diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.Common/Services/IRootPageService.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.Common/Services/IRootPageService.cs
index da56775eec..24e509b8a4 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.Common/Services/IRootPageService.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.Common/Services/IRootPageService.cs
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ public interface IRootPageService
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Pre-loads any necessary data or state before the root page is loaded.
-    /// This will be awaited before the root page and the user can do anything, 
+    /// This will be awaited before the root page and the user can do anything,
     /// so ideally it should be quick and not block the UI thread for long.
     /// </summary>
     Task PreLoadAsync();
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Do any loading work that can be done after the root page is loaded and 
+    /// Do any loading work that can be done after the root page is loaded and
     /// displayed to the user.
     /// This is run asynchronously, on a background thread.
     /// </summary>
diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModel.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModel.cs
index 126efa83ca..681f7bc7f1 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModel.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModel.cs
@@ -249,7 +249,19 @@ public partial class PageViewModel : ExtensionObjectViewModel, IPageContext
 
 public interface IPageContext
 {
-    public void ShowException(Exception ex, string? extensionHint = null);
+    void ShowException(Exception ex, string? extensionHint = null);
 
-    public TaskScheduler Scheduler { get; }
+    TaskScheduler Scheduler { get; }
+}
+
+public interface IPageViewModelFactoryService
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Creates a new instance of the page view model for the given page type.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="page">The page for which to create the view model.</param>
+    /// <param name="nested">Indicates whether the page is not the top-level page.</param>
+    /// <param name="host">The command palette host that will host the page (for status messages)</param>
+    /// <returns>A new instance of the page view model.</returns>
+    PageViewModel? TryCreatePageViewModel(IPage page, bool nested, CommandPaletteHost host);
 }
diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModelFactory.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModelFactory.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..83dbe51624
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/PageViewModelFactory.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// The Microsoft Corporation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+// See the LICENSE file in the project root for more information.
+
+using Microsoft.CommandPalette.Extensions;
+
+namespace Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels;
+
+public class PageViewModelFactory : IPageViewModelFactoryService
+{
+    private readonly TaskScheduler _scheduler;
+
+    public PageViewModelFactory(TaskScheduler scheduler)
+    {
+        _scheduler = scheduler;
+    }
+
+    public PageViewModel? TryCreatePageViewModel(IPage page, bool nested, CommandPaletteHost host)
+    {
+        return page switch
+        {
+            IListPage listPage => new ListViewModel(listPage, _scheduler, host) { IsNested = nested },
+            IContentPage contentPage => new ContentPageViewModel(contentPage, _scheduler, host),
+            _ => null,
+        };
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs
index 43f1508906..294b0021c7 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI.ViewModels/ShellViewModel.cs
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ public partial class ShellViewModel : ObservableObject,
 {
     private readonly IRootPageService _rootPageService;
     private readonly TaskScheduler _scheduler;
+    private readonly IPageViewModelFactoryService _pageViewModelFactory;
     private readonly Lock _invokeLock = new();
     private Task? _handleInvokeTask;
 
@@ -65,8 +66,9 @@ public partial class ShellViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
     public bool IsNested { get => _isNested; }
 
-    public ShellViewModel(TaskScheduler scheduler, IRootPageService rootPageService)
+    public ShellViewModel(TaskScheduler scheduler, IRootPageService rootPageService, IPageViewModelFactoryService pageViewModelFactory)
     {
+        _pageViewModelFactory = pageViewModelFactory;
         _scheduler = scheduler;
         _rootPageService = rootPageService;
         _currentPage = new LoadingPageViewModel(null, _scheduler);
@@ -87,6 +89,7 @@ public partial class ShellViewModel : ObservableObject,
 
         // Now that the basics are set up, we can load the root page.
         _rootPage = _rootPageService.GetRootPage();
+
         // This sends a message to us to load the root page view model.
         WeakReferenceMessenger.Default.Send<PerformCommandMessage>(new(new ExtensionObject<ICommand>(_rootPage)));
 
@@ -251,7 +254,7 @@ public partial class ShellViewModel : ObservableObject,
                 _isNested = !isMainPage;
 
                 // Construct our ViewModel of the appropriate type and pass it the UI Thread context.
-                var pageViewModel = GetViewModelForPage(page, _isNested, host);
+                var pageViewModel = _pageViewModelFactory.TryCreatePageViewModel(page, _isNested, host);
                 if (pageViewModel == null)
                 {
                     Logger.LogError($"Failed to create ViewModel for page {page.GetType().Name}");
@@ -396,19 +399,6 @@ public partial class ShellViewModel : ObservableObject,
         }
     }
 
-    private PageViewModel? GetViewModelForPage(IPage page, bool nested, CommandPaletteHost host)
-    {
-        return page switch
-        {
-            IListPage listPage => new ListViewModel(listPage, _scheduler, host)
-            {
-                IsNested = nested,
-            },
-            IContentPage contentPage => new ContentPageViewModel(contentPage, _scheduler, host),
-            _ => null,
-        };
-    }
-
     public void SetActiveExtension(IExtensionWrapper? extension)
     {
         if (extension != _activeExtension)
diff --git a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/App.xaml.cs b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/App.xaml.cs
index d34bd667fe..2c7d0afc15 100644
--- a/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/App.xaml.cs
+++ b/src/modules/cmdpal/Microsoft.CmdPal.UI/App.xaml.cs
@@ -148,6 +148,7 @@ public partial class App : Application
 
         // ViewModels
         services.AddSingleton<ShellViewModel>();
+        services.AddSingleton<IPageViewModelFactoryService, PageViewModelFactory>();
 
         return services.BuildServiceProvider();
     }