return plopfileApi.getActionTypeList()
-			.reduce(function (types, name) {
-				types[name] = plopfileApi.getActionType(name);
-				return types;
-			}, {});
+		return plopfileApi.getActionTypeList().reduce(function(types, name) {
+			types[name] = plopfileApi.getActionType(name);
+			return types;
+		}, {});
 	}
 
 	// provide a function to handle action errors in a uniform way
 	function makeErrorLogger(type, path, abortOnFail) {
-		return function (error) {
-			if (abortOnFail !== false) { abort = true; }
+		return function(error) {
+			if (abortOnFail !== false) {
+				abort = true;
+			}
 			return { type, path, error };
 		};
 	}
diff --git a/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.js b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49646b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+
+// this is a component named {{name}}
diff --git a/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.story.js b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.story.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf73bb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.story.js
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+
+import {{name}} from './{{name}}.js'
+// this is a storybook file for a component named {{name}}
+// (https://storybook.js.org/)
diff --git a/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.test.js b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8527115
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plop-templates/component.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+import {{name}} from './{{name}}.js'
+// this is a testfile for component named {{name}}
diff --git a/tests/sub-actions-mock/plopfile.js b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plopfile.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ee7d3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/sub-actions-mock/plopfile.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+module.exports = function(plop) {
+	'use strict';
+
+	plop.setActionType(
+		'component-with-tests-and-stories',
+		(answers, config, { runActions }) => {
+			return runActions(
+				[
+					{
+						type: 'add',
+						path: './src/components/{{name}}.js',
+						templateFile: config.componentTemplate
+					},
+					{
+						type: 'add',
+						path: './src/components/stories/{{name}}.story.js',
+						templateFile: config.storyTemplate
+					},
+					{
+						type: 'add',
+						path: './src/components/tests/{{name}}.test.js',
+						templateFile: config.testTemplate
+					}
+				],
+				answers
+			);
+		}
+	);
+
+	plop.setGenerator('component', {
+		prompts: [
+			{
+				type: 'input',
+				name: 'name',
+				message: 'What\'s the component name?'
+			}
+		],
+		actions: [
+			{
+				type: 'component-with-tests-and-stories',
+				componentTemplate: 'plop-templates/component.js',
+				testTemplate: 'plop-templates/component.test.js',
+				storyTemplate: 'plop-templates/component.story.js'
+			}
+		]
+	});
+};
diff --git a/tests/sub-actions.ava.js b/tests/sub-actions.ava.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c76b887
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/sub-actions.ava.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import fs from 'fs';
+import path from 'path';
+import AvaTest from './_base-ava-test';
+const {test, mockPath, testSrcPath, nodePlop} = (new AvaTest(__filename));
+
+const plop = nodePlop(`${mockPath}/plopfile.js`);
+const componentGenerator = plop.getGenerator('component');
+
+test.before(() => {
+	return componentGenerator.runActions({name: 'Header'});
+});
+
+test('Check that all three files have been created', t => {
+	const componentFilePath = path.resolve(testSrcPath, 'components/Header.js');
+	const componentTestFilePath = path.resolve(testSrcPath, 'components/tests/Header.test.js');
+	const componentStoryFilePath = path.resolve(testSrcPath, 'components/stories/Header.story.js');
+
+
+	// both files should have been created
+	t.true(fs.existsSync(componentFilePath), componentFilePath);
+	t.true(fs.existsSync(componentTestFilePath), componentTestFilePath);
+	t.true(fs.existsSync(componentStoryFilePath), componentStoryFilePath);
+
+});