diff --git a/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.store.ts b/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.store.ts
index 48a5ad9891..3196475be7 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.store.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.store.ts
@@ -22,29 +22,102 @@
 import fs from "fs-extra";
 import path from "path";
 import os from "os";
-import { autoBind } from "../../utils";
 import { DockTabStore } from "./dock-tab.store";
 import { dockStore, DockTabCreateSpecific, TabKind } from "./dock.store";
+import { action, makeObservable, observable } from "mobx";
+
+export interface TemplatesGroup {
+  label: string;
+  templates: Record<string/*filename*/, string /*contents*/>;
+}
 
 export class CreateResourceStore extends DockTabStore<string> {
   constructor() {
-    super({
-      storageKey: "create_resource"
-    });
-    autoBind(this);
+    super({ storageKey: "create_resource" });
+    makeObservable(this);
   }
 
-  protected async init() {
-    super.init();
-    await fs.ensureDir(this.userTemplatesFolder);
+  readonly templateGroups: Record<string, TemplatesGroup> = observable({
+    [this.appTemplatesFolder]: {
+      label: "Lens Templates",
+      templates: {} as Record<string/*filename*/, string /*contents*/>,
+    },
+    [this.userTemplatesFolder]: {
+      label: "Custom templates",
+      templates: {},
+    },
+  });
+
+  get appTemplatesFolder(): string {
+    // production: declare files to copy in "package.json" -> "build.extraResources"
+    return path.resolve(__static, "../templates/create-resource");
   }
 
   get userTemplatesFolder(): string {
     return path.resolve(os.homedir(), "~/.k8slens/templates");
   }
 
-  async getTemplate(fileName: string, ext = "yaml") {
-    return import(`../../../../templates/create-resource/${fileName}.${ext}?raw`);
+  protected async init() {
+    super.init();
+
+    // scan all available templates immediately
+    await this.scanTemplates(this.appTemplatesFolder);
+    await this.scanTemplates(this.userTemplatesFolder);
+  }
+
+  @action
+  private async scanTemplates(sourceFolder: string): Promise<void> {
+    try {
+      const templatesGroup = this.templateGroups[sourceFolder];
+
+      if (!templatesGroup) return; // exit: unknown templates source folder
+
+      await fs.ensureDir(sourceFolder);
+      const fileNames = await fs.readdir(sourceFolder);
+
+      templatesGroup.templates = Object.fromEntries(
+        fileNames.map(fileName => [fileName, "" /* empty: content not loaded yet */])
+      );
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`[CREATE-RESOURCE]: scanning template folders error: ${error}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  @action
+  async loadTemplate(init: { fileName: string, sourceFolder: string }): Promise<string> {
+    const { fileName, sourceFolder } = init;
+
+    const templatesGroup = this.templateGroups[sourceFolder];
+
+    if (!templatesGroup) {
+      return ""; // unknown group, exit
+    }
+
+    const template = templatesGroup.templates[fileName];
+
+    if (template) return template; // return cache, preloaded already
+
+    try {
+      const templatePath = path.resolve(sourceFolder, fileName);
+      const pathExists = await fs.pathExists(templatePath);
+
+      if (!pathExists) return ""; // template file not exists, skip
+
+      const textContent = await fs.readFile(templatePath, { encoding: "utf-8" });
+
+      templatesGroup.templates[fileName] = textContent; // save cache
+
+      return textContent;
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(`[CREATE-RESOURCE]: reading "${sourceFolder}/${fileName}" has failed: ${error}`);
+    }
+
+    return "";
+  }
+
+  // bundled app templates via webpack.renderer.ts, "?raw"-query loads content as text
+  async getBundledTemplate(fileName: string, ext = "yaml"): Promise<string> {
+    return import(`${this.appTemplatesFolder}/${fileName}.${ext}?raw`);
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.tsx b/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.tsx
index 069910ff8b..faba70ff7c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/dock/create-resource.tsx
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 import "./create-resource.scss";
 import React from "react";
-import { Select, SelectOption } from "../select";
+import { GroupSelectOption, Select, SelectOption } from "../select";
 import jsYaml from "js-yaml";
 import { computed, makeObservable, observable } from "mobx";
 import { observer } from "mobx-react";
@@ -39,34 +39,31 @@ interface Props {
   tab: DockTab;
 }
 
+type SelectOptionTemplate = SelectOption<SelectOptionTemplateValue>;
+
+interface SelectOptionTemplateValue {
+  sourceFolder: string;
+  fileName: string;
+  content?: string; // available after loading (template selection)
+}
+
 @observer
 export class CreateResource extends React.Component<Props> {
-  @observable currentTemplates: Map<string, SelectOption> = new Map();
-  @observable error = "";
-  @observable templates = observable.map<string/*filename*/, string>();
-
   constructor(props: Props) {
     super(props);
     makeObservable(this);
   }
 
-  // TODO
-  @computed get templateOptions(): SelectOption<string>[] {
-    return [];
-  }
+  @observable error = "";
 
   get tabId() {
     return this.props.tab.id;
   }
 
-  get data() {
+  get draft() {
     return createResourceStore.getData(this.tabId);
   }
 
-  get selectedTemplate() {
-    return this.currentTemplates.get(this.tabId) ?? null;
-  }
-
   onChange = (value: string) => {
     createResourceStore.setData(this.tabId, value);
   };
@@ -75,24 +72,14 @@ export class CreateResource extends React.Component<Props> {
     this.error = error;
   };
 
-  // FIXME
-  onSelectTemplate = (item: SelectOption) => {
-    console.log(`SELECTED TEMPLATE: ${this.tabId}`, item);
-    // this.currentTemplates.set(this.tabId, item);
-    //
-    // fs.readFile(item.value, "utf8").then(templateFileContent => {
-    //   createResourceStore.setData(this.tabId, templateFileContent);
-    // });
-  };
-
   create = async () => {
-    if (this.error || !this.data.trim()) {
+    if (this.error || !this.draft) {
       // do not save when field is empty or there is an error
       return null;
     }
 
     // skip empty documents if "---" pasted at the beginning or end
-    const resources = jsYaml.safeLoadAll(this.data).filter(Boolean);
+    const resources = jsYaml.safeLoadAll(this.draft).filter(Boolean);
     const createdResources: string[] = [];
     const errors: string[] = [];
 
@@ -125,20 +112,41 @@ export class CreateResource extends React.Component<Props> {
       <div className="flex gaps align-center">
         <Select
           autoConvertOptions={false}
+          controlShouldRenderValue={false} // always keep initial placeholder
           className="SelectResourceTemplate"
           placeholder="Select Template ..."
-          options={this.templateOptions}
           menuPlacement="top"
           themeName="outlined"
+          options={this.templateOptions}
           onChange={v => this.onSelectTemplate(v)}
-          value={this.selectedTemplate}
         />
       </div>
     );
   }
 
+  @computed get templateOptions(): GroupSelectOption<SelectOptionTemplate>[] {
+    return Object.entries(createResourceStore.templateGroups).map(([sourceFolder, group]) => {
+      return {
+        label: group.label,
+        options: Object.entries(group.templates).map(([fileName]) => {
+          return {
+            label: fileName,
+            value: { fileName, sourceFolder },
+          };
+        }),
+      };
+    });
+  }
+
+  onSelectTemplate = async ({ value }: SelectOptionTemplate) => {
+    const { fileName, sourceFolder, content } = value;
+    const templateContent = content ?? await createResourceStore.loadTemplate({ fileName, sourceFolder });
+
+    createResourceStore.setData(this.tabId, templateContent); // update draft
+  };
+
   render() {
-    const { tabId, data, error, create } = this;
+    const { tabId, draft, error, create } = this;
     const { className } = this.props;
 
     return (
@@ -153,7 +161,7 @@ export class CreateResource extends React.Component<Props> {
         />
         <MonacoEditor
           id={tabId}
-          value={data}
+          value={draft}
           onChange={this.onChange}
           onError={this.onError}
         />
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/monaco-editor/monaco-editor.tsx b/src/renderer/components/monaco-editor/monaco-editor.tsx
index f38031b1de..d2adbc68ef 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/monaco-editor/monaco-editor.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/monaco-editor/monaco-editor.tsx
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@ export const defaultEditorProps: Partial<MonacoEditorProps> = {
   }
 };
 
-// FIXME: apply changes of props.options and globalOptions.editor to active editor
-
 @observer
 export class MonacoEditor extends React.Component<MonacoEditorProps> {
   static defaultProps = defaultEditorProps as object;
@@ -186,6 +184,10 @@ export class MonacoEditor extends React.Component<MonacoEditorProps> {
 
     this.disposeOnUnmount.push(
       reaction(() => this.model, this.onModelChange),
+      reaction(() => this.props.theme, editor.setTheme),
+      reaction(() => this.props.value, value => this.setValue(value)),
+      reaction(() => toJS(this.props.options), opts => this.editor.updateOptions(opts)),
+
       () => onDidLayoutChangeDisposer.dispose(),
       () => onValueChangeDisposer.dispose(),
       () => onContentSizeChangeDisposer.dispose(),
@@ -237,6 +239,8 @@ export class MonacoEditor extends React.Component<MonacoEditorProps> {
   }
 
   setValue(value: string) {
+    if (value == this.getValue()) return;
+
     this.editor.setValue(value);
   }