diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 91f8354..ce75427 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ The recommended way to encode. Define your entire workflow in a single [YAML tem
 ```bash
 bitmovin encoding templates start ./template.yaml --watch   # Start from file
 bitmovin encoding templates start --id <id> --watch         # Start stored template
-bitmovin encoding templates create ./template.yaml --name "Standard VOD"
+bitmovin encoding templates create ./template.yaml              # Name comes from metadata.name
 bitmovin encoding templates list
 bitmovin encoding templates get <id>
 bitmovin encoding templates delete <id>
diff --git a/src/commands/encoding/templates/create.ts b/src/commands/encoding/templates/create.ts
index e9d9707..194d90e 100644
--- a/src/commands/encoding/templates/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/encoding/templates/create.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,37 @@
-import {Args, Flags} from '@oclif/core';
+import {Args} from '@oclif/core';
 import {readFileSync} from 'node:fs';
 import {BaseCommand} from '../../../lib/base-command.js';
+import {API_BASE_URL, resolveAuth} from '../../../lib/client.js';
+
+interface CreateResponse {
+  data?: {
+    result?: {
+      id?: string;
+      [key: string]: unknown;
+    };
+  };
+}
+
+interface ErrorResponse {
+  developerMessage?: string;
+  message?: string;
+  requestId?: string;
+  data?: {
+    developerMessage?: string;
+    message?: string;
+    requestId?: string;
+  };
+}
+
+interface ApiError extends Error {
+  httpStatusCode: number;
+  developerMessage: string;
+  requestId?: string;
+}
 
 export default class EncodingTemplateCreate extends BaseCommand {
-  static override description = 'Store an encoding template for reuse';
+  static override description =
+    'Store an encoding template for reuse. The template name is taken from `metadata.name` in the YAML.';
 
   static override args = {
     file: Args.string({description: 'Path to YAML template file', required: true}),
@@ -11,15 +39,59 @@ export default class EncodingTemplateCreate extends BaseCommand {
 
   static override flags = {
     ...BaseCommand.baseFlags,
-    name: Flags.string({description: 'Template name', required: true}),
   };
 
   async run(): Promise<void> {
     const {args, flags} = await this.parse(EncodingTemplateCreate);
     const content = readFileSync(args.file, 'utf-8');
-    const templatePayload: Record<string, unknown> = {name: flags.name, template: content};
-    const result = await (await this.getApi()).encoding.templates.create(templatePayload as never);
-    this.log(`Template created: ${(result as {id?: string}).id}`);
+    await this.isJsonMode();
+
+    const {apiKey, tenantOrgId} = resolveAuth(flags['api-key']);
+
+    // The /encoding/templates endpoint expects a raw YAML body with
+    // Content-Type: application/yaml. The SDK only sends application/json,
+    // so we issue this request directly.
+    const headers: Record<string, string> = {
+      'X-Api-Key': apiKey,
+      'X-Api-Client': '@bitmovin/cli',
+      'Content-Type': 'application/yaml',
+    };
+    if (tenantOrgId) headers['X-Tenant-Org-Id'] = tenantOrgId;
+
+    const response = await fetch(`${API_BASE_URL}/encoding/templates`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers,
+      body: content,
+    });
+
+    if (!response.ok) {
+      const rawBodyText = await response.text();
+      let developerMessage = rawBodyText;
+      let requestId = response.headers?.get('X-Request-Id') ?? undefined;
+
+      try {
+        const parsed = JSON.parse(rawBodyText) as ErrorResponse;
+        developerMessage =
+          parsed.developerMessage ??
+          parsed.message ??
+          parsed.data?.developerMessage ??
+          parsed.data?.message ??
+          rawBodyText;
+        requestId = requestId ?? parsed.requestId ?? parsed.data?.requestId;
+      } catch {
+        // leave developerMessage as raw response body
+      }
+
+      const error = new Error(`Failed to create template (${response.status}): ${developerMessage}`) as ApiError;
+      error.httpStatusCode = response.status;
+      error.developerMessage = developerMessage;
+      if (requestId) error.requestId = requestId;
+      throw error;
+    }
+
+    const json = (await response.json()) as CreateResponse;
+    const result = json.data?.result ?? {};
+    this.log(`Template created: ${result.id ?? '<unknown id>'}`);
     await this.outputData(result);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/commands/skill.ts b/src/commands/skill.ts
index 2af1488..d71c161 100644
--- a/src/commands/skill.ts
+++ b/src/commands/skill.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ bitmovin config set organization <org-id>
 bitmovin encoding templates start ./template.yaml --watch  # Start encoding from YAML template
 bitmovin encoding templates list                           # List stored templates
 bitmovin encoding templates get <id>                       # Get template details
-bitmovin encoding templates create ./file.yaml --name "X"  # Store template
+bitmovin encoding templates create ./file.yaml             # Store template (name from metadata.name)
 bitmovin encoding templates delete <id>
 bitmovin encoding templates validate ./template.yaml       # Validate YAML against schema
 \`\`\`
diff --git a/src/lib/client.ts b/src/lib/client.ts
index e22d95c..f695adc 100644
--- a/src/lib/client.ts
+++ b/src/lib/client.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,19 @@ const SdkModule = BitmovinApiSdk as unknown as {default?: BitmovinApiConstructor
 const BitmovinApi: BitmovinApiConstructor = SdkModule.default ?? (BitmovinApiSdk as unknown as BitmovinApiConstructor);
 
 export function getClient(apiKeyOverride?: string): ApiClient {
+  const {apiKey, tenantOrgId} = resolveAuth(apiKeyOverride);
+  return new BitmovinApi({
+    apiKey,
+    ...(tenantOrgId && {tenantOrgId}),
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolve API auth from CLI override, env var, or config file. Used both by
+ * `getClient()` and by commands that need to make raw HTTP requests outside
+ * the SDK (e.g. when an endpoint expects a non-JSON body).
+ */
+export function resolveAuth(apiKeyOverride?: string): {apiKey: string; tenantOrgId?: string} {
   const config = loadConfig();
   const {value: apiKey} = resolveApiKey(config, apiKeyOverride);
 
@@ -44,8 +57,7 @@ export function getClient(apiKeyOverride?: string): ApiClient {
     );
   }
 
-  return new BitmovinApi({
-    apiKey,
-    ...(config.tenantOrgId && {tenantOrgId: config.tenantOrgId}),
-  });
+  return {apiKey, tenantOrgId: config.tenantOrgId};
 }
+
+export const API_BASE_URL = 'https://api.bitmovin.com/v1';
diff --git a/test/commands/encoding-templates.test.ts b/test/commands/encoding-templates.test.ts
index dcd5442..d993c87 100644
--- a/test/commands/encoding-templates.test.ts
+++ b/test/commands/encoding-templates.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ afterEach(() => {
 
   vi.unstubAllGlobals();
   delete process.env.BM_CLI_TEST_HOME;
+  delete process.env.BITMOVIN_API_KEY;
 });
 
 const mockTemplates = [
@@ -45,6 +46,11 @@ vi.mock('../../src/lib/client.js', () => ({
       },
     },
   }),
+  resolveAuth: (override?: string) => ({
+    apiKey: override ?? process.env.BITMOVIN_API_KEY ?? 'mock-api-key',
+    tenantOrgId: undefined,
+  }),
+  API_BASE_URL: 'https://api.bitmovin.com/v1',
 }));
 
 function captureStdout(): {output: () => string; restore: () => void} {
@@ -66,6 +72,25 @@ function captureStdout(): {output: () => string; restore: () => void} {
   };
 }
 
+function captureStderr(): {output: () => string; restore: () => void} {
+  let captured = '';
+  const mock = vi.spyOn(process.stderr, 'write').mockImplementation((chunk: string | Uint8Array) => {
+    captured += typeof chunk === 'string' ? chunk : chunk.toString();
+    return true;
+  });
+  let restored = false;
+  const restore = () => {
+    if (restored) return;
+    restored = true;
+    mock.mockRestore();
+  };
+  cleanupCallbacks.push(restore);
+  return {
+    output: () => captured,
+    restore,
+  };
+}
+
 describe('encoding templates list', () => {
   it('outputs JSON', async () => {
     const cap = captureStdout();
@@ -113,6 +138,105 @@ describe('encoding templates delete', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('encoding templates create', () => {
+  function setupCreate(): {dir: string; fetchMock: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>} {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'bm-cli-create-'));
+    cleanupCallbacks.push(() => rmSync(dir, {recursive: true, force: true}));
+    process.env.BITMOVIN_API_KEY = 'test-key-create';
+    const fetchMock = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      status: 201,
+      json: async () => ({data: {result: {id: 'tmpl-new', name: 'Test'}}}),
+    });
+    vi.stubGlobal('fetch', fetchMock);
+    return {dir, fetchMock};
+  }
+
+  it('posts the YAML body verbatim with Content-Type: application/yaml', async () => {
+    const {dir, fetchMock} = setupCreate();
+    const file = join(dir, 't.yaml');
+    const yamlBody = "metadata:\n  name: Test\n  type: LIVE\nencodings: {}\n";
+    writeFileSync(file, yamlBody);
+    const cap = captureStdout();
+    const {default: Cmd} = await import('../../src/commands/encoding/templates/create.js');
+    await Cmd.run([file]);
+    cap.restore();
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const [url, init] = fetchMock.mock.calls[0];
+    expect(url).toBe('https://api.bitmovin.com/v1/encoding/templates');
+    expect((init as RequestInit).method).toBe('POST');
+    expect((init as RequestInit).body).toBe(yamlBody);
+    const headers = (init as RequestInit).headers as Record<string, string>;
+    expect(headers['Content-Type']).toBe('application/yaml');
+    expect(headers['X-Api-Key']).toBe('test-key-create');
+  });
+
+  it('outputs clean JSON with --json', async () => {
+    const {dir} = setupCreate();
+    const file = join(dir, 't.yaml');
+    writeFileSync(file, 'metadata:\n  name: Test\n');
+    const cap = captureStdout();
+    const capErr = vi.spyOn(process.stderr, 'write').mockImplementation(() => true);
+    const {default: Cmd} = await import('../../src/commands/encoding/templates/create.js');
+    await Cmd.run([file, '--json']);
+    cap.restore();
+    capErr.mockRestore();
+    const data = JSON.parse(cap.output());
+    expect(data).toEqual({id: 'tmpl-new', name: 'Test'});
+  });
+
+  it('surfaces API error message on failure', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'bm-cli-create-'));
+    cleanupCallbacks.push(() => rmSync(dir, {recursive: true, force: true}));
+    process.env.BITMOVIN_API_KEY = 'test-key-create';
+    vi.stubGlobal(
+      'fetch',
+      vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+        ok: false,
+        status: 400,
+        text: async () => JSON.stringify({developerMessage: 'Could not parse encoding template'}),
+      }),
+    );
+    const file = join(dir, 'bad.yaml');
+    writeFileSync(file, 'metadata:\n  type: LIVE\n');
+    const capErr = captureStderr();
+    const {default: Cmd} = await import('../../src/commands/encoding/templates/create.js');
+    await expect(Cmd.run([file])).rejects.toThrow(/EEXIT: 1/);
+    capErr.restore();
+    expect(capErr.output()).toContain('API error: 400');
+    expect(capErr.output()).toContain('Could not parse encoding template');
+  });
+
+  it('outputs structured JSON API error with --json', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'bm-cli-create-'));
+    cleanupCallbacks.push(() => rmSync(dir, {recursive: true, force: true}));
+    process.env.BITMOVIN_API_KEY = 'test-key-create';
+    vi.stubGlobal(
+      'fetch',
+      vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+        ok: false,
+        status: 400,
+        headers: {get: (name: string) => (name.toLowerCase() === 'x-request-id' ? 'req-create-1' : null)},
+        text: async () => JSON.stringify({developerMessage: 'Could not parse encoding template'}),
+      }),
+    );
+    const file = join(dir, 'bad.yaml');
+    writeFileSync(file, 'metadata:\n  type: LIVE\n');
+    const capOut = captureStdout();
+    const capErr = captureStderr();
+    const {default: Cmd} = await import('../../src/commands/encoding/templates/create.js');
+    await expect(Cmd.run([file, '--json'])).rejects.toThrow(/EEXIT: 1/);
+    capOut.restore();
+    capErr.restore();
+    expect(JSON.parse(capOut.output())).toEqual({
+      error: true,
+      httpStatusCode: 400,
+      message: 'Could not parse encoding template',
+      requestId: 'req-create-1',
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('encoding templates start', () => {
   it('starts from a stored template ID', async () => {
     const capErr = vi.spyOn(process.stderr, 'write').mockImplementation(() => true);