diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider.java b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1ad9405e1ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2002-2023 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package org.springframework.build.hint;
+
+import org.gradle.api.file.ConfigurableFileCollection;
+import org.gradle.api.provider.SetProperty;
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.Classpath;
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.Input;
+import org.gradle.process.CommandLineArgumentProvider;
+
+import java.util.Collections;
+
+/**
+ * Argument provider for registering the runtime hints agent with a Java process.
+ */
+public interface RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider extends CommandLineArgumentProvider {
+
+	@Classpath
+	ConfigurableFileCollection getAgentJar();
+
+    @Input
+    SetProperty<String> getIncludedPackages();
+
+    @Input
+    SetProperty<String> getExcludedPackages();
+
+    @Override
+    default Iterable<String> asArguments() {
+        StringBuilder packages = new StringBuilder();
+        getIncludedPackages().get().forEach(packageName -> packages.append('+').append(packageName).append(','));
+        getExcludedPackages().get().forEach(packageName -> packages.append('-').append(packageName).append(','));
+        return Collections.singleton("-javaagent:" + getAgentJar().getSingleFile() + "=" + packages);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.java b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.java
index 45d7aad32c2..47995fcb70c 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.java
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.java
@@ -16,38 +16,15 @@
 
 package org.springframework.build.hint;
 
-import java.util.Collections;
-
-import org.gradle.api.model.ObjectFactory;
 import org.gradle.api.provider.SetProperty;
 
 /**
  * Entry point to the DSL extension for the {@link RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin} Gradle plugin.
  * @author Brian Clozel
  */
-public class RuntimeHintsAgentExtension {
-
-	private final SetProperty<String> includedPackages;
-
-	private final SetProperty<String> excludedPackages;
-
-	public RuntimeHintsAgentExtension(ObjectFactory objectFactory) {
-		this.includedPackages = objectFactory.setProperty(String.class).convention(Collections.singleton("org.springframework"));
-		this.excludedPackages = objectFactory.setProperty(String.class).convention(Collections.emptySet());
-	}
-
-	public SetProperty<String> getIncludedPackages() {
-		return this.includedPackages;
-	}
+public interface RuntimeHintsAgentExtension {
 
-	public SetProperty<String> getExcludedPackages() {
-		return this.excludedPackages;
-	}
+	SetProperty<String> getIncludedPackages();
 
-	String asJavaAgentArgument() {
-		StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
-		this.includedPackages.get().forEach(packageName -> builder.append('+').append(packageName).append(','));
-		this.excludedPackages.get().forEach(packageName -> builder.append('-').append(packageName).append(','));
-		return builder.toString();
-	}
+	SetProperty<String> getExcludedPackages();
 }
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin.java b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin.java
index c9df0b5b738..f4564530069 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin.java
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/springframework/build/hint/RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin.java
@@ -18,14 +18,10 @@ package org.springframework.build.hint;
 
 import org.gradle.api.Plugin;
 import org.gradle.api.Project;
-import org.gradle.api.file.ConfigurableFileCollection;
 import org.gradle.api.plugins.JavaPlugin;
-import org.gradle.api.provider.Property;
-import org.gradle.api.tasks.Classpath;
-import org.gradle.api.tasks.Input;
+import org.gradle.api.tasks.TaskProvider;
 import org.gradle.api.tasks.bundling.Jar;
 import org.gradle.api.tasks.testing.Test;
-import org.gradle.process.CommandLineArgumentProvider;
 
 import java.util.Collections;
 
@@ -45,8 +41,7 @@ public class RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
 	public void apply(Project project) {
 
 		project.getPlugins().withType(JavaPlugin.class, javaPlugin -> {
-			RuntimeHintsAgentExtension agentExtension = project.getExtensions().create(EXTENSION_NAME,
-					RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.class, project.getObjects());
+			RuntimeHintsAgentExtension agentExtension = createRuntimeHintsAgentExtension(project);
 			Test agentTest = project.getTasks().create(RUNTIMEHINTS_TEST_TASK, Test.class, test -> {
 				test.useJUnitPlatform(options -> {
 					options.includeTags("RuntimeHintsTests");
@@ -54,33 +49,26 @@ public class RuntimeHintsAgentPlugin implements Plugin<Project> {
 				test.include("**/*Tests.class", "**/*Test.class");
 				test.systemProperty("java.awt.headless", "true");
 				test.systemProperty("org.graalvm.nativeimage.imagecode", "runtime");
-			});
-			project.afterEvaluate(p -> {
-				agentTest.getJvmArgumentProviders().add(createRuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider(project, agentExtension));
+				test.getJvmArgumentProviders().add(createRuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider(project, agentExtension));
 			});
 			project.getTasks().getByName("check", task -> task.dependsOn(agentTest));
 		});
 	}
 
-	private static RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider createRuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider(Project project, RuntimeHintsAgentExtension agentExtension) {
-		Jar jar = project.getRootProject().project("spring-core-test").getTasks().withType(Jar.class).named("jar").get();
-		RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider agentArgumentProvider = project.getObjects().newInstance(RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider.class);
-		agentArgumentProvider.getAgentJar().from(jar.getArchiveFile());
-		agentArgumentProvider.getJavaAgentArgument().set(agentExtension.asJavaAgentArgument());
-		return agentArgumentProvider;
+	private static RuntimeHintsAgentExtension createRuntimeHintsAgentExtension(Project project) {
+		RuntimeHintsAgentExtension agentExtension = project.getExtensions().create(EXTENSION_NAME, RuntimeHintsAgentExtension.class);
+		agentExtension.getIncludedPackages().convention(Collections.singleton("org.springframework"));
+		agentExtension.getExcludedPackages().convention(Collections.emptySet());
+		return agentExtension;
 	}
 
-	interface RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider extends CommandLineArgumentProvider {
-
-		@Classpath
-		ConfigurableFileCollection getAgentJar();
-
-		@Input
-		Property<String> getJavaAgentArgument();
-
-		@Override
-		default Iterable<String> asArguments() {
-			return Collections.singleton("-javaagent:" + getAgentJar().getSingleFile() + "=" + getJavaAgentArgument().get());
-		}
+	private static RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider createRuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider(
+			Project project, RuntimeHintsAgentExtension agentExtension) {
+		TaskProvider<Jar> jar = project.getRootProject().project("spring-core-test").getTasks().named("jar", Jar.class);
+		RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider agentArgumentProvider = project.getObjects().newInstance(RuntimeHintsAgentArgumentProvider.class);
+		agentArgumentProvider.getAgentJar().from(jar);
+		agentArgumentProvider.getIncludedPackages().set(agentExtension.getIncludedPackages());
+		agentArgumentProvider.getExcludedPackages().set(agentExtension.getExcludedPackages());
+		return agentArgumentProvider;
 	}
 }